The Free Company - Book VII: Closure

[Valdemar]

October 18, 1450, camp at Champ des Reves, early afternoon


Enrico huddled coldly near Antonio's bakery. The day was cold and clear and he hadn't even begun to consider how cold and damp a tent would be at night.

The young Milanese slowly bit into a bun recollecting the conversation he had had with Frederik before leaving the twisted sole,

Frederik had briefly spoken with Enrico the morning after his appearance. The older merchant had listened intently to the Milanese's tale, not trying very hard to hide his scepticism.

"You came here for what? To try and learn of the Company work."

The older Dane shook his head,

"Your strength Enrico is political and mercantile, I saw that early on."

He looked at the younger man silently for a long time as if trying to see the Milanese's intentions,

"You know what I do, at least cursory, for the company and you know of many of my secrets, including my recruitments, you were one of them.

But you were quickly recruited to my trading and .... information... network. Others have had other tasks over time.

I am not so sure that you would do in direct contact with the company business."

He quickly let his eyes drift down across the Italian's fine dress and flimsy courtier's sword.

"The Company is a fighting unit, a mercenary army, to provide them with information and selling them goods is what I do most in peacetime and that is where you aid on a daily business.

But when the company goes to war it is a different story."

He closed his eyes, memories of Constantinople and Belgrade all too vivid.

"When the company goes to war the trade becomes far less important, information becomes paramount and the means to get it done far more dirty."

The merchant shrugged,

"I often go where the company goes, especially when the campaign includes a city. If you wish I'll tell Captain you are going in the field with them. They will be leaving soon."

He smiled as the young Italian withdrew to ready himself. He was certain a few days of rain and open skies would cure the notion.​

Here he was now. He had heeded the advices of Frederik and made sure to hire both a helper and a good horse and the young man was now pitching some sort of tent and making sure that the animals would get fed and rested.

But he had no idea what to do. He wasn't a ranger, there was no trade to conduct in the village and certainly no information to be bought, swindled or coerced.

He sighed and took another bite of the bun. Maybe Frederik Hviid had been right all along?

 

[unmerged(35829)]

Oct 18, 1450: Forest outside the Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

They were about to start the chase when they heard Nigel's voice. "Where's the German boy, Tylo?"

Thomas shrugged, he hadn't seen Tylo leave the group and had been too interested in tracking to notice him missing.

Nodding to Alejandro they set off in pursuit of the man, their younger legs and more agile bodies soon had them catching up and from either side they managed to ensnare him in a tangle of arms and legs. Drawing his dagger he put a finger to his lips and the knife to the mans throat signalling for him not to make a sound, once hte man had settled down Thomas smiled and said "Now sire, who may you be and what are you running from?"

 

[Valdemar]

St. Malo, October 18, the Twisted Sole

Frederik had watched the Company depart from the main gate with little regret. He was sure they'd be back. Lt. Jaeger would be busy inspecting the city defences and as such it would leave Frederik some relative quiet time in the tavern.

Maria too had withdrawn to the Athene to do whatever it was sailors did to their ships when in harbour.

Climbing the stairs he quickly locked himself in, making sure the door was locked behind him. He moved straight through the first room into the large a spacious living room, going directly for the large ornate fireplace.

No one had ever questioned him when he had asked for a new fireplace or placed any significance in the fact that the fireplace and chimney seemed surprisingly large for the room.

He shifted an ordinary closet near the chimney just enough to allow him into the shallow groove behind it. Pressing a few points made a small section of what appeared to be solid brick wall swing slightly out.

Frederik peered inside. In the pitch darkness a narrow funnel seemed to be running into the darkness parallel to the main chimney. The air was hot and stale, heated by the warm smoke rising from the kitchen only a few layers of stone away.

Satisfied that there was still a rope coiled near the entrance for a possible descend he closed up the secret passage. There were other and easier routes leading to the same place, but he needed to make sure it was accessible from his rooms.

Returning to the first room he sat down by the desk and started the tedious task of going over whatever correspondence had arrived from his far fetched network.

Most of it was irrelevant to the current situation and mostly regarded his trades and affairs in Italy or Austria, but he needed to make sure no surprises were in store for the company or himself.

 

[Lord E]

October 18, 1450, camp at Champ des Reves, early afternoon

As Olav and Gunther returned to camp the two men looked very happy. They had managed to find some lodgings in the village and now they felt satisfied that they would at least not have to sleep outside during the company’s stay in the village.



“I have to say we got lucky Gunther…”



“Yes, at least we have a roof over our heads and that is better than nothing. Now I am going to see if I can get my hands on any of the baker’s fine pastries.”



