Chapter 7
April 1st, 770; Moments later, Castle Heartfelt
Talon was tired from the last few days of travel, but pushed on, retracing his footsteps along the waterfront until he was back on the bridge. On his way across, he stopped in the middle and looked around him. For a moment, everything in his life made sense as he smelled the beautiful spring air and took in the sunshine.
On both sides of the River he could see civilization and was momentarily mesmerized by the castle. It stood on the top of a gentle hill, yet that same gentle hill pushed it into the sky. Talon slowly broke from the spell and continued off the bridge and onto the path.
He turned onto the main path and headed towards the castle and within no time was approaching the castle. He stopped at the gate only to find that it wasn't manned. Unescorted, he proceeded into the castle. He walked past all of the buildings inside the castle and if he hadn't known better he would have thought the place had been abandoned. He passed the great hall and found that most of the castle occupants were outside the back gate, watching the Guardsmen exercise. Talon dismounted and walked through the back entrance. After seeing the hundreds of Guardsmen practicing across the field he threw out the abandoned castle theory. Talon moved off to the side and watched the Guardsmen spar for awhile.
Watching the Guardsmen was bringing back memories of his days on those fields, though his memories where cut short by the arrival of Prince Christopher. Talon caught him out of the corner of his eye as he was approaching from off the field. The Prince had some sweat coming of his forehead and his clothes were full of marks. Talon wasn't surprised to find the Prince sparring with the best of them.
When the Prince was within twenty feet Talon went down on one knee.
"My Prince."
"Rise Talon." He spoke as he touched Talon on his right shoulder. "You're early. Have you been to towne?"
"Yes, sire. I stopped in and spoke with Minty. He seems to be doing well. How are the exercises going?"
"Better than I expected. Getting the entire army back up to speed is taking less effort than Blackheart and I expected."
"Have there been any new developments since your return?"
"Two days ago we sent our first Royal Messenger to our brothers in the south. Very shortly, we will seek aid from a people who were defeated in a battle against us." Prince Christopher said as he started to pace. "The messenger should arrive within the week. Our hope is that these changes from the north have not affected the livelihood of the Southern Towne."
"The docks look busier than anytime I can remember, so I don't imagine the Redderin are suffering from this boycott."
"I thought as much, but I haven't been able to keep up with the developments in towne, because Blackheart has kept me busy with the recall. Why don't we go find him and let him know you are here."
The Prince turned and Talon followed him back into the castle. As they walked, a Guardsmen came within ten feet of the two.
"Good afternoon, Prince Christopher. Sir Stamos sent me to let you know the afternoon session will be starting and your presence is needed."
The Prince briefly conversed with him.
"Talon, please give your horse and mule to him. He will arrange to have it moved into the stables." Prince Christopher said as he nodded his head towards Talon.
"Yes sir. I will take those from you."
"Thank you. She shouldn't give you much trouble, but beware of that mule. Has a mind of its own sometimes." Talon passed the reins over to the young soldier.
"Yes sir. It shall be done." The soldier took control of Talon's horse and look to the Prince to be dismissed.
"Thank you, Steven. See you on the fields." Prince Christopher released him with those words.
"Yes, until tomorrow, my Prince." Steven took his new load and headed off to the stables.
"He will take good care of them, Talon. Come now, I'm already late for the afternoon meeting and I think Blackheart will be surprised to see you are early. Luckily, everything is already in place. Things can get rolling a day early." The Prince concluded and they continued on in silence.
As they walked, Talon noticed the condition the inside of the castle was in. It had definitely seen better days. The west wing was still in ruins and parts of the castle wall lay throughout the area. Talon remembered hearing the story of how the Queen had died behind that wall. He wondered what kept the King from repairing it. Castle Heartfelt has stood for at least a full century and the highest turrets were still reaching into the sky. As they continued on, Talon's curiosity got the better of him.
"Prince Christopher, what is holding up the repairs on the castle?"
The Prince nodded his understanding. "Once the war ended, we sent our tradesmen to Redderin to help with the repair on their end. They recently completed the major repairs, but the King sent them to Hearttowne to effect their repairs. As soon as they finish with the towne they are scheduled to finish the major jobs within the castle. For now we are keeping ahead with a small crew. This skeleton crew, still attached to the castle, has done the best job they could, but until the main crew returns, the major repairs have to wait."
They continued to the Royal wing and walked past it to the servant’s entrance. Prince Christopher was never one to stand on ceremony and for as long as Talon had known him he used the servant’s entrance.
They stopped in the Prince's room and he hastily changed from his field clothes to something more suitable for the meeting. Without losing too much time, they hurried down the hall.
