Chapter 10 - Finding Comfort

Alexander stood straight as a board, fighting the urge to lean against the wall that was just behind him. He knew that doing so would say something about his character, and as he was in his full dress uniform, it would in turn reflect on the army. Captain Edbar stood to his left. His superior’s eyes continually scanned the crowd, as if there was a threat waiting for him.

When the invitations had arrived at the barracks two days before, Captain Edbar was surprised. He confronted Alexander about it, asking why the two of them had received the invitations. After Alexander explained the happenings of the previous day, Edbar actually praised him, in his own way. He had said that it would be good to have connections within the Garlin nobles, and the banquet would serve as a way for the two of them to create more connections.

In the short four days since the soldiers had arrived in Garlin, they had received their fair share of people come to them with anger and disappointment. Nobles from around the city were sure that their presence was one of oppression, that it was the intent of the government to begin take away the freedoms Garlin had enjoyed since they joined with the Beldinian Empire.

The Captain had done all he could to ensure that the men were not there to cause any trouble and that people would be free to live their lives as they always did. The problems came when Captain Edbar was confronted with what their true purpose in Garlin was.

He had yet to receive any orders since arriving in Garlin, at least none that Alexander had been aware of. The men were growing anxious, only having their patrols throughout the city to occupy them. Many of them were confused as to why they were there, why some of them had been pulled from their families to come to Garlin, why others had been called from their previous assignments. Alexander managed to keep most of his men, and some of Edbar’s, content for the time being, but he hoped orders would come down soon, before they lost control of the men.

Alexander noticed Lord Kensly and Jaron moving in the direction of himself and the Captain. The two men saluted as they approached.

“Lieutenant, I am glad to see that you could make it,” Lord Kensly said, offering a had which Alexander took.

“Lord Kensly, it is an honor to be here. This is my commanding officer, Captain Vanles Edbar,” Alexander said, motioning to his left.

“It is an honor to meet you High Lord,” Edbar said, taking the man’s hand and giving it a firm shake.
“As it is you Captain. This is my son,” the man motioned to the young man standing beside him, “the reason for this gathering.

Jaron shook the Captain’s hand, going through the ceremony he had gone through so many times already this evening.

“Ah, yes, the Lieutenant tells me that you are quite the swordsman,” Edbar said with a smile.
Jaron returned the smile, “I am afraid that I have a long way to go before I would compare with Lieutenant Varross.”

“Nonsense, I’m sure that as long as you stick with it, you’ll be one of the best sword-arms in Garlin in no time,” Captain Edbar said almost giddily. Edbar always had seemed to overdo it when around nobility.

Jaron gave another slight smile as two sharp cracks rung throughout the hall and a voice cried out, “I present Master Miktan Lonstrat and his protege Matthew.”

All eyes focused on the two as they descended the stairs, Alexander’s included. The older, Miktan he assumed, seemed in rather good shape for his age, carrying himself well. Alexander estimated the man in his late forties at the youngest. He wore a white coat worked in gold, as were his black slacks. In his right hand he held a simple dueling cane, the handle however was an intricately carved talon with gripped an emerald of decent size.

The younger man seemed the exact opposite from the man he accompanied. The older gentleman seemed to fit in with the crowd gathered in the hall, eyes kept forward as he descended the stairs. The boy’s eyes however scanned the room, as if to watch everything at once. He was not overly noticeable, or so Alexander thought, though a group of girls on the other side of the room did not seem to think so. The boy looked to be of average height, perhaps a little on the thin side, though it was difficult to tell with his long coat. His black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing that it was cut short on the sides.

His outfit was almost entirely black, save for the silver vest he wore under his coat. The entire suit was worked in an elaborate embroidery with silver thread. The style of the suit was unlike any Alexander had seen in Garlin, at least on any of the men present, though it seemed familiar of some he had seen when he was in Beldin last. If not for his dark hair and his hidden wonder at the hall, Alexander could have easily mistaken him for the son of some noble in Beldin.

The two reached the bottom of the stairs and everyone returned to their previous doings as if nothing had happened. Alexander was not sure why the custom existed, but he found it strange that everyone watched a guest enter the hall in silence. His eyes however lingered on the two men a short while longer.

“If you would excuse us,” Lord Kensly said, Alexander finally breaking from looking at the newcomers, “we had better greet some others before they begin to feel slighted.”