“Sounds like a good idea. I will take a look around and see if I can find Dietrich and tell him the good news...”



As the men parted some headed towards the baker’s area while Olav headed towards the camp looking for Dietrich. As Olav walked through camp he could see that the ramparts and ditches had been finished, most of the tents were finished and the camp seemed calm. Olav felt a little proud at the great work that the company had carried out. Everything seemed ready and well organized and Olav knew that if any bandits appeared the Company would be ready.

As he walked around Olav also looked for Dietrich, but he couldn’t find him so instead he turned back through the camp and headed towards the baker. Seeing several men stand in line waiting for a chance to get their hands on some of the baker’s great cakes. As the smell of the pastries started to reach Olav he cast one last glimpse around for Dietrich. As he couldn’t see him Olav decided to stand in line. He could tell Dietrich the news later, because now he wanted something to eat.

 

[redwolf]

Oct 18, 1450: A Farmhouse - Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

The abandoned farmhouse was not very large and it did take long for the Cavalrymen to search through the house.

With the farmhouse crowded as it is, Jan decided to explore the outside of the farmhouse to look for clues.

After taking a walk around the perimeter of the house, the only things he found were the hoof marks made by their horses as they rode in a few minutes earlier and even then the marks were faint. The ground around the house was hard and left little clues to who ever had visited the house earlier.

Jan looked again at his surroundings. The only logical place where anyone might hide at short notice was the nearby forest. Anywhere else he might have attempted to head to would have been discovered by the Light Cavalry.

He started to walk towards the forest keeping a sharp eye out for any clues. As he neared the forest, the ground was softer and it was there Jan spotted some footprints which led into the forest.

Jan quickly walked back to the farmhouse. Bogdan walked out of the house and Jan pointed out his findings to him. After he had finished, Jan asked, "Bogdan, I think we have found all we can find here. Should we head into the forest to see if we can find more clues of whoever was here earlier?"

 

[Lord Durham]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

Harvey flinched as the dagger pressed against his throat. He had outsmarted himself this time. Doubling back to the west had landed him right into trouble. Was this group related to the horsemen he had spotted earlier?

The man holding the blade asked, “Now sire, who may you be and what are you running from?"

It was English! Were they refugees from that disastrous battle with the French last week? Soldiers? Mercenaries? A collection, to be sure. Young and old. Well armed. “Please, please,” he babbled, “I be a simple farmer, chased from ‘is home by brigands, sir.” Harvey stared frantically at the men surrounding him. In the near distance he saw others, standing guard, their eyes darting from bush to tree, hill to gully, extremely vigilant. Who are these guys?

An older man stepped into view. Had to be mid-fifties. “What have we here?” he asked in accented English.

The man with the blade glanced over his shoulder. “Found him skulking through the bushes. Thought we’d take a moment and ask a few questions.”

“And has he said anything?”

“Claims he’s a farmer.”

The old man locked eyes with Harvey for a moment before shaking his head. “And I’m the Pope. Farmers don’t wear quilted doublets, unless he looted it.”

Harvey stammered, “Yes! Yes! I looted it. Please, let me be. I’ve suffered enough. I ‘ave little wealth. Take it all. Just let me go.”

“And that blade at his side. I’d say the spoils of war were awfully kind.” The old man bent down on his haunches, his grizzled face close to Harvey’s. “Where is your farm?”

The man with the knife grunted. “He’s no farmer. I say he’s one of those bandits we’ve been looking for.”

“Bandit? Oh no, sir! Not me, sir! I found this stuff. May the Lord strike me dead if I lie.”

Another man stepped up. “We’re wasting time. I say we kill him.”

The old man held up a hand. “Not yet.” He leaned closer. “Once again, where is your farm?”

Harvey cast about, his eyes wide, his palms sweating. He motioned with his chin. “That way, toward St. Malo.”

The old man pointed. “That way? Would it be Champ des Rêves?”

“Yes! Yes, Champ des Rêves.”

The old man stood. “How convenient. We have friends there.” He pointed at a pair of men. “You two escort our farmer back to the village. See if anyone knows him. If not, take him to Lochlan.”

Harvey yelped as he was manhandled to his feet, his blade removed and arms bound. As he was forcefully led west, he spared a glance at the remaining strangers. They didn’t spare a look as they slipped into the forest, heading east. Now you’ve done it, Harvey. Now you’ve done it.
__________________

 

[Storey]

Le Mans - October 18th - Morning



The men moved around trying to finish getting ready for the coming march. Some men were still tying bundles to their horses while others rechecked their gear. Sergeants yelled orders and the knights sat on their horses talking, trying to look unconcerned, as they waged bets at the prospects of a battle.