The day was still young as they continued past the other royal bedrooms and headed down to the conference chamber. Two guards stood adjacent to the door and snapped to attention as Sir Stamos walked out of the door. He had a look of surprise on his face as he noticed Talon walking with the Prince.
"There you are Prince Christopher. I was just coming to look for you. The Council awaits." He kept the door open and stepped back to allow them to enter the chamber. Sir Stamos proceeded to introduce Prince Christopher to the conference chamber.
Not so long ago, Talon was given an introduction, but since his departure two years ago, he understood the icy silence from Sir Stamos.
Sir Stamos closed the door behind them and disappeared to go about his business elsewhere in the castle. Talon, on the other hand, was faced with a world that he forgot had existed. Surrounding Talon were quite a few ghosts from the past. The table held Prince Philip, Prince Ty, Blackheart, three advisors unknown to Talon, along with Sir George, the king’s brother and military advisor, and at the head of the table, King Frederick. Throughout the rest of room were people Talon didn't recognize.
The first to notice Talon's stupor was Blackheart. "Talon, will you address your King or does your mind match the look on your face?"
Before Talon could answer he realized what kind of look he had on his face and felt a little embarrassment, but he proceeded to kneel for his King.
"Rise, Talon." King Frederick motioned with his hand.
"My King, I have answered your son's call to service and contrary to Blackheart’s opinion I am in full control of my faculties." Talon reported as he rose. "I am honored to be here, although I see Blackheart has neglected his end of the bargain, that bath."
With the ripples of laughter over, the meeting continued on as an unfamiliar face stood up to address Hearttowne concerns. Talon didn't know if he was the mayor or if he was an assistant as he spoke of the concerns of the towne folk and voiced some concerns for the northern trade industry. Upon finishing his report he seated himself. The meeting continued in the same way, until the floor turned to Blackheart.
Blackheart began. "Your Majesty, I have assembled a group of Guardsmen who are to be sent to Centerpoint in anticipation of any attacks concerning the boycott. All the Guardsmen have come from within the Royal House and from Redderin, and once Markham is secured, I hope to have a supplemented unit dispat
ched to Elizabeth Towne to provide the same added protection until the army is back to full strength." At the mention of this twist, small murmurs were heard and Prince Philip rose to voice his opinion. Blackheart held out his hand telling the Prince to wait. Blackheart continued.
"I haven't asked him yet, but I would like Talon Bastian to head the second unit."
This proclamation was followed by a loud outburst on the council floor. Prince Philip was the first to his feet with utterances of how an outsider can lead such a mission for the Crown.
The arguments were growing until Prince Christopher rose and voiced the final opinion. "I will say this once and only once; the Bastian family has given the ultimate sacrifice for the crown and Talon has come very close on numerous occasions. He has given his family, his home, his honor, and his life in service to the King. I will not stand for his character being brought into question and pending the King's acceptance, he will be given command of the unit destined for Markham with the full support of the crown and this council. And do I need to add...." During his speech he continued to raise his level of voice until he was almost shouting and stood taller and taller until Talon was sure the Prince was going to explode with fury.
Talon had only witnessed this side of his Prince on a few occasions. In his opinion, he thought that when Prince Christopher entered this zone, he deserved the King-in-waiting more than did his older brother. The room had grown silent since Prince Christopher started speaking.
Talon felt it was time to move on. "Your Majesty, I accept the role given." Talon felt the stares from the council on him, but he focused on the King.
"You have been given command and shall leave here carrying the full authority of the Crown. God Speed, young one." With that, the King rose and left the chamber.
Talon took a second to take in the room. He was not surprised by some of the looks he received. Strangely enough, he noticed he still had some allies left within the council. Obviously, Blackheart and Prince Christopher never wavered, but he noticed Princess Anne give a nod of approval to the Prince. Talon once had the Princess's undivided attention, but that was a long time ago and a story Blackheart could often be coerced into repeating. Aside from that foolishness, Talon received nods from the Hearttowne mayor and his assistant and gained an unlikely nod from Prince Ty. Talon had spent very little time with him and he almost never encountered him during the War of Occupation. Prince Christopher and Prince Ty always seemed to be at odds, so Talon took his nod in stride and took a step back behind Prince Christopher.
The Prince nodded to Talon and proceeded to take the floor. "Now that the formalities have passed, let us adjourn this meeting until one hour after departure time of the first team, agreed?" Nods came from the council, but Prince Philip had to voice his opinion and took the floor.
"Prince Christopher, when will that time be?" Prince Philip's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Exactly one hour after I know." And with that Prince Christopher nodded to Talon and Blackheart. "Talon, Blackheart, you are with me."