Alexander and the Captain nodded in understand as the two others turned and headed in the direction of the newcomers. Alexander began to survey the crowd, seeing if he could recognize the crests on men’s jackets. He noticed that Captain Edbar’s gaze seemed to be locked on a group of girls, on one young woman in particular.

The girl was pretty, beautiful in fact, wearing a light blue, almost white dress of typical Beldin styling. Her long dark brunette hair hung near the small of her back, all in waves and shining in the light of the hall. Her attitude seemed unlike the rest of the girls at the banquet, most seeming to gossip and chatter over anything. This girl kept herself composed, speaking with few, small motions of her hand and while the others laughed and giggled loudly, she was soft.

“Do you know her Captain?” Alexander asked, knowing that the Captain had spent a good deal of time around nobles in recent years.

“Hmm?” the other man started, never looking from the young woman, “oh, yes. She is Lord Debeart’s second daughter.”

“Lord Debeart, of Beldin?”

This time Edbar turned to look at him before looking back to the girl, “Of course. Though, I’m not sure why she is here in Garlin. The last I had heard she was betrothed to the young Lord Therick.”

“Perhaps the betrothal was broken,” Alexander suggested, “I had heard in my last passing through Beldin that House Therick and House Debeart were not other best of terms.”

“Perhaps,” the Captain said, almost as if to say more, but he remained silent.

The two men returned to scanning the room as more people arrived and the strange ceremony was repeated for each new arrival. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, the caller rapped his heavy cane five times and called for everyone to be seated. Everyone wove their way through people to tables. In a way it seemed like a dance, a large, uncoordinated dance. Alexander and Edbar made their way to a clear table, sitting among two young couples and a lone, older man.

Once everyone had found a seat, there came another rap of the cane and the caller spoke in his thunderous voice that seemed to fill the hall, “Dinner is now served.”

The man bowed as servants began to stream from two doors along one wall carrying  a plate in each hand. The servants wore the dark purple and yellow of House Kensly. They placed the plates before the guests; the women first, then the men. Once everyone had a plate before them, the servants made their way through the crowd carrying pitchers. As Alexander’s glass was filled, he could smell the wine each pitcher carried. The serving took minutes with the number of people hired to take care of the guests that evening.

Once all the servants had left, everyone looked to the head table and Lord Kensly stood, “Lords and ladies, men and women, I would like to begin by thanking you for joining my family and I in celebrating this momentous occasion. This is that day in which my son begins his journey no longer as a boy, but as a man. This is day in which I can look at my son, knowing the kind of boy he has been, and hope at what kind of man he will become.”

There was a rise of applause that filled the room before Lord Kensly raised his hand to silence the room so he might continue, “This day I release my hold on my son and allow him to make choices for himself, allowing him to experience things for himself. I believe that each and every one of you in some way has helped to shape my son into the person he has become, and the man he will be. A man that we can all be proud to call a friend, brother,” Lord Kensly turned to look at Jaron, and son. To Lord Jaron Kensly!”

Lord Kensly lifted his wine glass as a cheer went up and people raised their glasses. As Lord Kensly took a drink from his goblet, the crowd quieted and did the same. Alexander was surprised as the cool liquid ran down his throat. It was stronger than he was accustomed to. Captain Edbar seemed to have a similar reaction, eyes wide as he looked at the cup before him before he finally returned it to the table.
Alexander examined the plate before him. It was a simple salad, as was tradition for the first course. It was made with greens accented with a few carrots and peppers and dressed with a light oil. As Alexander took a bit, it was as he expected, the best. The greens were crisp, the carrots sweet and flavorful, the peppers accented the carrots well, and the oil was light, so as to not overpower the rest of the dish.

Alexander ate quietly, letting Captain Edbar answer most of the questions the rest of the people at the table asked. It was rare that Alexander took part in conversations with nobles, as they seemed to always have some hidden meaning in them. From what Alexander could tell, the conversations at his table were much the same. The men at the table asked why the army had come, appearing to not care about the presence of over one thousand men, yet the tone of their voice bordered on demanding. A few asked how long the men would be in Garlin; no doubt hoping that it was a stopping point while on the way to some other destination.

Alexander glanced around at the other tables. Most of the conversations were quieted, kept to the table. Some were a little more casual than others, more relaxed and less worried about people overhearing. Alexander’s eyes fell on a particular table at which two older men, a younger man and a lesser noble couple, or so Alexander assumed by their dress, all sat. There was an occasional bout of boisterous laughter that would erupt from one of the older men, and the rest at the table smiled, seeming to enjoy the conversation they were having.

