The Will Of The Kings.

Rise of the Dalon Part 3

Farmer and Crane, appearing weary and anxious, reached William with a message from Lord Gains. William ushered them into his hall, away from the people ready to head north, who were still assembling in the yard. Only Valessa was in the hall, preparing to leave.

"What's the news?" William inquired. Farmer sighed, and William could sense his uncertainty. "Just start from the beginning," he encouraged.

"The forts to the south on either side of the road have been taken," Farmer revealed.

"So, the others have held," remarked William.

"Yes, but only because the beasts have not attacked them."

"But they are garrisoned," William queried.

"Only by the city guard," Crane reminded him. "And they only number a few in each fort; they're not good enough, and there is not enough of them to stop these beasts."

"Beasts?" William questioned, eager to learn more about this nightmarish enemy.

"Just that," Crane confirmed. "The things we are fighting are beasts."

Farmer jumped back into the conversation. "He's right. The royal guard caught one out on its own and cut it down. We got a look at it," Farmer said with some enthusiasm. "Big lizards, that's what they are. Run around on two legs and twice the height of me! Lord Gains said they were called the Dalon, although he had never seen one before today."

"Where is Lord Gains?" William asked.

"He's gone to order the home guard north."

"What about the south?" William said disbelievingly. "What about us?"

"Lord Jonts is not far behind us, and he won't go north until the last of us have," Farmer assured.

William voiced the obvious danger, "So the beasts are coming for us."

"No, not yet," Farmer said.

"When then?" William needed to know quickly.

Crane propped himself on the table, and William frowned, recognising the signs of fatigue in his friend.

"Just before Lord Gains told us to come back," Farmer continued, "a group of riders had come in. They looked battered, likely from the battle. They left with Lord Gains, and Lord Jonts ordered us to go. We asked him the same question before leaving, and he wasn't pleased with us lingering. He said the Dalon had gone back south, and only a few remained in the forts."

William was perplexed, "So why are we running?"

"I guess because they could be back soon," Farmer stated the obvious.

William was just catching up. "The King?" he asked.

"Haven't heard anything, but the Dalon won't be heading south for nothing," Farmer replied.

"We must go," William ordered, then added, "Have you seen Balor?"

Farmer saw the worry on his warden's face, as did Crane, who lifted himself from his seat.

"Balor can look after himself, and he's with Rook," Crane reassured.

"Yes, but I want him here, not off sightseeing with Rook," William joked, attempting to hide his concern. Though not one to display his emotions, William found it increasingly challenging. He organised the last of his ward to go north, asking Marlie to accompany them, which he did, albeit reluctantly. William would stay and wait for Balor. Despite Williams's protests, Crane, Farmer, James, Jay, and Valessa ignored them and chose to remain in the hall. William was grateful to have them with him but wished Valessa had gone north for safety. With the rest of his ward heading north, they watched and waited.

It didn't take long for Lord Jonts to appear, returning up the road with a hundred of the royal guard. His orders were to fall back in front of any large-scale advance but not to give ground to anyone he thought he could handle. William's ward was the furthest south, so Lord Jonts decided to stand or fall back from there, making William's hall a suitable base. Lord Jonts arrived, and William relinquished his hall to him. He and the others moved to the barn. James and Jay continued their watch from the roof, albeit with less enthusiasm, both beginning to walk a little stiffly. With the aid of Crane, Valessa organised a makeshift table and prepared some food. Crane and Farmer ate hungrily, but the others found they had little appetite. An awkward silence settled among them, broken by the sound of a scuffle in the yard. The sound of a woman's voice mingled with the guards' objections, and then burst in Leena, slamming the door behind her, raising a cloud of dust. Everyone was surprised to see her, none more so than William.

"They weren't going to let me through. Can you believe it?" Leena exclaimed. "They sit up there in their palaces, not bothering with us, then come down here and won't let someone find a friend."

William stood, the surprise still on his face. "You should have gone north. Everyone should have."

"I know that, but Jack is old enough to look after himself; he should have left home by now," Leena added as she straightened herself out. "And I am not going anywhere without you."

William went red and shot a look at Vallessa, who began to smile. The others glanced around at each other; their suspicions had been confirmed. Only Crane missed the point.

"Leena, there is no need. As your warden, I will be fine. James and Jay will take you," William replied formally, in the hope he could cover things up.

"Don't be silly now, William. Vallessa knows, and now so does everyone here, and most others have guessed. These times are not times for etiquette and saving face. I am staying."

William began to protest, but he was unsure what to say and just sat back down on his makeshift chair, staring at Leena.

Leena, a widowed wife in William's ward, had Jack, her teenage son from her first husband. William had developed a soft spot for her some time ago, but it had been Leena who had approached him in the end. Leena was not tall, had a curvy figure and a pretty, welcoming face, with a bouncy, strong character. William had insisted that the relationship be kept private at first, although William could marry or be with whomever he liked. The sensitivity stemmed from the fact that Leena was not one of the high-standing members of the community as William was, and a pairing would certainly be frowned upon. William had realised that there were rumors about it, and when Leena had pressed him to tell people, he insisted that Vallessa might be too upset by it all. It now appeared that Leena had dealt with that obstacle, and it was clear that Vallessa had no problem with them being together, providing that Leena looked after him.

Vallessa cleared the table, and Leena, ignoring William's mood, lent a hand. William couldn't bear it and announced he would go and check on James and Jay and talk to Lord Jonts.

Leena trailed Vallessa through the side door into the kitchen of William's hall. "Sorry about that," Leena apologised. "I've been wanting to announce things for so long, and the threat of war seemed as good a time as any. I think he might be sulking though. Not very keen on sudden changes, is he?"

Vallessa smiled and began to pack the plates away. "He won't be happy, but I will speak to him. You'd better tell the others to keep it to themselves for now. Father can then do the rest in his own way."

"I suppose so, but I don't see the problem; we're not doing anything wrong." Leena was a little irritated at William's reaction but happy that things had started to change.

Vallessa liked Leena but wished she had handled things differently, and she knew that Leena understood how things worked. Vallessa's home looked peculiar. Anything of value they couldn't take with them had been hidden in a small pit in the field; her home was empty.