With those words the three men walked out the chamber. Aside from some mumbling, the council let them leave without further complications, though it didn't matter, because the council wasn't going to stop Prince Christopher. He was very determined and led Talon and Blackheart right past a bewildered Sir Stamos, who took the departure of the group as a signal that the meeting was over. They headed down the Royal Wing through the main doors and out into the courtyard until they were in Blackheart's room. To Talon's surprise there were two men already in the room.
Talon only recognized one of the men and before the door was shut, Trall had walked straight towards Talon. This was a man Talon could never forget. They embraced.
"Talon, never, never again did I expect to lay eyes upon you and especially not under these conditions! How are you? Well, let me look at you?" Trall said with unconfined excitement.
"Whoa, slow down Trall. It's good to see you again." Talon said as he embraced Trall one more time. He looked the man over and was surprised to see that they both had grown up since the war.
"I am beyond curious in wondering what has lead us together and in Blackheart's room." Trall said and gave Blackheart an expectant look.
Blackheart took the subtle hint and interceded, "I am glad we have decided to get down to business. Talon you know Trall, but allow me to introduce Bryant Theos."
Talon looked for some clue of his origins, but his dress told him nothing and his accent didn't give anything away.
Blackheart continued, "Bryant was the involved in the final six months of the War of Occupation for the Redderin side. He will be assuming command of the Redderin Guardsmen, but he will report to you."
Greetings were exchanged around the table along with handshakes. Pleasantries aside, the meeting continued.
"Right, let's get down to it, ladies. Talon has been placed in command of unit two and I am in charge of unit one. Both units will be leaving together and will stay together until we reach Centerpoint. At our arrival, unit two will disembark and head east to Elizabeth towne. We are hoping your unit will be able to deter any action taken against Elizabeth Towne. Trall is going to be part of your unit and you are welcome to place him in whatever capacity you need. If there are no objections to that, I will continue." Blackheart paused and look around at each member.
No one spoke up and Talon was more than satisfied to be working with Trall again.
"Good, our first goal is to head to Centerpoint as a team. When we arrive in Markham we will head out on our different agendas, but we will talk more about them later. So far, it is cut and dry. This afternoon, you will be able to meet with the members of your team, Redderin and Heartfelt. You have three members as of now, but I have chosen five more Guardsmen. Altogether you have four guardsmen and one Royal Man to supplement your ranks and to act as Guardsmen in charge of Elizabeth Towne. I hope you trust my choices, but you will have the final call. How are we doing so far?" Blackheart paused again and looked to Talon for a reply.
"I trust your judgment Blackheart, but I would like to have Stephen Loveland and William Nachtigall, if both are still within your ranks?" Talon looked at Blackheart and was impressed with how much control he had over himself. He was filling in as a Royal Man like he was born to do it.
"I anticipated those choices and, yes, both have been assigned to your team. The other Guardsmen are Caswel Holloway, Carole Reinard, and Kenneth Layton." Blackheart said and looked once again at Talon.
Talon's recognized the first name, but was surprised at the mention of a woman's. "A woman in the Royal Guard, Blackheart?" Talon gave Blackheart a smile that told of how proud he was of such a change to have been brought about.
"As you know, times have changed since you left and I will let Guardsmen Reinard speak on her behalf."
"Bryant, please fill in the Redderin names."
"Right. I have four Rangers; Yara Retore, Samatha La Sabre, Elizabeth Sanders, and Alexandra Mitchell."
"Thank you, Bryant. You will be able to meet all of them this afternoon or tomorrow."
Blackheart took the floor. "I realize that this is a small number of Guardsmen, but if at anytime we have an unanticipated complication you will be able to draw from my thirty men, but I hope both units arrive with full complements." Blackheart said.
"Is there any reason for only allowing a few members onto the team?" Talon asked hoping to get an insight into this trip.
"Talon, we are trying to keep this quiet. And, well, to be truthful, we can't afford to send anymore than that. The council will not authorize any more funds to be used until they have a clearer picture of what we are facing." Blackheart concluded.
"It looks like we are going to have to be miracle workers, within the war chest of course."
Blackheart nodded to the men and then looked to Prince Christopher.
"Very good Blackheart. Let's continue our
discussions in my room. Talon you can get reacquainted with Trall and get to know Bryant. Good day gentlemen." The Prince helped Blackheart with his load and both men left the room.
"If it is all right, I would like to take care of some of my affairs before I am up to my heels in the saving of Valerica and all that." Bryant said with a smile.
"Understood, Bryant. We will see you this afternoon." Talon said as he looked to Trall to see if he had anything to add. "Sound good?"
"Yes, I will have my team there. Good day to you." Bryant left the room.