Stephane D’Aubignet raised his hands to his mouth and blew warm air over them. The morning chill was going to take a few hours to dissipate so he pulled his cloak closer to his body and suppressed a shutter. He looked toward the front of the column of men and saw the back of Chevrier. He could sense Chevrier’s impatience by the way the man sat on his horse. His back was straight and his head was leaning forward. His hands were held high with a firm grasp on the reins as if wanting to urge his horse to a gallop and cover the distance between him and the Free Company as quickly as possible. Being a landless knight Stephane’s rank in Chevier’s camp was not high enough to ride at the front but he was still valued enough to be in the second tier of knights and used this advantage to edge up the line until he was just behind Brian du Bois Guilbert.

Suddenly he saw Chevrier move his arm in a forward motion as he kicked his horse into action.

He watched as Guilbert nodded to Baron Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and Maurice de Bracy but if they said anything he couldn’t hear what it was. As the column moved out the noise died down as the men fell into a normal pattern of march. Stephane’s horse drifted a little too far forward and drew a stern look from Maurice de Bracy. He pulled back while controlling an urge to challenge the knight. He knew there was nothing to win in a confrontation with one of Chevrier’s inner circle of knights so he grimly stared forward and said nothing. As his temper cooled he listened to the muffled creaking of leather on leather intermixed with the occasional clank of metal. He looked back down the line of men and horses and felt a grim satisfaction at the military might that the king was using. He didn’t know what was going to happen but he was eager for glory and all the advantages that came with it. Certainly getting the acknowledgement of his king for his services on the field of battle would bring profits but there was also the benefits from accurate information on Chevrier’s actions that could also reap a reward. Either way he was ready and eager for what lay ahead

 

[von Streusser]

Oct 18, 1450: A Farmhouse - Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

Jan quickly walked back to the farmhouse. Bogdan walked out of the house and Jan pointed out his findings to him. After he had finished, Jan asked, "Bogdan, I think we have found all we can find here. Should we head into the forest to see if we can find more clues of whoever was here earlier?"

The Moldavian folded his arms over his chest and scowled, looking out at the forest, then back at the house. His head and shoulders rose momentarily, then dropped in a sigh. "No" he said, finally shaking his head. "We have our orders, and Lim Hui specifically forbade us from entering the forest. If he ran in there, he's the Rangers' problem now."

"But..." Jan began, before Bogdan cut him off with a raised hand.

"Good work finding those prints. But we don't know how old they are, or whether one of the bandits we're hunting even made them. We don't have nearly enough evidence to disobey orders. It might just have been some scavenger picking through the ruins, or a nearby farmer." He looked, almost longingly, at the woods one more time, gnashing his teeth. 'Bullshit' he thought to himself, but it was just a feeling, he had nothing to base it on.

"He's the Rangers' problem now" he said again, as if to convince himself. "And if a bandit did wander in there with them, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. They can handle it; we have our own duties to attend to." With that, he turned on his heel and stomped back through the house. "Men! Mount up! We're resuming our patrol!"

 

[redwolf]

October 18, 1450, Champ des Reves, early afternoon

Escorted by a mixed group of Light and Heavy Cavalrymen, the wagons carrying the Company’s supplies and equipments for this expedition rolled into the village. They should have earlier with the rest of the Company but a broken bridge had meant they needed to take a long detour which delayed them considerably. A broken wheel to one of the wagons had delayed them further. In the end, Milo had sent Antonio ahead first with his mobile oven to ensure that the men will not go hungry while the rest of the convoy inched their way towards the village.

Christine riding in the first wagon took her first look at the village. It wasn’t large and it had certainly seen better days. Milo rode beside her and he looked at the village in equal dismay.

Arriving at the village square, the first order of business had been to find a place to store the equipment. It was not long before they found what used to be storehouse to store surplus supplies. It was no longer in use since whatever they had were usually taken by bandits and raiders.

The storehouse itself certainly needed some work to be done before it could be used as the Company’s warehouse for this expedition. Parts of the roof needed repairing. At least two windows needed to be replaced.

Inside the storehouse, it was not much better. Abandoned and broken items by the villagers lay all around the storehouse. The stale smell inside also told Christine it had been some time since someone last stepped foot inside.

