Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 42

Arvek did not need to insist on leaving early. With the village being as overcrowded as it was, not even Rasinod wanted to stay longer than necessary.

Given what he had heard from the other commanders, and the fact that fifth village had so many people, Arvek expected the sixth village to be in absolute ruins with only random wall standing. However, he was surprised to find that it was nowhere his mental image. Most of the buildings looked fine. However, there were houses that were in the process of being rebuilt. All along the road were piles of blistered and bubbled wood. Only a few men and soldiers seemed to be working on repairs, giving the village an eerie silence.

Arvek watched them for a while, not entirely sure what to do. He did not want to interrupt them, but at the same time, he felt that it was odd there were so few people. Yes, most of the village had been evacuated, but this was still only a handful.

Where was the commander?

One of the guards approached a nearby soldier. The soldier did a double take, then immediately saluted upon seeing the Royal Emblem.

"Where is the commander?" the guard asked.

"Sir, one moment, sir," the soldier said. He carefully set down what he was doing, making sure the villager he was working with was set, and took off.

It was only a few minutes before the soldier returned. He saluted again and said, "Sir, he will be shortly."

"Very good," the guard replied.

The soldier remained where he was, still in salute.

"You may return to your work," the guard said.

The soldier immediately went back to helping rebuild the house.

"Shortly" turned out to be longer than the few minutes the soldier was gone, but at last, the commander arrived. He was dismounted, leading his horse behind him and muttering under his breath. There was an air of unkemptness about him, but unlike Bellor, it did not seem to stem from lack of care for personal hygiene. There were fresh cuts on his face, his expression was weary, and his outer clothes torn in places. Even his horse looked tired, as it carried its head low and its steps were slow.

The commander glanced up at the newcomers and stopped muttering to himself, realization dawning as he recognized the Royal Emblem. He quickly snapped a salute, posturing himself to hide the weariness.

Arvek wasn't sure if it was the facial structure, or the fact that he easily reached over six feet, or if it was just the way he carried himself, but he was certain there was no way this commander was fully Human. He was aware of the fact that there was an Elven kingdom on the other side of the Veil Forest, but he had not heard of interracial marriages as a result of the sort of close proximity.

But considering how much he was learning about the Veil Villages, it could hardly be surprising.

"Your Highness, I apologize for the state of things," the commander said. "I would have preferred to give you a better welcome, but, ah . . ." He looked around. "As you can see, we are not in the greatest of shapes, sir. Glae, sir, at your service."

"No apology necessary," Arvek said. Especially since he seemed to be the only one who cared about presentation. "I had heard that you had trouble with some ankhegs recently."

Glae grimaced. "Yes, sir. You heard correctly. One moment, sir." He called out to some of his men, who obediently came to his side. As they were coming over, he said, "Your Highness, if I could persuade you to let my men take your horses and follow me into the tavern? I presume you are here to discuss the king's orders, sir."