The bow bends in preparation to send Allen to the North

“Lieutenant, two things came for you yesterday afternoon.” Captain Felim nodded in brief welcome as Allen entered the supply office. He held up a large brown paper envelope and a smaller, white envelope and passed both to Allen as he passed by the captain’s desk on the way to his own. “You’re popular it seems.”

“Thank you, sir,” Allen said, as he took his seat and turned the envelopes over in his hands.

The larger envelope was sealed with a black wax, and into the wax was impressed a griffin: official Guard correspondence; the smaller was sealed with a yellow wax and a symbol Allen didn’t recognize: a rod and star.

It was rare that he received any sort of letter through the Kingdom’s postal service, and normal channels would have delivered it to his barracks, not his office. These were something special: he suspected they had been handled only by the Guard on their way to him, which guaranteed a higher level of security and less chance of interrupted delivery. He had a suspicion what the larger envelope contained, but he set it to the side to let his curiosity peak before he opened it; he was more curious about the second. If it had been official guard business, it would have held the Guard seal that was on the larger envelope. But he didn’t know whose sigil was on the wax, and it had come through Guard channels, so it was from someone who could preempt the Guard’s internal postal service for his own interests: a group that he suspected held only a limited few. It could be from the King, from a chancellor or minister, from any of several of the royal advisors, or from any officer in the Guard of sufficient rank to use the postal service for his own correspondence, which meant a few of the senior captains in influential positions or a general—no one else had the authority or royal favor to commandeer the Guard channels.

He broke the seal on the smaller envelope and pulled out the folded sheet of stiff paper inside. Unfolding it revealed an elegant, scholarly script that it took him a moment to decipher; it was far more elaborate than the typical hand used in the Kingdom.

Lieutenant Delais, His Majesty asked me to send this note to you, to inform you of the events surrounding the attack upon your friends that necessitated your rescue. His Majesty would also like to thank you for your efforts in defense of the kingdom and your fellow Guards; for now, such thanks must remain informal and enclosed only in this letter.

It is our belief that the attack upon your fellow Guards was the work of a political enemy of Senior Lieutenant Kilin Vreis, or rather his father, Baron Vreis. The Vreis family is embroiled in several major political scenarios, but chiefly that of the Kingdom’s trade along the Aela; indeed, this is the very reason Lieutenant Kilin was assigned as your roommate, as you are yourself familiar with the river trade in a most intimate way, and it is in the interests of His Majesty to promote this trade.

The identity of the attackers has been only half-confirmed, but several suspects of ill-repute have been apprehended by the City Watch and are confined in the royal dungeon. Lieutenants Kilin and Jaella have been unable to identify their attackers to date, and so it is likely the criminals will be released shortly: His Majesty must respect his own laws.

Of some note to you, as you will shortly be traveling to the northern border, is that the suspected attackers bore weapons of Leusi design; without the confirmation of their involvement in the attack however, this is not enough evidence to imprison them indefinitely. His Majesty asks you, by way of this letter, to investigate during your northern assignment as much as you are capable the connection between these weapons and the trade along the Aela. We fear that Karn is somehow embroiled in this work and perhaps supplies the northerners with their steel. As you know, His Majesty forbids the export of steel from the kingdom to the north or the south; only our allies in the west are an acceptable market for our blades.

Were it not for your mark, His Majesty would not ask a greater burden of you than your oaths to him as his Guard; but His Majesty’s need in this hour is such that he must grasp at any blade that comes to his hand, most especially those which he is certain will not turn in his hand. In your efforts in the north and throughout the Kingdom on behalf of His Majesty, we beg your goddess of her favor.

There are greater troubles in the kingdom than can be revealed in detail in so brief a letter: know that we fear the threat of civil war and plots among the nobility to overthrow the king. Be on your guard in the north, ware well the river trade and preserve it in its current state, beware a journey alone to the northwest of the Kingdom as the King’s dissidents are gathered there and will not look favorably upon his Guard, and hold fast to your friends in Aciel and in the Guard.

Know that you have His Majesty’s trust.

Honor to your Oaths,

Juslir

Allen read the letter a second time before he refolded it and set it back in its envelope; then slipped the envelope into an inner pocket of his uniform. The letter spoke directly to the worries expressed to him by Jaella’s father, and he wondered if Baron Juslir and Keirs Ielior were not both allies and advisors to the king.

The letter stressed the dangers besetting the kingdom, but it added little that he had not already known: the connection to the Leusi was the most interesting, if still somewhat intangible. The message reinforced his conversation with Keirs and warned of plots among the nobility; and it took for granted his loyalty to the king and his defense of the king’s interests—which was only right. The request for divine intervention was of more concern, as he did not know his goddess’ mind in the matter. He would continue to offer Her blessings as he had always done, but he did not know what else the Baron or the King expected.