Milo was shaking his head as he explored the storehouse. He said to Christine as she approached him, “This place is certainly big enough for our supplies and equipment but lots of work is going to be needed to make it ready for use.

Christine nodded in agreement. It was going to take some time. Where can they find the extra manpower? The sight of Sergeant Baer walking nearby gave Christine an idea.

She walked up to Sergeant Baer with an innocent smile, “Sergeant Baer.”

Baer gave a slight nod of his head, “Christine. How may I help you?

“I was just wondering if your men are done with their exercises for the day.”

Baer frowned, “They have finished their morning training but there will still be training later in the afternoon.”

Christine’s smile became wider, “So your men are available now?”

“Do you need them for something?” Baer asked.

Christine nodded. She pointed Baer to the dilapidated storehouse, “We need to store the Company’s equipment and supplies in the storehouse over there but the storehouse needs some work to be done on it before we can use it and I am hoping that your infantrymen can help out.”

 

[Valdemar]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

Nikolai was happy to see the prisoner on his way. He had no need for such trouble.

What he did need was to find out where the man had been coming from.

He quickly pointed to Hulne and Alejandro.

“Trace where he came from, see if you can get a fix on his origins.”

He looked at the markings where the man had entered their part of the woods,

“Though you may find the tracks trying of, he doesn’t leave much of a print.”

He gestured at Nigel,

“Take two men and widen our search, we would not like to be caught in something when we try and track that fellow.”

He looked at the sun,

“We’ll go on for another two hours, then report back and see what the prisoner has revealed.”

 

[von Streusser]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

"We can't be far from the sea now, Master" Mihai muttered, pulling up alongside Bogdan.

The elder Moldavian nodded. "We came from St. Malo...it'll be a long time before we're far from the sea again" was his reply. However, they were likely closer now than they had been this morning. The light cavalry had resumed their patrol, pushing further down the road. Past the farmhouse, the road jogged east for a while before turning back north.

Despite his attitude, the boy's sentiment resonated with Bogdan's. If they were getting closer to the sea, they were running out of room in which to find a bandit camp. Or anything else of interest except fish.

However, Lasko came to their rescue. The Basque had been riding out ahead of the formation, and suddenly came charging back down the road. "I've got something!" he shouted, waving the rest forward. Bogdan gave Costica a quick kick, and the cavalry was in flight once more. Thundering around a small hillock, they pulled to a halt so rapid it threatened to throw rider from horse.

There, overturned in a ditch by the roadside, was a wagon. It lay on its right side, open cargo bin facing the road, one of the wheels still spinning lazily in the crisp October air. Bogdan rode a quick circuit around it, his horse stepping high and shaking his mane in excitement. "Axle's broken, here."

"No signs of violence" Lasko reported. "No bodies, no arrows, nothing."

"Over here!" barked Mihai, who had dismounted some five meters away. "I think it's...I think it's a ham."

"Bloody hell" Jan said, looking over. "That's half a damned pig!"

The Moldavian boy looked up and nodded. "Its been butchered and salted. And I think...one minute..." Mihai half-ran over to the side of the hillock, and bent down into the grass. When he stood up again, it was with a grin, and a bright red apple in his hand. "There's a bunch of them! Looks like a basket spilled!" Obviously delighted with his find, he helped himself to a bite. "Oomph, ith good!" he said, smiling through a mouthful.

Bogdan scowled, but Mihai just shrugged. "What?" the boy asked. "I had to see if it was fresh, Master. Ah, for the investigation. And boy is it ever!" He grinned and took another bite.

Rolling his eyes, Bogdan turned his attention back to the rest of the cavalrymen. "All right, check the area over, everyone. See what else we can find."

However, it was Jan who raised a hand. "I have a theory" he said, causing Bogdan to turn and look at him. "A broken-down wagon, in bandit country, with food still around?" He looked at the others, inviting them to finish the thought. "That ham is big, it could feed several men for days..."

"...but it's also heavy" said Lasko, shaking his fist as he came to a realization. "So if one of the bandits' wagons broke down..."

"But why would they completely abandon it?" Mihai asked from the ground, stuffing his pockets with apples as he did so.

"Maybe they didn't have a choice" Bogdan finished, snapping his head around as the thought hit him. "A spilled basket of apples and a big ham, you can't gather those up quickly. They needed to get out of this area in a hurry..."

"For fear of someone finding them" Jan nodded, completing the thought.

"Which means we must be getting close!" Lasko barked. And the very thought creased Bogdan's face with a lupine smile...

 

[redwolf]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

There was an air of excitement at the thought that the bandits were nearby. Jan however had a frown on his face.

