Lord Feldor gazed over his troops as a Lord he had many resposnibilitys one of them was to make sure that he had precisely a thousand troops a mix of cavalry archers and spearmen ready for the king at all times he sighed as he watched his new recruits he recently and convicted struggle through some spear excercises sir said his right hand man who goes by Sir Carek I have another batch of men who claim to be acquainted with bow Lord Feldor sighed he knew that when he convicted men they attempted everything to stay out of the ranks where licing conditions were not good and those were the ones that charged archers and were slamed by cavalry they were known as birdfood run them through the usuaual procedure then send'em to the ranks aye sir and he rode off again directing the new batch to a pile of bows and quivers of arrows he watched another large group of horse men ride off to gather more "recruits" the province that Lord Feldor controlled was not a peaceful one he bordered wildless territor filled with thousands of thiefs convicts and roving tribes that were not peaceful he tried to keep two to three thousand men on hand at all times to keep the raiders at bay Captain Balilal was proud of what he had become he had started at the ranks and worked his way up to Captain and know had fifty men at his command the group that Lord Feldor had just seen ride out was his group he didn't enjoy gathering people who didn't want to join the army but it was his orders and he never disobeyed orders he had several towns to get to and did not enjoy the rides to get to them the privince of Hartle was the one Lord Feldor commanded and was the second largest which ment he and his men would be riding for several days to get to where there going the two towns he was set out to gather men in were Lakeside and Lakeview (they were big on non-original names in Hartle) In Lakeside lived a teenage boy he lived with his mother as his father had been taken when he was barely a month old to serve in hartle's ranks he didn't know what had happended to him he guessed he had died in the ranks during a raid the only things he had of his father was his Dirk that he had left for him some clothes and few trinkets and his name Benton or Bent for short Captain Balilal and his men rode into Lakeside at night he ad his men split up into groups of three that way they could surround the houses and get the man of household to come out and get chained to a post and then they did that to a few houses then stopped his men started there attack as he watched from afar Bent got into bed quite late at night he worked as stone mason during the day and at night helped his mother with some weaving he got into his corn husk bed listening to his mother breath while she slept his hand enclosed in his father dirk since he was young he had trained with it there was an old man in the village who had showed him the ways of fighting with a long knife like that all the sudden he heard shouting from next door a crash and then crying and screaming again all the sudden fear gripped his heart he knew what was happening Benton come here quick! Yelled his mother as she rushed to the small window that was in the next room getting up he tossed his shirt on and buckled his dirk on he rushed to the next room and realized it was to late the three soldiers had already grabbed his mother and knocked her over the head this one wouldn't stop fighting the men laughed cruely as one picked up his club he noticed it was a little bloody and realized they had used it on his mother he was speechless he immediately drew his dirk and ran back to were he slept trying to get to the door the men seeing that he had weapon drew there swords and rushed after him Bent realized that he was going to get caught so he turned the men stoped and said c'mon lad drop the knife you can't take three of us! But bent didn't drop his knife he hurled himself at the door and then next thing he knew he was on an old nag riding through the forrest his head hurt badly. Water please said Bent no water the soldier said and he continued on here someone slipped him a squash filled with a little bit of water it tasted terrible but it was water what are we doing here? He asked already knowing the answer you know what were doing we've been conscripted to serve in the ranks be birdfood live and die the other men nodded in agreement but then he stopped and realized there were around twenty women walking behind the column of soldiers who are they he asked? Them those are the ones who didn't have a male of fighting age in the household they are going to be put work somewhere in the camp for a full year then they are sent back most of the time they end marrying someone from the army and usualy never go back and what of us asked Bent were the Ranks said the man were bird food there no going back for us. Captain Balial looked at the group his men had captured it was a large group of about thrity men and twenty women recently he had been forced to take women as well as men as he was only getting about ten men a time and needed something for his time sir rode up one of the corprals of his group what is it soldier said Balilal we received hundred and forty two denmarks in bribes sir recently the richer upper class not much better off than the class below them had begun bribing the soldiers to go away to another house good we can pay the men for the trip when we get bac- all the sudden another man rode up obiviously not part of the group his uniform was ripped and dirty there was blood on it as well not knowing the mans rank Captain Balilal who are you soldier! Cavalrymen 15th regiment of Hartle I bring grave news the town of Lakecrown was attacked just this morning he said in a tired voice what happened he asked a massacre.
to be continued...
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