He broke the seal on the larger envelope with a calmness that surprised him. He should have been excited to receive the news it contained, but after the letter from Juslir it seemed mundane. His excitement returned though when he slid the letter from its envelope; it was indeed what he had expected, but the sight of it filled him with an eager attention. It was short and to the point:

Junior Lieutenant Delais, as of Alyssa fourth of spring you are hereby ordered to report with all necessary gear to the staging point for the 9^th Legion in Aciel, located beside the village of Kopris approximately thirty-seven miles east of Rylar’s walls, along the King’s highway. Your commanding officer for the legion will be General Kostir, his second is Senior Captain Latris, and the commanding officer of your cohort is Senior Captain Della. You are assigned as scout patrol leader to the First Cavalry Cohort of the 9^th Legion, reporting directly to Senior Captain Della. With this letter, you may requisition all necessary supplies from the capital, including winter gear, three changes of uniform, primary and secondary arms and armament, two Guard horses, with necessary tack and armor, for your extended use, and necessary tack and supplies. On the morning of your departure, you and your scout detachment will escort a baggage train for the First Cavalry Cohort to the staging point in Kopris. You are responsible for the safety of these supplies. The gathering point for your departure is the smaller bailey in front of the west stables. Details on your scout detachment will arrive shortly by Guard post. You are hereby released from your current morning assignment in Supply in order to prepare for your detachment. As usual, you are expected to attend afternoon courses while in the capital, unless preparations for your departure do not permit it. You are granted temporary leave from Alyssa second to Kaisa third of spring.

By Order of His Majesty Lais, King of Aciel,

Captain of the Guard Faesin Hyrleis,

and General Kostir of the 9^th Legion

The orders were the usual mix of hurried information jammed into as little space as possible, with gaping holes that only time would fill. He was excited to see he would have his own scout detachment, and hopefully the information on his men would arrive as promised. Alyssa fourth meant the first day of the fourth week of spring, which left him just over two and a half weeks before he had to depart. Plenty of time to prepare, and there were almost two weeks of leave in it, though he had no plans for how to spend it. Kaisa was the sixth day of the week, leaving him one day in the capital between the end of his leave and the morning of Alyssa fourth.

The letter released him from his current duty, so there was no need to remain in the Supply office. He stood up, and before he could speak Captain Felim nodded to him.

“I already know you’re leaving. You’ve done fine work here. Good luck in your journey.”

It was a brief speech, as all of Felim’s words were brief, but Allen took it to heart. “Thank you, sir. It has been a pleasure working for you.”

Felim chuckled, probably at the word “pleasure,” and waved Allen out. “Head off to your future, Lieutenant. Don’t keep her waiting.”

Allen saluted the captain a final time, and left the office with the one envelope in his pocket and the other in his hand. It would be best to requisition his supplies as soon as possible, if he wanted to insure they would be waiting for him by Yoneth third, the day before his departure on Alyssa fourth.

He would acquire as much of the necessary equipment as possible now, and place the rest on order. It would take the tailors several days at least to make the three new uniforms for him. He had no real need of new uniforms or arms and armaments, but it was not wise to refuse the Guard’s generosity. It might be years before he had the opportunity to acquire another set at the Guard’s expense.

His first stop was the armory, where he placed orders for a standard set of heavy cavalry armor as well as a set of the lighter, more versatile scout armor worn by mounted scout patrols. Those two sets of armor, combined with the modified infantry set he kept in the barracks, would let him change his armor to suit almost any need. He would be able to don standard heavy infantry or heavy cavalry armor at need, and remove pieces for medium to light infantry and cavalry wear. The armor would take up most of a packhorse by itself, but it would be worth it for the versatility. He could store it in the barracks once he reached the 9^th’s permanent quarters. Each set of armor came with its standard arms and shields.

The tailor’s was next, where he placed an order for winter gear and three new uniforms, one of them a dress uniform.

The stables were his last stop. Travel supplies and fodder he could requisition at any time, and they could wait until just before his departure, but he wanted his pick of the Guard horses in the stables, especially if he would be a mounted scout.

There were two types of horses typically kept by the Guard, one for heavy cavalry and the other for light cavalry and scouting; the Guards tended to refer to them as chargers and hunters. The chargers were much stockier than the hunters and of a better weight for direct battle, able to easily bear the weight of an armored rider and their own armor, and to shoulder aside smaller horses and enemy combatants time after time. Hunters were a smaller, lighter breed, with a light, almost dancing step; their strength was in speed and agility rather than brute strength and their footfalls were quiet; they excelled in jumping hurdles and making sharp turns and were favored by the nobility for hunting. The hunters also seemed to Allen to have a finer sensibility for their surroundings and a keener intelligence and temper; they had quicksilver spirits where the chargers were direct and forceful.

He spent the rest of the morning searching the stables and pastures, and talking to the hostlers, before he settled on two hunters: one was a spirited bay gelding and the other was a charcoal grey mare with a white streak in her mane and tail and a keen perception in her eye; both were young, four and five respectively, and well-trained to respond to knee, rein, or voice. It would take some time for them to become familiar with him as a rider, and he hoped there would be time before he reached the north. He decided to hold off on naming them until he got to know them better; their nicknames in the stables would do for now, and were “Arrow” and “Dusk.”

The hostlers moved the two hunters to the officer’s stable for him, and he left them there with the assurance that they would be ready when he called for them.

The sun was high in the sky by the time he finished his preparations, and he felt the rumblings of an empty stomach, so he headed to the dining hall, where he planned to meet Kilin for lunch as usual.

He wondered if the other lieutenant had also received orders to the north. Kilin would not be in the same patrol, but they might be in the same cohort. Also, Kilin might have an idea for how to spend his leave. If not, he could spend the two weeks traveling the countryside around Aciel and getting to know his horses.

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