"Bodgan, We are not going to continue pursuing the bandits are we?" Jan asked.

"I think that's the general idea." Bodgan answered in a slightly irritated tone.

Jan cleared his throat slightly, "I don't think that might be a good idea to get that close to them."

"Why not?"

"Firstly, there are only ten of us. From what the villagers say, the bandits easily outnumber us several times. If we do encounter them, things might get a bit messy."

Bodgan snorted as he replied, "Well, then we make sure we stay close to them without them seeing us."

"We are not Rangers, Bogdan. Sneaking up on people without being detected is not our speciality. If we are detected, we might alert the bandits instead that they are being tracked and put them on their guard."

"What do you suggest then?"

"It might be better to send someone back to inform Captain and maybe bring in the Rangers to continue on from here."

Bodgan did not look happy at all. Obviously he had other ideas. Jan shrugged as he continued, "Of course, it's your call since Lim had put you in charge here."

 

[merrick]

October 18, 1450, Champ des Reves, Afternoon

It was amazing, Gaston mused, the many and varied experiences that awaited a new member of the Free Company. Sewing, cleaning, cross-country running, tent raising, ditch-digging and now carpentry.

The Company's second train of baggage and supplies had now arrived, and apparently the lady in charge deemed the village storehouse unworthy of containing the Company's gear - at least until it had been given the Sergeant Baer treatment. Gaston's debate with Oskar and Dietrich over the comparative merits of pikes, swords and halberds had been rudely interrupted by the Sergeant, who was looking for men to "put the storehouse in order" as the Company termed it.

Gaston had been fairly quick to volunteer, reasoning that getting on to the work crew would most likely get him out of helping to unload the wagons and maybe - if he spun it out a little - out of afternoon training as well. Which was why he was now at the top of a ladder, levering rotted shingles off the storehouse roof prior to nailing fresh ones on.

Gunther, having been slightly slower to volunteer, had drawn the even cushier job of holding the ladder. Gaston could feel his smug grin from five yards up.

Not that Gaston was complaining. Though the holes in the roof he could hear the grumblings of the men below him. The unloading had not yet started, since Baer had ordered the whole storehouse to be cleaned - something Gaston doubted had happened in the entire history of the village - before the supplies were moved in. As well as doing battle with primordial dirt, the work crew had also had to haul out a truly impressive array of trash that the bandits had rejected and the villagers had probably forgotten they'd ever lost.

Gaston abandoned his musings to wrestle with a particularly stubborn nail. The storehouse roof had been well built, once, but recently the caulking round the edges of the shingles had been neglected, allowing the rain to get in underneath and spread the rot and mould.

Gaston frowned. This damage hadn't been done by bandits. If the villagers no longer had the resources even to keep a sound roof on their grain store, it showed how badly the bandits had them beaten. Or perhaps, how little time they expected the stored grain to last.

The damaged area spread all the way up to the top of the roof. At least the timbers underneath were still sound. Abandoning the ladder, Gaston climbed up the roof until he could sit astride the ridge-pole. It was more comfortable than standing and he didn't have to worry about Gunther going to sleep on the job.

His position on the storehouse roof gave Gaston a great view of the village and surrounding countryside. Which was why he was the first to notice the group of men approaching from the forest.

 

[von Streusser]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

"It might be better to send someone back to inform Captain and maybe bring in the Rangers to continue on from here" Jan said.

Bodgan did not look happy at all. Obviously he had other ideas. Jan shrugged as he continued, "Of course, it's your call since Lim had put you in charge here."

The Moldavian gnashed his teeth in obvious irritation. Jan's matter-of-fact style and eagerness to voice his opinion didn't sit well with him since, as van den Berg pointed out himself, Bogdan was in charge. It especially didn't sit well with him when Jan was advocating not only discretion (or perhaps cowardice!), but letting the blasted rangers take over and get the glory after all the cavalry's hard work. He started to snarl, when suddenly Mihai interrupted.

"Master, Lord van den Berg has a point, but we can't just let the trail go cold either. A single rider could shake things down a little more without running too high a risk of detection." The boy took off his helm and coif, stuffing them into his saddlebags, and wrapped his wool cloak tighter around him. His horse was currently unbarded anyway, and without any visible chainmail, he looked very much like a common rider...particularly from a distance. Alone, he probably wouldn't stand out much at all. "I volunteer."