This left Trall and Talon alone in Blackheart’s room. Both men knew they had a lot of catching up to do.
They spent a good portion of the afternoon doing just that, catching up.
Talon spent his time telling him about his brother, his father, Prince Philip, and what he had gone through during the last two years. "My father and brother had been killed and it all comes back to one person, Prince Philip. The irony in this whole thing, Trall, was that the Southern Towne had been retaken; Redderin was ours. There was no reason to go any further. Of course, I would find out later that Prince Philip was acting on his own and I still remember that day so clearly." Talon braced himself against the desk. "Trall, let's take a walk. This room is starting to feel smaller. I wanted to check on my horse and mule anyway."
He was glad to go out and get some fresh air as the afternoon breeze carried it. Talon's head cleared as they walked into the courtyard. From the courtyard, the stables were a short distance. As they approached, a stable boy appeared from the entrance.
"Good afternoon, sirs. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Talon didn't recognize the young boy. "Yes, I have come to check on my horse and a mule. A Guardsmen should have brought him along this morning." Talon described his animals to the boy.
"Of course, Guardsmen Teager dropped them off. This way."
Talon was shown to the stable were his horse was housed.
"Thanks for your help. By the way, what is your name?" Talon said as he rubbed down his horse.
"Yes, sir. My name is Peter, Peter Gredit. I fed your horse after Guardsmen Teager dropped her off, but I didn't take off her gear. I thought I would wait for your approval."
"Thank you, but don't worry about it. I will take care of the old girl, but I appreciate you making her feel at home." Talon said as he tried to see where they put his pain in the neck mule. "Did you have any trouble with the mule, Peter?"
"No, not at all, sir. We put her along the outer wall. Would you like to see her?" Peter started moving towards the rear of the stables.
"No, just wanted to make sure she didn't make a nuisance of herself. By the way, you can call me Talon. No need for the sir. Have you met Trall?" Talon looked over in Trall's direction.
"Of course, uh, Talon. Trall has been around for quite some time. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Peter asked.
"No, I will see to her from here." Talon made sure his horse was comfortable and then headed out of the stables after thanking Peter. "Okay, I have talked enough, Trall. What has happened to you these past few years?"
"I was as confused about things as you were after the war. Once I found out that you left the castle to head home, I really didn't know what to do. Prince Christopher released his garrison from duty and I chose to take a break from the service. I had some words with Prince Christopher and he accepted my resignation, but I wished I had known what your intentions had been. I always fancied us doing something together, but you had already left for the farm.
With nothing else to do, I headed north to find my family. I spent a few months looking for them, but I didn't have much success, so I lost hope and headed back to Heartfelt.
It seems so long ago that I left Terri alone with the little ones to fight in the War of Occupation. You remember how upset she was when I left. I don't blame her, but do you realize I haven't seen her or the little ones in over four years. They probably don't think I am still alive.
When I returned to Heartfelt, I asked around about you, but I found out you hadn't been heard from in awhile. Prince Christopher and Blackheart filled me in concerning Barlow's fate. I was crushed and I wasn't ready to deal with any more sorrow. I didn't know what went through my mind, but I just couldn't bring myself to come and see you. I would occasionally talk to Minty and listen to the gossip, but no one ever mentioned your name."
"I didn't know what happened to you, Trall, but I knew I wasn't ready to come back yet either." Talon shook his head, but was glad to finally be reunited with Trall.
After nodded his understanding, Trall continued. "The Royal Guard never recovered the bodies from that last battle led by Prince Philip in the Farmer's Region. Once Prince Philip returned to the castle and King Heartfelt heard of what happened, he immediately demoted Philip to taxes and retributions.
Prince Christopher was given control of the Royal Guard and the crown's next move was appointing Blackheart to Royal Man and giving him direct control of the military. With Christopher's help, they have expanded the army to include special assignments. I have seen things turn around in a big way since those changes.”
"I get the same feeling, just after one day with both of them." Blackheart had amazed Talon with how easily he handled being Royalty.
"I'm not sure how much you have settled concerning that final battle, but if things change with the north, Prince Christopher has already decided to mount an expedition into the Farmer's Region and put things back in place. I know it is a little late, but you know Prince Christopher, he wants to make it right, especially because you are directly involved. Keep in mind that none of this is official and I am telling you this as a friend, but whenever the Prince is happy with the plan, I am sure he will fill in the gaps and make things right with Barlow and your father's memory." Trall and Talon had stopped walking to overlook the training happening on the parade field.
They filled up the rest of the afternoon watching the Guardsmen and with their chatter. Before long they broke off from their conversation and headed back into the castle. After a brief walk they were in front of Blackheart's room, waiting to get a room assignment for Talon.