The Knight and the Peasant [FIRST DRAFT]

Chapter 10

Early the next morning, Salvador set off to Carcino with three war galleys that held the five hundred men under his command. He said his farewells to Gerard, Angelica, and Inejgo.

"You'll do great," Gerard had said to him as they were bidding each other farewell.

"I have half a mind to burn Carcino to the ground," Salvador had growled.

Salvador's forces consisted of one hundred mounted knights, archers, and two hundred-fifty men-at-arms. All of them were under his command. Salvador met up with the five captains before boarding the galleys. They all seemed to be decent men and accepted Salvador's command readily, for he was well renowned in Veroña.

The galleys set off from the port, oarsmen rowing vigorously until they were out to sea. They raised the sail and set off to Carcino across the Veroña Strait.

A couple of days later, they landed at the port town of Ashcalon. They then proceeded to follow an offshoot of the high road all the way to Carcino.

It took them the better part of a week to travel on foot to Carcino. When they arrived, Salvador saw how puny the castle was compared to Fiorá. Carcino lands composed of the castle, a village and a couple of mills. It led Salvador to question why she married her daughter to this lord.

The castle had short walls of bland, grey stone. Its doors were wooden and studded with iron. The castle held no defensive advantages and seemed to be in need of maintenance. It was quite an unimpressive sight.

He saw a peculiar sight at the castle: a small host encamped outside their pathetic walls waving the royal sigil, a turquoise sea serpent blazoned a sea-green field. He turned to his right to make a jape to Gerard. . . then he remembered that there was no one there. He turned to his left and said to Captain Tomas, "Looks like the king decided he wanted to do something other than sit upon his throne drinking and eating."

"Or it may be one of his sons," the captain replied.

Salvador shrugged. "Guess that seems more likely."

Trumpets sounded on the walls of Carcino as they spotted the banners of House Florjes flying above Salvador's small host. His men set about making camp as the gates opened for Salvador, who entered alone. In the inside, Salvador took note of the Carcino banners draping the walls; a colorful parakeet displayed on a divided field with the blossom on the other side.

Salvador demanded to be taken straight to Lord Álavar. They granted him his wish and soon he appeared in front of Lord Estevan Álavar, who sat upon a small wooden chair. In the hall were only his brothers, sisters, a herald, a man he took to be the lord's steward, and a young man not much older than Salvador who bore no resemblance to the Álavars. Estevan himself was a man in his fifties with common brown hair with streaks of white shooting through his beard.

"You stand before Lord Estevan Álavar, Lord of Carcino!" the herald announced.

Salvador began right away. "My lord, I am Salvador Castellano, here by the command of Her Grace, Duchess Lilliana of House Florjes. Outside your walls, I brought five hundred troops to aid your cause in the case that conflict breaks out. However, I have also been sent here to mediate between you and Lord Eusebio Herreran."

Lord Estevan frowned. "Why it appears I already have another boy who was sent to do that job."

"Whom?" Salvador asked, although his gaze fell upon the young man that did not seem to be a Álavar.

Lord Estevan gestured to the young man. "Here stands Prince Benedict Navíste, second in line to the Serpent Crown," he announced.

Salvador felt his lips tug into a smile. "Prince Benedict; The Prince Who Could Have Been!"