A momentary look of surprise and concern flitted across Bogdan's face, but it quickly passed. "Fine. Be careful." He paused. "Don't want you blowing our chance of surprise against these scum" the Moldavian added quickly. He turned to one of the other cavalrymen. "Make best time back to Champ des Reves, inform the Captain we've found what we believe to be a bandit wagon, abandoned in haste, and feel we may be closing in. Request he send the rangers to investigate further. Go!" he barked, and the horseman spurred his mount in response. In the other direction, Mihai was already disappearing down the road. Bogdan turned and watched him go for a long moment, his face expressionless.

"All right" he said, turning back to Jan. He gave the man an appraising look...he knew that he was Lim Hui's adopted son, and the variations between his suggestions thus far led the Moldavian to believe that Jan might be testing him on behalf of the Lieutenant. If so, this was no time to falter. "The boy will be fine. He used to scout Turkish positions back east, and I peg them as far more disciplined and dangerous than a mob of drunken mercenaries.

Lets look around here a bit more, then start looping our patrol back around towards Champ des Reves. That way, we can make ourselves available to lead the rangers to this spot when the Captain sends reinforcements, and we won't risk tipping our hand to the bandits."

 

[comagoosie]

Oct 18, 1450: Forest outside the Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

Running while clutching his arm, Tylo made his way the best he could towards the edge of the forest. There he could easily find the FC and see if his arm was in any trouble.

Tylo could only wish that no one were watching him right now and the mistake that he had made. He should have taken the burn without a second thought to his safety, but that wasn’t what happened.

Whether it was the pain of the burn or the fear of being caught by either the FC or the group of disturbed people in his state of mind that compelled Tylo to continue running through the forest didn’t matter. Twigs and sticks cracked under the pounding feet, which added to the terrible racket Tylo was making. He knew he wouldn’t get out of this before being seen.

The edge of the forest loomed and Tylo doubled his pace, almost there. Out of nowhere, a hand snatched his burned arm and pulled him close. A voice hissed at him, “What are you doing?”

Tylo recognized it as Alejandro and winced in pain once the initial adrenaline wore off. Alejandro saw this, released, and looked at Tylo’s crimson arm in amazement, “Did I just do that? I had no idea I grabbed you so hard.”

Shaking it off Tylo shook it off. The pain wasn’t so bad now that he had to keep a calm face in front of his fellow rangers. “What are the rangers doing now, I didn’t expect to find anyone of you so close to the edge of the forest?”

“We’re tracing the path of the prisoner we caught and we would be glad to have the extra hand, as this man knew how not to leave a print.”

“I would be honored to help, but first…prisoner!?”

 

[redwolf]

October 18, 1450, Champ des Reves, Afternoon

Charles straightened his back and rolled his shoulders after he had deposited a rusted broken wheelbarrow onto as open field near the storehouse. It had been hard work but the field was starting to fill with the items that the Free Company men were bringing out from the storehouse.

This was his first day back in training since his illness and it had not been easy. It had not been easy getting back to the rhythm of training. The fact that Sergeant Baer was trying a new formation did not help either. Charles was just happy he did not screw up the training, not too badly anyway.

After the morning training, he had hoped to have a well deserved rest. He had decided to visit Antonio’s bakery and had just bitten into his pastry when Baer had came around looking for “volunteers” to clean out the storehouse.

From Baer’s tone, it was clear he expected he did not expect any of the infantryman to not volunteer. And so reluctantly, Charles had “volunteered” with the rest of the infantrymen.

Charles walked back into the storehouse and was surprised but pleased to see that half the storehouse had already been cleared out. At this rate, there was a chance that he might still get a bit of rest before the afternoon’s training starts.

The next item to be taken out of the storehouse was what used to be a wagon. It certainly did not look like a wagon at this moment and worst, it was missing its wheels. It needed the combined efforts of Charles, Olav, Dietrich and Lucjan to lift the wagon.

With great effort, the men managed to get the wagon out of the storehouse. Charles noticed that Gunther’s work at the storehouse only involved holding a ladder. He appeared to have a smug expression on his face. Dietrich had noticed the same thing and he had a sulky look on his face.

The four men finally managed to the wagon to the field where they gratefully put it down. As Charles wiped the sweat off his brow, he commented, “Well, at least that’s half the storehouse cleared. We should be done soon.”

Olav snorted, “Don’t be too happy, lad. After we cleared the warehouse out, we still have to move the Company’s equipment in. That too will take some time.”

That got a groan from Charles as he trudged back to the storehouse.

 

[Amric]

October 18, 1450, Champ des Reves, Afternoon

"Gunther!" Baer's gravelly voice erupted from the storehouse doorway.

The sergeant himself stood there with a scowl on his face.