“If you will excuse me Captain,” Alexander said, leaning towards Edbar, “I believe I will take this opportunity to speak with some of the other guests.”

Edbar waved his hand in dismissal, happy to being given the attention that the people at their table offered. Alexander rose, taking his wine glass, and began his way through the tables. Various tables stopped him, introducing themselves and asking his name. He gave it willingly, as well as answered any of the questions they had for him to the best of his ability before starting off again. Finally he found himself standing before the table with the two older men, currently laughing about something.
“Excuse me,” Alexander said, “would you mind if I joined you?” He motioned to an empty chair at the table.

“Of course not Lieutenant,” one of the older men said, motioning him to sit. Alexander thought through all the people he had watched arrive, trying to remember who the old man in the white coat was.

“Thank you, you are Master Miktan, correct?” Alexander asked as he lowered himself into the chair.

“Yes indeed, very good memory Lieutenant…” he left the sentence hanging, waiting for Alexander to supply his name.

“Alexander, Lieutenant Alexander Varross, Commander of the Sixth Cavalry Unit,” Alexander said, giving a formal introduction.

“A pleasure, this,” the man motioned to the young boy on his left, “is my companion Matthew, the older gentleman here,” he said motioning to the man across the table, “is Telan, and this lovely young couple are Lord Duncan and Lady Lyna.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Alexander said before taking another drink of his wine, the strength of it still catching him off guard.

“And a pleasure to meet you,” Telan said before turning to look at Miktan, pointing a finger at the other man, “Do you remember the time in Sticaster when we met young Lena Reed?”

“Oh dear, yes, all too well. If I remember correctly,” Miktan said raising an eyebrow towards the other man, “it all began with you having too much to drink, a common occurrence if memory serves.”
Telan laughed, “That may be true, but there were very few times that you were right there with me. Anyway, that has little to do with the story. Miktan, a few others and myself were on our way out of Beldin, in a hurry. One of us had managed to anger one of the local nobles in some way or another and he was out for blood, or so we thought. So we are traveling, camping out, hiding, when we come across this small village name Sticaster. We find a farmer that is willing to allow us to sleep in his barn, in the loft, for a few copper. While there, one of our fellows manages to catch the eye of a young lady by the name of…” Telan rubbed his forehead as if it would produce the name.

“Velene,” Miktan provided.

“That’s right, Velene. So, she is all cow eyed over our friend, and is becoming rather forward. When our friend gives into the temptation, just a little bit, Lena Reed reveals herself. Lena Reed just happens to be Velene’s mother, who we hadn’t seen the two days we were in the village. Our friend tries to explain what was happening, but she would not believe that her darling, innocent daughter would do such a thing,” Telan’s words dripped with sarcasm, “It seemed that she held some sway in the village and we were ran out that very night.”

“She is the healer,” Alexander said with a grin.

Everyone turned to look at him, but it was Telan that spoke, “What’s that?”

“Lena Reed is the healer of the village of Sticaster, and a rather good one as a matter of fact. She is quite often visited by some of the people of Beldin, and from time from time she is summoned by some of the noble families to look after their ill,” the table was fixed on Alexander as he spoke, “I took one of my men to her last spring when he came down with a fever that none of the herb workers in Beldin could cure. Within two days he was back on his feet, strong as ever and hungry as an ox.”
“Well I’ll be…” Telan started, “Well, at least we was run out by someone important!”

Everyone laughed and the conversations continued, Telan and Miktan sharing stories while the rest of the table watched in anticipation. The two of them could weave a tale as if they were both court bards to the highest houses. The stories continued as the main course was brought out; a large slice of roast with vegetables and potatoes.

As the table ate, Miktan looked to Alexander, “Lieutenant, if you don’t mind my asking, what is it that brings a small unit such as your to our fair city of Garlin?” The question did not hold the anger or disdain that had been present in the voices of many of the others that asked the question. Instead, it held curiosity, simple and pure.

“I wish I could tell you, but the orders have not yet been given to me, Captain Edbar is the superior officer on this excursion, and he has not yet revealed to us its purpose, though I doubt it holds any trouble for the citizens here in Garlin,” Alexander hoped that his explanation would do for the man.

“I see…” he said, though he pushed the issue no further.

Alexander relaxed as the conversation went back to the lighter mood it had been when he arrived. More stories were told as the dinner was cleared, wine glasses were refilled and dessert was served. Toasts were given to Jaron throughout the meal and Alexander was glad that he had finally found a place he could relax among the frenzy that was the life of nobles.