Jaldor Almaren:
        King of Ralengarde and the landbound nation Jaldor Almaren sat back
in his throne, the work of a day's judgements over peasants squabbling
having taken its toll, he could use a short rest, say a decade, give or take
a year.  It didn't help any that that lackey Jaewyn was off sifting through
the forest for some apparition of a girl that...did something, King Almaren
was sure it was unlawful.  He wondered if his memory was declining in
contrast to his years.  He couldn't remember remembering more, so he decided
he was the same as always and...
        "Pardon me your majesty?"
        Inward sigh, "Speak."
        "Highness a man, Renfield, wishes to speak with you concerning the
warrens I believe."
        Oh the blithering...Not another one!  Even still, it provided for a
break from the day's monotony, and a good laugh.
        The man walked in, being led by...that servant.  He was pale, thin,
and apparently ill, with prematurely graying hair closely cropped and a
collection of short hairs about his face.  This contrasted with his thrifty
black trousers, expensive white button shirt and purple sash.  Interesting.
        
***
Renfield:

        "You may enter," the serving looking man said.  Ren followed him to
the King's audience chamber.
        To Ren the King looked like just another middle aged man with some
extra tonnage about the midsection.  He may have been wearing costly regal
robes, but to Renfield they were just robes.  
        Mustering all his knowledge of procedure, etiquette, and practices
of courtesy Renfield completely, utterly, totally failed to pay the respect
due the King.  Without bowing to one knee, he didn't wait to be addressed by
him and failed to phrase his sentence right, as those who were present could
testify.
        Looking straight into the King's green eyes with his light blue,
Renfield said, "I want to discuss with you about destroying the warrens, is
there a place where we could sit and talk."
        Renfield saw that Almaren was a bit startled at what he had said,
but the older man agreed and they proceeded toward a room with a small round
table and two chairs, hastily set up for the purpose.  A pitcher and two
cups of tea were placed before them.
        The servants and bodygaurds left, at the king's bidding, but made a
show of not going to far by taking a short few, loud steps, just down the hall.
        Almaren looked at Ren, "Well."
        Time to spin the wheel, toss the dice, take a chance, play the hand,
hope for the best, throw a coin down the well, guess the guess...in other
words, it was time to speak up.
        "As the King of Ralengarde, I suspect you are more informed on the
relationship between the warrens and the cities of the landbound, so I'll
skip that.  I don't want to suggest that we try and destroy the deal that
exists between us and the warrens.  It is just that while we are constant in
our part of it, the warrens do not provide constant protection against the
wraiths.  I think we should make them try and hunt down and destroy the
wraiths, or we cut back on our..."
        "How do you hunt down wraiths?  Where would you find them?"
        "That's the warren's problem.  Meanwhile, we contact the other
cities in Keldarra domain, gather sufficient troops, and destroy the city
of, Ravensvale I believe it is..."
        "Ravensvale is in Norwall domain."
        "Yes," as if that meant nothing, "this will prove to the other
cities..."
        "The cities in the other domains will not look kindly on us
destroying Ravensvale without provocation, assuming your plan of unifying
those under Keldarra goes without too much difficulty of course.  They may
just decide such wanton destruction is warrant enough to not agree with us."
        "They won't think that.  They'll understand that if we can destroy
something in another domain, that we can destroy them too.  The nobles at
least will know that our reason was to prove our point, and they'll follow
the King's lead."
***
        
Jaldor Almaren:

        What the man was proposing deserved some merit.  Force the warrens
under our...MY boot, he thought.  It had always been one of his dreams, but
they seemed to have the upper hand in the agreement.  The violence seemed
unnessesary, but on the other hand,  landbound settlements showed less
loyalty to him than dragonriders showed to the Queenrider, it might be
necessary to jar them a bit with his power.  But those in Keldarra domain,
especially Redigund, would probably not be so quick to fall in line either.
Perhaps an example could be made of him to the other nobles.  Who was his
heir?  That's right, his hot tempered son Rajier.  That youth would be more
inclined to help than anyone!  The more Almaren thought about this idea...
        "The attack on Seign should be unnecessary," he said, "But I think I
have an idea which will also work.  Come, I have an associate I'd like you
to meet, if we can find him."