"You aren't tired are you?" the tone of voice suggested that he had better not be, "That ladder isn't going to get outside by itself, you know."

Gunther started at the sound of his name being called. His one eye stared wide at the sergeant and he sighed.

"No, sergeant," he groaned, "It won't. But I am holding it for Wilhelm who is up in the rafters checking out ways to repair the roof."

Baer glared upward and saw the cavalryman standing on a support beam studying a hole in the roof from below.

"Wouldn't that work better from above?" Baer shouted at him.

"I don't trust this roof yet," Wilhelm called back down, "I want to study it and the holes before I put my precious hide on the line up there."

"You do realize Gaston is already on the roof?"

"Good for him. When he falls through I'll make sure to stay out of his way."

Baer nodded in understanding, "It would be a long fall."

"Painful, too."

"Carry on, then," Baer grimaced, "I'll get more men to help here. You should already be done with this. Let's pick up the pace. We're losing daylight for our afternoon training!"

He stomped away, looking for more 'volunteers'.

 

[Amric]

Oct 18, 1450: Some Distance from The Village of Champ des Rêves – Early Afternoon

Nikolai moved through the forest like a stalking panther. For an older man his ability to get low and stay that way was legendary. He made nary a sound as he made his way through the densest brush so carefully and silently that he startled a marmot into scampering away when he passed nearby.

Mario tried to match his moves, but he was more like a lean wolf than a panther. Still he didn't embarrass himself by stepping on any dry twigs. His passage through the brush was not quite as good. More branches and slight rustling could be heard from his movements, garnering a glance from the older Rus.

Keep it down, Mario![/b] The older man hand talked.

Mario nodded silently and contined to follow in the wake of the older man. The infamous boar's head spear was still covered. The older man still had hopes of not having to get into a fight with any of the bandits. That was a good sign to the younger.

They stayed in the brush, following along the cart trail. Nikolai had decided that following directly on the path was foolish and they had moved to the forest to keep out of sight of anyone who might be watching the trail.

Mario slithered under a rotten branch that had fallen from a mighty oak overhead, matching the movements of Nikolai. Birds chirped overhead, undisturbed of their passage. Squirrels raced about gathering supplies for the upcoming winter at a frantic pace. Nature, seemingly unaware of the Rangers in it's midst, continued it's dance toward the freezing time unabated.

The pace was unhurried as the older Rus continued to teach by doing. Mario paid close attention not only to where Nikolai stepped and what he did, but kept his eyes roving to make certain there was nothing sneaking up on them. He was certain Nikolai was doing so as well, along with sidelong glances to see how Mario was faring.

Mario paid close attention to everything and made certain to step precisely where the Rus did, thereby minimizing the risk of making any further noise to mark their progress.

 

[Lord E]

October 18, 1450, Champ des Reves, Afternoon




Olav had just managed to get his hand on one of Antonio’s great and delicious pastries when Sergeant Baer had arrived on the scene looking for “volunteers”. Knowing that he had little choice Olav quickly ate the remaining bits of his pastry and then walked towards to farmhouse with the rest of the volunteers.


As more and more “volunteers” arrived at the farmhouse Olav could see that the pace of the cleaning was stepped up. Still there was a lot of dirt and a lot of things that needed to be removed so Olav still knew that this work was going to take the rest of the day. This was his main reason for sending an angry looked towards Gunther. While the rest of the men pulled away old wagons and lots of dirt and rubbish Gunther was just standing their holding a ladder. Still Olav knew there was little point in feeling angry at someone else; he knew Gunther had just been lucky. So instead of thinking any more about it Olav went back into the old farmhouse to help Charles, Dietrich and Lucjan lift the old wagon with no wheels.


As the men started to lift the wagon Olav could feel the weight of the wagon and he began to sweat, it was very heavy and the fact that it missed wheels didn’t do the work any easier. But as the men really put their effort into the work the wagon was slowly lifted outside.


The four men finally managed to get the wagon to the field where they gratefully put it down. As Charles wiped the sweat off his brow, he commented, “Well, at least that’s half the storehouse cleared. We should be done soon.”


Olav snorted, “Don’t be too happy, lad. After we cleared the warehouse out, we still have to move the Company’s equipment in. That too will take some time.”


That got a groan from Charles as he trudged back to the storehouse.


Olav also shrugged his head at the thought, he knew it too be true, but he wasn’t happy about it. Still at least the company’s equipment didn’t include wagon without wheels. As far as Olav knew the company’s wagons did have wheels and that should at least make it a little easier to get them inside and unload them.


