“
Is it something to do with the siege of Kassandrea?” Night shook her head.
“
No this is something closer to home.” Night sighed, “Is there somewhere we can talk privately, just you and me?”
Nodding the Earl replied while taking her hand.
“
Of course my dear, just follow me,”
Before he turned to lead Night away he addressed the other four standing there.
“
If you would please excuse us?” They all nodded and bowed their heads.
“
Thank you, you may find a room to relax there. Just approach my assistant and he will attend to any of your needs.”
The Earl and Nightwing left the room. Wollfen expected they would be gone for a while and there would be tears too. The only unknown would be how the Earl would react, would he have the men executed? That certainly was no stretch of the imagination, people had been put to death for less. For Wollfen, what happened next would be the measure of the man.
Night sat before her father and looked at the ground. This was proving to be so hard and she had been preparing ever since they left Kassandrea over a week ago. It had been fourteen years since the incident but it still held her in sway. Her father waited patiently. He could see this was troubling her greatly and decided to see if he could get the ball rolling with a leap of judgment.
“
Night? Is what you have to say to me somehow relevant to you having run away so many years ago?”
Night nodded but didn’t say a word. They still wouldn’t come. The Earl kept fishing, he had wondered for all these years what could have driven her away? He imagined all sorts of things, but hadn’t ever been able to come up with anything that he could be certain of. He kept his questions vague.
“
Tell me Night, did something terrible happen to you?” Again she nodded.
“
Were you blackmailed?” This time a shake of the head. Night looked up and put her hand on his.
“
Please father, no more questions, I will tell you.” The Earl fell silent and waited. “Do you remember about six months before I ran off that we had visited another estate of ours?”
“
Yes my child, you had a very good time there playing in the fields and swimming at the waterfalls. You did love swimming didn’t you?” She gave a little smile at that, a fond memory.
Nightwing sat up straight and looked her father in the eye.
“
You also left a day before me to attend urgent business and left a contingent of men to watch over me on the return trip. It was the night before we returned to Windere that the men got drunk.”
Night stopped, this was always the hardest part for her and even now the memories hit home hard. She let out a shuddering sigh and continued once more.
“
The men came into my tent. They all had their way with me. I couldn’t stop them, I fought, I really did.”
With tears in her eyes and whispering now, Night felt choked and dirty. She felt like a whore having to admit it to her father’s face.
The Earl sat there staring at her and not comprehending. Then it hit him and he began to shake. Night could see the anger growing in his eyes.
“
Please forgive me father. I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t stop them.”
She was crying openly as her grief poured out. Her father still angry, but loving his daughter spoke calmly but sternly.
“
You have nothing to apologize for my child, nothing at all. But there are those that will have to do more than just apologize to you.”
He stood and paced a little, his anger was getting the better of him. Another emotion found its way in and he too felt grief, grief for his daughter and grief for allowing it to happen. Then he felt the guilt of it all, it had been him who had entrusted her well being to those men. It had been his decision. Turning back to his daughter he brought his emotions under control and looked directly at her.
“
Look to me Night,” She was still crying and looking at the ground but she obeyed and looked up. “It is not you who must apologize for what happened. It is I, I let this happen. I am the one that is at fault. I am sorry Night, truly sorry. I wish I could take it back.”
She sobbed throwing herself into his arms once more and cried on his chest. His eyes were wet and red, but he would not allow himself to cry. Too much conditioning and too set in his ways, he couldn’t, wouldn’t do it.
The other four could hear there was a bit of a commotion going on elsewhere. Wollfen surmised that the Earl, having heard Night’s story was having the original contingent that guarded all those years ago brought together to face him. He wondered if that Sergeant Savas had been found? Time would tell, he reached across to Dark and squeezed her hand. She would be stressing too in empathy for Night.
Burkhard who was sitting next to the window and looking out piped up.
“
There’s a gathering of soldiers outside in the courtyard. Looks to me like some are being guarded by others.”
Wollfen moved over to the window and looked out too.
“
Lets go out and see what is happening.”
The four of them got up and moved out of the room. They were just in time to catch the Earl and Night going out to the courtyard and the four fell in behind them to follow. Once outside, The Earl stood before the six men who were obviously out of favor.
“
You six men are what is left of the eight that were in charge of guarding my daughter on a particular trip fourteen years ago.”
The Earl watched them closely as he spoke. He wanted to see signs of their guilt before he would pass judgment.
“
My daughter has come forward and spoken of some grave accusations leveled directly at all of you. By the looks on your faces, I can tell I don’t need to repeat the accusation.”
The Earl went quiet and let them stew for a while under his steely glare. Wollfen prodded Dark.
“
Go to Night and hold her hand. She is going to need it.” Dark nodded and moved across to her. The Earl continued,
“
Before I pass judgment on all of you for the crime of rape, what say you?”
Wollfen had been watching Night the entire time and while her face was deadpan and unemotional, he could see that she was shivering from the stress of the situation. Hopefully all of this would be over soon without too much drama. Sergeant Savas stood forward and addressed the Earl. He pointed his finger at Night.
