The Sword of Stone - Sworn Honours

Chapter 10: Conflict Ahead

'My lord,' Darrick announced proudly at the end of a large firepit where a small battalion of men gathered around. Rugid and weary, all looked at Edward with respect and grace as they stood and bowed before sitting back down to feast on the deer they had roasted up. 

Edward took his seat at Darrick's place, who moved around to his right side. Rolan stood at Edward's left and looked down at all the men glaring at him suspiciously. Edward noticed this and said: 'You will treat the paladin with all the honour and dignity you bestow me. If not more even. He's no longer our prisoner but our guest.'

More like a hostage, Rolan thought. He wondered why the lord had told him about Lucan and didn't throw away the possibility that it might be some threat.

'Father be damned if I'm to eat with that swine!' a man stood up in the crowd, glaring at Rolan with a fury of a thousand suns. 'Aye, you remember me?' he showed his hand to the paladin or the lack of one. 

Rolan didn't feel any guilt in the deed and shrugged. 'Play foolish games, win foolish prizes,' he told him grimly. 

'Darrick, you promised me justice!'

'And I told you, Calrin, that it would be the justice of our lord, not your petty vengeance,' Darrick said in a low, grumbling voice. 

The dull eyes of Calrin dotted back and forth between Darrick and Rolan before he spat in the flames and stormed off. Like a child being sent to bed. A few men grumbled in contempt over that, though most weren't caring. 

As Rolan sat and supped with the men, he observed how they all looked at Edward whenever he spoke. These men, who didn't seem to have any ounce of noble blood, acted with such grace around him that it would be hard to believe they were rough bandits. Yet, as some told their stories, Rolan realised they were what they once were. He learned through their conversations that the Ruins they are in now were used as an outpost for a bandit chief and that Edward took it over during a trial of arms, where he duelled the man and won, winning the loyalty of these men. 

These were the type of people one would assume to be raiders, looters and rapers. Whatever they were once was all gone, as they all served as soldiers in the dowager baron's army. With Darrick as his Commander of Swords. 

Edward spoke to them with great care in his voice and actions, passing food to them, sharing their meals, and listening to their tales. Tales he's most likely heard a hundred times by now, yet he still listened like it was the first. At that moment, Haisley appeared, approaching Edward and sitting beside him, joining the meal. They began talking to themselves in whispers, having hiding conversations from the rest of the men. She still attended to her duties of refiling the cups for the men, who all seemed to treat her with much more respect than a typical soldier would around a serving girl. She sat back down with Edward, looking tired as the night dragged on; she whispered something to his ear. Edward nodded and stood. 

'I'll bid you all goodnight,' he told them all. He looked at Rolan. 'Someone make sure our guest has a proper bed for the night.'  

Everyone respectfully bid farewell to Edward, who left with Haisley close beside him. They disappeared into the tower together. 

'Mark,' Darrick said, looking at a man close to him. 'Take our guest to his bed. Make sure he has what he needs.' The man, Mark, rose and agreed before approaching Rolan and helping him up, taking him away to a tent that wasn't too far from the firepit. Once Rolan was inside and alone, he went into the straw cot and slept dreamlessly.

He awoke to the sound of heavy panting and felt a warm, wet breath reeking to the left of him. Opening his eyes, he saw the blurry figure of a big black and golden brown dog staring at him with large yellow eyes and a bone in its mouth. Rolan stared at it, unsure what to make of it.