The sun shines gracefully upon your armour, as you and your force travel back to your capital in the early morning. Goyler had been redeemed from the raiders and the town was left to be repaired. On Vradnik's count, the raiders had lost 1389 men, while you had suffered just 10. Your men seem cheery as they ride behind you on their jubilant steeds. You ride for about an hour before you arrive back at the entrance of your capital. As soon as the people spot your force arriving, they cluster themselves on the streets and begin cheering and applauding you as you ride by.
"Him save the lord!", they cry out to you, waving their hands and throwing flowers in your path.
Your soldiers smile gleefully, accepting the praise, but you only sit atop Regimore with pride, you do not let down your guard. The crowd soon disperses as the last of your parade reaches the castle grounds.
An ostler, different from the first one, rushes to assist you off your steed. You rub Regimore's head, then allow the man to usher the horse back to the stables.
You walk back into your castle and not even taking off your armour, you seat yourself at your throne. A servant slowly walks out into the hall with her head low. She looks shy as she rubs her hands nervously.
"Congratulations on your victory, m'lord", she says, curtsying.
"Thank you", you reply.
She curtsy again and then rushes out of the room. A guard comes you and you instruct him to let you receive petitioners. The guard bows and then retreats to the door in which she had come. Soon after, two soldiers drag a torn up man into the room. The two guards seem to struggle with the man's weight and when they lay him before you, you can tell that he is another raider, due to the way he dresses in wild animal fur and poor chain-mails.
"Lord", a guard announces.
"This a raider that we had found. He was unable to retreat to the vessels and was trying to steal one of ours this morning. We tried interrogating him, but he refuses to speak."
You look at the man who does not look at you. His clothes are ripped and bloody as his face. Pointing at him, you inquire, "and why is he in such a fashion?"
The guards look at each other nervously and then at you.
"Lord, that is the matter of interrogation. It is within our rights as guards to force out such information in a case such as this", the other says defensively.
You do not say anything to them. "Why is he brought before the lord?", Vradnik speaks.
"Sir", the guards chorus.
"We see no reason such a criminal should breath the Him's air, and so we ask for his lordship's permission to have him executed at the town square", the first answers.
Vradnik looks at you, waiting for your answer.
"Despite his stubbornness", you start, "all human beings are susceptible to pain", you tell the guards.
"If he may have information to shed more light on the raid at Rempton and the attempted one at Goyler, have him tortured for it. If, by some reason, he still doesn't confess, bring him back to me for i shall decide his fate", you command them.
The guards bow, grab the man by his shoulders and drag him out of the hall, out to the courtyard to have him tortured for his information. In no less than twenty minutes, the guards pull him back into your presence and lay him before you again.
"Lord, he confessed", the first one reports.
"It turns out he is Vladimir Bjorn, from the kingdom of Wals in Farhallia. He claims that he and his men had come here to raid. He tells us that they call themselves the 'Brethren of the coast' ", the guard tells you.
YOU ARE READING
The Black Raven: plot of the three swords
Historical FictionLord Alexander has just come to the throne of Portswater, a province in the west known for aurens in times of trade, but steel in times of war. He thinks that being a lord isn't too complex, but what he doesn't know is that there are those cunning...