“
That daughter of yours asked for it! She wanted it and begged for our attentions!”
Some of the accused murmured in agreement but Night cried out,
“
That is a lie! How can you say that? I had never ever asked for such attention! I never carried myself in that way!”
The Earl spoke again,
“
Enough of this, I may not have seen my daughter in all these years but I do know how she conducted herself in those days and what she was like, she was never a harlot. If you continue in this vein Sergeant Savas then not only are you calling my daughter a liar but you are calling me one too. Are you going to maintain your stance?”
The Earl stood there staring down the Sergeant who could not keep his gaze. The man looked down in silence.
As Wollfen looked on he wondered how the Earl would deal with these six men. The Earl was taking his time, he was thinking hard. Then finally he spoke.
“
I have come to my decision. While you men have faithfully served this royal family for over fifteen years and apart from this crime you have not erred in all that time, I cannot stand here and allow it to go lightly punished. I will say that I will not have you executed and before you feel relief at that consider what I say next.” The Earl paused for effect, “It is my decision that forthwith, you are banished from the lands of Windere and shall remain permanently exiled. You are never to return. Also you may never again come under the employ of a royal house or any of its supportive organizations. You are hereby cut off from any consideration of the Kingdom. You will not be taken in by anyone under their care where it is done to protect you from this royal order.”
The six men looked on in shock. They were effectively cut off from all of the country not allowed to gain employment anywhere. They would very quickly become wandering vagabonds.
“
But sire, how are we to live?” The Earl shook his head in reply,
“
That is of no concern to me. You are to leave these city walls within the hour. Captain, see to it that these men collect their belongings and are escorted outside the gates by then.”
The Captain nodded and started giving orders to his soldiers. The prisoners were still protesting as they were led away.
“
You can’t do this! Please my lord have mercy! We cannot survive out there alone!”
But it was all on deaf ears. The Earl had already turned with Night at his side and was making his way back indoors.
Wollfen and the others followed suit, he was thinking about how the Earl had reacted. He had appeared merciful in not killing them, but Wollfen knew that in considering the circumstances of their exile, a clean quick death might have been preferable. Many of them would die a slow cold death out there in the wilderness before a week was out. They were being cast out, no horses, no supplies and they were too far away from anything by foot.
Back inside Night sat down and Dark stayed with her. She was crying quietly to herself. Wollfen walked over and put his hand on Night’s shoulder, then he turned to the Earl.
“
It may be best if Night and Darkling here were shown a private room.”
Gerlach nodded and turned to an attendant, not a word was spoken but it was done. Once the girls were gone, Wollfen turned back to the Earl once more.
“
I think you and I should have a talk. There is much to discuss of the situation in Kassandrea and also of what the spring will bring.”
The Earl was certainly interested in any intelligence that he could gather not only for the good of Windere but the entire Kingdom.
“
Please come with me, I have a special room that will not allow any eavesdropper to hear us.”
Wollfen followed at a proper distance as the Earl led them down a hall to the rear of the building. Once inside he motioned for Wollfen to sit down.
“
Tell me Wollfen, what news of Kassandrea? I understand they are in reasonable shape. I have had reports of the size of the Isogorrean forces outside. They certainly will not be able to take Kassandrea with such small numbers.”
Wollfen knew he could not know all the facts in play.
“
It is more serious than it looks. I have been in direct contact with the King and Prince Fitzgerald who is the supreme commander. We now know the Isogorreans will have another fifteen to twenty five thousand troops in place before the end of winter for a spring push.”
Gerlach sat back in surprise. That didn’t sound so good.
“
So the siege will last a lot longer than planned?”
“
No, there is another problem,”
The Earl nodded for Wollfen to go on.
“
Their food reserves were already low before the siege. They only have enough to last a few months at the most.”
Gerlach looked away in deep thought. Then after a minute he spoke again.
“
We have been doing our utmost here in the north to coordinate training and extra troops for a spring offensive to try and help relieve Kassandrea. If what you say is true, then it might all be for nothing.”
“
Not totally I have a well trained army of five thousand in the east and they await orders. They can be counted on when the time comes to act.” Earl Gerlach nodded.
“
That will certainly help a lot but it won’t be enough to tip the balance will it?
“
No not really, we will need more. I intend on heading north for the Enchanted realms to talk to the elves. I count some as my friends. I will also stop on the way at the northern garrisons and see if they can spare men for you.” Gerlach shook his head.
“
No you won’t be able to take any of the men from the northern garrisons. The orcs have been particularly active over the past year or so. They appear to be working in larger numbers and getting bolder. We even had a large band of twenty on the outskirts of town just north of here a little over a week ago. They had sacked some poor farm and had made off with some booty. We killed them all but it is disturbing.”
Wollfen figured he may be talking about the farm they had come across a few days ago.
“
We found the burnt out remains of a farm a few days south of here. There were eight bodies we buried.” The Earl looked sad.
“
You say a few days?” Wollfen nodded,
“
That would have to have been the estate of Commander Aardgar, that is sad news indeed.” The Earl let out a big sigh.