Tuesday, March 6, 2007

   Whoo hoo
Well i got my cash and tomorrow it gets handed out to my future brother in law who will then get my pc!! hahah!! can't wait!

Also the suits in work have moved me back to working on two pcs, what a pain.

but you have waited long enough so heres four.

Chapter 4 – The Journey Begins

It was dawn, the orange sun was just breaching the top of the walls, Senus was already awake. He was walking along the top of the castle walls looking from the still silent town to the noisy stable boys in the courtyard of the small castle.
The boys were rushing to saddle the dozen horses for the long journey to the capital, the Baron and his court were to meet with the king in his castle which made this one seem like a woodcutters shack. The boys were lining up the horses and putting on their reins and saddlebags. Senus watched them for half an hour then turned to leave to the laughs of the other stable boys as one of the boys was bumped by a stubborn horse and fell back on a horse pat. It was time to wake the Baron.
The Baron Gottol’s quarters were on the third and top floor of the main keep. As the bodyguard approached the large oaken door he heard the Baron already awake and moving around his room, Senus entered after his knock was answered with a sharp bark from the Baron. The room was large and had three doors, one on the left which led to Gottol’s sleeping chamber, one on the right which was the private study and straight ahead which led to a small balcony to over look the main courtyard, a feature which all castles had in their masters rooms, the middle room was for receiving guests and had a low table a long bench and a few fancy chairs with backs and was decorated finely with fine drapes and a lavish tapestry. The baron was in his bed chamber making a fuss over his best cape by trying to fold it in a way so it would not wrinkle, which was impossible.
“You could just get one of the servants to shake it out when we get there” Senus was answered with an affirmative grunt from the Baron.
“The horses are almost ready, and I have sent word to the rest of the company to be ready within the hour”
“Good” grumbled the baron as he emerged from his bed chamber, he was dressed for riding, in leather trousers and a thick grey padded tunic and a warm brown woollen cape, his long light brown hair was swept back into a horsetail. “Senus I want you to do some thing for me, just before we leave you are to fetch this ‘Toni’ and escort her to the company, from then until we get to the city I want you to keep a very close eye on her, I don’t trust her, the story she told Colnuna was too outlandish to be fully believed”. The dislike for the girl was plain in his acidic tone and the hard look in his hazel eyes.
“What about your safety, I am your guard!” He didn’t fully enjoy the task, he preferred being a soldier than a bodyguard but this was his assignment after all.
“There is a unit soldiers coming with us so I will be fine but watch her closely never let her out of your sight, I will not be responsible for a spy or worse getting into the kings castle”
“You believe her to be a spy?”
“I’m not sure what she is all I know is I don’t trust her, I should have left her in the woods, come lets go then”
The Baron strode from the room indicating that Senus was to carry the packs and follow after him, Senus grumbled but did it anyway Gottol treated him more as a servant that a bodyguard. After leaving the packs with the stable boys to place on the horses, Senus went to the dining hall to have his morning meal. When he entered the hall he saw the Baron speaking to Colnuna, before he could hear the conversation Colnuna had turned and walked out of the hall by another door.
“She’s going to get the woman ready to ride” was all Gottol had to offer about the conversation but the red on his face told of an argument had just taken place between the two, he decided not to question any further and settled into his bowl of soup and bread.
Colnuna stormed down the hallway forcing a cleaning girl who was scrubbing the floor to crawl out of her way, she was furious at the Baron, he had asked if the girl could move her arms fully again when Colnuna answered that she could and that the break was not that serious Gottol had smiled, this answer pleased the baron, “Good then her hands can be bound for the trip”, bound! His nerve was unbelievable, the girl was barely out of a sick bed after Eden knows what had happened to her and he treats her like a prisoner, she had argued him down and he finally agreed to allow her to ride free, in her rage she kicked a scrubbing brush and it flew down the hall and clattered to a halt, the cleaning girl ran after it. On her way to Toni’s room she vented her rage on a few other small objects and almost a cat but it was too quick to be kicked.
Toni was sitting on the edge of the bed lacing up the brown leather trousers that Colnuna brought her, they fit loosely but they still fit. She was also wearing a light blue sleeveless vest, a padded blue tunic was laid across the bed, and she would need the nurse’s help to put that on. When she pulled the knot tight the pain flared up again in her side, the nurse examined it last night, a painful but necessary experience, Colnuna reported that she felt no serious break in her ribs but there was a definite crack which would be uncomfortable and stiff for a while, but how long was a while? Her head, while slightly better, still throbbed and her ankle had healed well and she could now put weight on it, Toni was sure there was more to the strange greenish-grey duese-weed paste than just the numbing sensation. As Toni was buckling a leather belt with a large loop on the side which she didn’t have a clue what it was for, she heard the nurse muttering outside the door interrupted slightly by the slide of the bolt that barred the door, which Colnuna had told her last night was put in place by order of the baron along with the armoured guard outside the door and Toni knew the nurse disliked the idea, Colnuna entered the room with a red face that was twisted in anger and looked just plain scary.
“Something wrong Colnuna?” the nurse turned as if just noticing her
