Tales of the Vangen: The Siege of Middengard (Book 2)

Chapter 75: Eulogy

"We are gathered here at the old hanging tree today to say our farewells to an old friend," the Captain said, his voice deep, and clear, and mournful. He stood tall now, taller than Regis had ever seen him before. Like he was a new man, somehow. "For a man so used to death, surrounded by it, even, it made sense to bury him here." He paused to draw breath, shoulder cape flapping as a gust of wind howled past. The mists stirred, then fell back into place.

"I cannot say I ever knew Culter personally," The Captain continued. "But in the end he died a true guardsman of the Vangen. Loyal to the very end. I can never fathom why he chose to stay behind, but I will at least honor him for it. He will be commemorated in the Archive." And he reached down, holding up the massive tome in his left hand. His only hand. "This I swear." And he let the book drop.

Truly an honor for someone like Culter, Regis thought to himself. No sense speaking ill of the dead at their own funeral. He glanced around, seeing who else was in attendance. Civis and Nox were standing close by, heads bowed, the Austerlander muttering some silent prayer. Cent and Moss were there too, and a few other guardsmen he didn't recognize. Probably part of Culter's old crew, he reckoned. Guess the bastard could make friends after all. He snorted at the very idea.

"Hush up," Elba whispered, elbowing him in the ribs. "Have some respect for the dead."

"Sorry," Regis muttered sheepishly.

"If anyone would like to speak for the dead now, please rise and tell us their story." The Captain paused, eyes fixing on Regis for some reason. "Before we say our final farewells."

A cold chill ran up his back then, paranoia itching at the back of his mind. Did he know after all? Had he known the entire time? Terror stabbed at him until he forced back down, trying desperate to keep a cool façade.

Of course he knew. He was, after all, the Empress's favorite. No doubt she'd already sensed his treachery the moment he'd considered it and would have whispered it into Libro's ears at a moment's notice. Question was, what was he planning to do about it? His love for the Empress had waned considerably over the years ever since he'd finally learned of her true nature. Would he go through with it? Would he try and stop him? He swallowed as an even more terrible question came to mind.

Would there be violence?

The group that Regis didn't recognize stood up. They shuffled over nervously, hands behind their backs in an attempt of martial politeness, and he realized who they were now. They were greenhorns. New recruits, fresh from their first war.

"We were terrified when we first joined the Vangen," one of them started to say. A brave fellow, Regis considered, hair like the blazing sun and messier than a bramble patch. "Proud of it too, but you know how it is. One month in and we were already getting shipped off. We didn't know nobody. Didn't know who to trust or what to do. Then Culter came along, showed us the ropes."

"Won't lie, thought he was real creepy at first," another one piped up, bald as a baby this one was. Regis blinked. No, he was beyond bald. Even his eyebrows were missing.

"Aye," Red Hair said, dragging it out to emphasize silence. The hairless one quickly shut up. "But we warmed up to him easily enough. He'd join us by the fire on occasion and drink with us. Wasn't much of a talker, but he listened, you know?"

The third one nodded, a pinched looking man with a face mostly made of jaw. "Damned good at cards too."

"The best," Red Hair agreed. "Anyway, we just wanted to say that we'll miss the crazy bastard. He made us belong, and I guess that speaks for itself." He cleared his throat, kicked at a small pebble before finally sitting down. "That's all," he muttered, his two compatriots following after.