As Olav went back into the farmhouse he could hear Sergeant Baer discussing the roof of the building with Gunther and Wilhelm, Olav had also spotted that the roof was in a bad state, but as he looked up he discovered that it was even worse than he had first discovered.


As Olav picked up some more old rubbish and was about to carry it outside he could hear a crack from the roof, hurrying outside Olav hoped that the roof wouldn’t fall down on the head of the men or that any of the men on the roof would make a mistake. As Olav looked up and saw Gaston on the roof Olav shrugged. He hoped no one would make a mistake, because it was a very long way down.

 

[Lord Durham]

Oct 18, 1450: The Village of Champ des Rêves – Afternoon

Captain, Lochlan, the elder Joseph, and the young priest Strophski stood in the village square, near the broken down storehouse that several Company men busily scrambled up, over and around.

Joseph was providing as much detail about the bandits that he could, several comments causing Captain and Lochlan to exchange glances. They were beginning to sound more and more like an organised, if not professional, outfit.

A thud and clatter interrupted their discussion as a wheel-less wagon was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. The wagon’s handlers, Olav, Dietrich and Lucjan broke for a moment as Charles wiped his brow and said something.

Strophski used the lull to ask a question that had nagged him since he first met the elder. “Joseph, I notice you do not wear shoes. Is this some kind of penance?”

But before the old man could answer Sergeant Baer’s deep voice cut across the square, saying something about a ladder and the roof.

Captain looked up at the roof, and saw Gaston staring fixedly toward the east. Curious, he walked to a gap between two buildings and saw two scouts approaching, leading a third man between them. He rejoined the small group and waited.

Eventually the scouts entered the square and strong-armed a small, mousey man toward the waiting group.

Lochlan suddenly had a knife in his hands and used it to calmly inspect his fingernails. “What have we here, boys?”

One of the scouts said, “We found this guy skulking about in the forest. Said he belonged to the village.”

Lochlan cast an eye back at Joseph.

The old man tutted. “No one I know.”

The ranger ran his fingertip along the knife edge. “Well then, that puts us in a quandary, right Captain?”

“It does. He’s lying, which means he’s hiding something. And judging by that fine looking doublet he’s wearing, I’d say he’s protecting friends.”

“By friends, you mean those bandits we keep hearing about?”

“The same.”

The man suddenly sputtered, “I’m no bandit, sir. Honest to God.” He saw the priest and swallowed.

“I’m not so sure I can believe that. What’s your name?”

“Harvey. Harvey Smithson, sir.”

“English, eh?” Captain approached the small man held tightly between the two scouts. He lowered his voice in a comradely fashion. “Listen. There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who are captive; and those who aren’t. Now, you look like a reasonable guy. So why don’t you tell me the truth.” He leaned closer and whispered. “See that fellow with the knife? He’s not as forgiving as me. He likes to spend hours, even days, asking questions. The last person he had a chat with…” Captain called back to a nonchalant Lochlan. “How long did the other guy last?”

“Two days.”

Captain nodded and whispered again. “Two days. Now, you have to ask yourself, is this really worth it?”

Harvey’s eyes bugged. His mouth opened and closed silently before he managed, “If I take you to them they’ll kill me.”

Captain pursed his lips and nodded. “Ah. Now we’re getting somewhere. You want some friendly advice, Harvey? If you don’t tell us where they are, they won’t have to kill you. On the other hand, if you come clean with us, your chances of living will improve dramatically.”

Harvey swallowed, looked about at the hard looking men working in the village, many who had paused to witness the discussion.

“A question?”

“Sure, Harvey.”

“If I tell you what I know, you will protect me?”

“Of course, Harvey.”

“Well, they ain’t no ordinary bandits, sir. Their leader is someone important.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I joined them a short while ago. They are quite secretive. What I do know is that they were part of the army that lost to the French a week or two back.”

Lochlan said, “Mercenaries, most likely. Just what we thought.”

Captain nodded. “Very good, Harvey. Do you have numbers?”

“A few hundred. Can’t say for certain, they keep coming and going, looking for supplies.”

“I see. Now, you will take us to their camp, correct?”

Harvey swallowed. “Yes sir. But you may have a fight on your hands.”

Captain shrugged. “We’re no slouches.”

“If I can ask, what banner do you fight under?”

“Banner? Black, a skull, crossed swords and a red rose. You may have heard of it.”

The scouts turned up their noses and glanced at the ground.

Captain stepped back and said, “Will someone get this fellow a change of clothes?”
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