***
Hoj Carpenter:
        
"I see....so she must care an awful lot about you?" he grinned some as the
soldiers took his cue and began moving towards the woman.  Hoj sure didn't
catch the drift of what was happening, particularly given what he'd just
stepped in.

Merybelle made a face.  "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing..." Jaewyn's grin broadened.  "Guards...seize her... if we can't go
to our little escapee....well then...we'll make her come to us..."

"Shall we take her to a holding cell," Coriwyn asked.

"No..." Jaewyn shook his head and walked away from the commotion as he
talked softly.  "Bring her to the castle..  Don't treat her like a
prisoner...  She's not one...  Just a....forced house guest."

Hoj stepped in line with Jaewyn, "Sir, if I may?  What will taking this
woman back with us do for us?  She just said that we scared the girl off.  I
doubt it's likely that she'll even know that we've...borrowed, er welcomed,
er...this woman."

"Do you have a better idea...soldier"?

~yes, get the king to chop your **** head off~, "No, sir," he said resignedly

"Well then, off we go," walking away mumbling to himself.

That blasted fool.  Hoj was sure that if Jaewyn ever had a good idea in his
life his head would explode.  Jaewyn's, not Hoj's, although with the surprise...

"Let's go Carpenter."

"Right Smith."

He did have to feel sorry for Smith.  After the man had woken everybody up a
few nights ago, to chase after what turned out to be the enhanced shadow of
a ground squirrel, he'd really had a rough time at the hands of several
tired men.

He collided with another man having lost himself in his thoughts.

"Hey watch it!"

"Renaldo, when are you going to grow up?  Ha haha!"

"Just watch it, okay?"

"Sure, it's very big of you to say that."

"It is?  Oh!"

"Sure," ignoring Renaldo's last word, "But...," suddenly his fountain of
small jokes had dried.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, "Sure," he said
finally.

"Will ye dafts leave the litl' bugger alone?"  It was Adair, "Only I get to
joke his height.  Heh heh!"

The whole party was walking off now back toward the city.  Those two
prisoners did not look happy.  Poor saps.  Neither did the troops, the
journey's end was disappointing.  A bit anti-climactic.  Poor saps.

***

Walking through the outskirts of Ralengarde his party marched.  It was
early...somethingday morning.  Some two dozen tired, ragged, unkempt
soldiers had a surprisingly bright air about them.  The expedition was over.
They were all looking forward to a warm meal, a good ale, and thirty hours
of sleep.

All that is, except Hoj.  He was bothered that the journey, though over,
seemed now to have been wasted.  

They were now approaching the King's residence, i.e. the castle, or 'palace'
as some would call it.  To some it was awe inspiring, to others it was home,
to Hoj it was a large pile of stone where he worked.  

Upon entering the soldiers milled about for a short while.  Jaewyn was
confronted by a courtier, they talked quickly and quietly.  Hoj visualized a
stone falling from the ceiling and...

***

Jaewyn:

"Wait a moment. You're telling me that Mrs. Weaver is now claiming that her
husband beat her and the boy, and that now since Mr. Weaver is under custody
that out journey for Linaya was worthless, as she was innocent."

"That is correct sir, your men may disperse to their barracks for the
remainder of the day."

Jaewyn stared at the floor.  He was planning how he could tell the men this
in a way that would save dignity, particularly his but if anyone asked...

He turned, and addressed all the men, "You men may relax from your hardships
today..."

He would have gone on but he no longer had much of an audience.  So much the
better.

"What shall we do with these two?" Segrin asked.

"Hmmm?  Oh, they're free to go of course..." and he walked off.  It was
over.  He imagined hearing one of the prisoners, the woman perhaps, saying
something to someone, but he couldn't be sure.  

NRPG:
        This was fairly extensive for me. Sorry Taylor for my portrayal of
Jaewyn.

"The best conversation I had was forty million years ago, and that was with
a coffee machine."     -Marvin The Paranoid Android


-James Tate
Renfield