“Oh, no pet nothing for you to worry about, here lets get that tunic on you” said Colnuna quickly changing the subject.
With the protest of her sore side Toni managed to manoeuvre her stiff arm into the tunic sleeve as the old nurse held it up for her, Toni fastened the tunic herself while the nurse reached under the bed and produced a pair of thick and tough leather boots. Also with the nurses help she managed to slip them on.
“Well pet your almost ready to go, Senus with be here to collect you any time now, then it’s a few days riding to Culin then another few days or so to Ter Bonin”
She broke off as there was a knock at the door, and a shout
“Is she decent Colnuna?” she chuckled and shook her head as she answered and more of her grey curls escaped the tight bun on her head “yes, you lout come on in, not that you wouldn’t anyway”
Senus came into the room with a grin on his face “you know me too well” Toni eyed the man, he also wore leather trousers and a padded hard leather amour chest plate on it was etched a spread winged white dove under which was two crossed spears, and a green cape, on his belt hung a sword in a sheath from a loop the same as the one on Toni’s belt. His face was scarred and his voice was rough and his hair shock black was cut short with hints of greyness but his eyes where pale, peaceful grey. Toni gave the sword a worried look she didn’t like it. He carried another green woollen cape over his arm. Senus grinned as the old nurse playfully shoved him,
“you haven’t changed since you where a boy you big lout”
“Aye but then it was me who had to look up at you” he grinned down at the nurse “anyway lets get this one to the horses we leave soon, the Baron has already mounted” he gave the cape to the nurse as he lent his arm for Toni to lean on while she got to her feet. When she did Colnuna threw the cape over her shoulder Toni caught the ends under her neck and fastened it with the wooden toggle that was there, A cloak and all they’re really going to lengths on this hidden camera show was the thought in Toni’s mind. The nurse nodded and the two headed out of the room towards the courtyard, the solider following behind.
After a painful descent down two sets of stairs with Senus’ aid, Toni limped out into the courtyard and the scene took her breath away, there where archers in the tall stone watch towers, pike men on the battlements and stables full of horses. This was no fake set and looked like none of the old castles in the Irish countryside that where falling apart, this was a fully operational castle with servants and everything. In the centre of the courtyard was a raised platform on which a number of well dressed people were standing, ladies in colourful embroidered shirts and woollen skirts and men in riding clothes that were also embroidered with the symbol of their house. From the platform the company were stepping down onto the horses that where brought next to the platform by the stable boys. Senus walked next to Toni as they made their way onto the platform. Senus’s grey stallion was waiting and next to it was a smaller white and brown horse, this was to be Toni’s mount. After helping Toni get into the saddle of her horse that refused to stay still, Senus mounted his own horse which Toni noticed had a bow and a quiver of arrows attached to the saddle bags.
A tall man Toni didn’t know stood up on his stirrups of his large black and brown horse and held up his hand for silence, and bellowed “Now that everyone is ready we ride for the city of Culin”
“That’s Gottol” Senus whispered to Toni as the baron led the way towards the huge gates of the walls Toni and Senus where at the back of the line, now close up Toni could see that the walls where nearly two stories high and about 12 feet thick and built of rough hewn stone, in the roof of the gate was a massive iron trellis which could be lowered to block the gateway, Toni glanced back at the castle and saw Colnuna wave from a window on the second floor of the keep, she raised her hand in farewell but was sure it would not be the last time she saw the old nurse.
Once outside the castles walls the company passed though the town, the town was full of buildings that where made of stone and had thatched roofs and strong wooden doors. There where wooden stalls selling pots, cloth, chickens and cows and a blacksmith selling tools, behind the stalls was a tavern with a wooden sign hanging over the door and a sour looking man standing in the doorway. There was even a church, a small domed building with cravings of saints and dragons, above the door was the text “May Eden, Our Lord, Watch Over And Protect Us All”. Who was Eden? Toni felt it would be slightly inappropriate to ask now, she would wait until they stopped for the night. As they left the town a column of armoured men rode from a large wooden building outside the towns low walls Toni felt anxious, but Senus who seemed to pick up on this leaned over and said “don’t worry they’re going to escort us”
“oh” was all Toni could manage not taking her eyes from the soldiers, the men where wearing full plate armour with the same dove and spear symbol that Senus bore and helmets with feathered wings craved into the steel and a birds head engraved on the nose guard, some carried spears, some bows but all of them had swords hanging from their belts and one carried a banner with a boar on it. There were ten in total, four moved to the front of the party while another four moved to the rear behind Toni and Senus, the last two had red lines down the centre of their helms and seemed to be more heavily armoured moved to either side of the baron, these men were obviously a higher rank than the others. As she watched the soldiers move in to their positions she noticed that all the men had swords and even one the ladies had a small dagger hanging from the delicate cord belt around her small waist. All these weapons made her feel uneasy, where they expecting trouble? Or is it just a precaution? Toni hoped it was the latter as the large group moved off, heading west onto the wide expanse of the Putag Plains.

Hope ya liked, if ya read left a comment!

Ja Ne!
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