Knightly Desires

If It Were Only A Dragon [Chapter 14]

Our first day of travels was coming to an end. I mean, it was still a bit early, and there was a fair bit of daylight left. But my rear was sore from the saddle and I was quite hungry. Not to mention I lacked sleep from the night before.

Before Farvin could shout another complaint to guide us through another fork in the road, I caught sight of something ahead of us. It must have been going pretty slow for us to catch up. As we crept closer, I could make out that it was a fancy carriage in fine wood, drawn by a pair of tall, elegant horses.

The transport took up most of the roughly maintained forest road. Getting past it would have been more work than I wanted to exercise that late in the day.

“Could it be that Elf?” I said to myself under my breath. “It would not be too hard to believe she would travel in something so fancy.”

I got my answer almost immediately. A horse and rider slid by the carriage and hoofed it back our way. The rider wore fancy leathers and a displeased face.

“Keep your distance!” he shouted, taking up as much of the road as he could.

I held my hand up to stay my allies. Cautiously, I crept forward to address the man without having to shout like he did.

“We mean no quarrel,” I announced, lowering my head. “We are simply traveling the same path, on a task of our own. It is the King himself who has sent us our journey.”

The guard spat at the ground. “The King?” He said, far too loud for the distance between us. “Anyone who wishes to follow the King and his desires has no business about these lands!”

I wagged my hand at him disarmingly. “We are on our way. We are simply heading to the east.”

“Well keep it that way,” he said, kicking at his horse and dashing off back toward his convoy.

To avoid more conflict, we went on after them at a slower pace than normal. Not too far from our meeting point, I saw the trees of the forest split. To the north was a short ridge, atop it a great estate with various gardens and outbuildings surrounding it. Just a bit further up the road, we came across a wall of stone and wrought iron at least three men high surrounding the property.

A tall gate interrupted the expanse of walls a little ways ahead. The carriage and its company were awaiting entry there on the road. I made eye contact with them, nodding, then parking myself between them and my allies passing by. Once everyone, including our cart of supplies, had passed by, I went on ahead with one final nod.

A single, low yip called my attention back. On top of their carriage, in a little metal cage, was a creature somewhat like a dog, but a slight bit like a human. Its little hopeful eyes stared down at me, mouth panting. I put down its peculiarities as me being tired, and continued on.

A little ways down the road, still within sight of the walls and the estate, I caught up with my Squire, guiding the cart forward. “Let’s stop up here for the night.”

“Aye,” Eriques nodded tiredly. He whistled out to the others, waving them off to the side of the road.

Farvin leaned over from his seat on the cart. “What sort of people were those? To live out here so fancily, but so far from the Kingdom?”

I shook my head and glanced back. “Well, you’d never see them in Rektum. At least not anymore. Not after the Ministry of Taxation teamed up with our Ministry to enforce certain folks paying their fair share.”

Farvin puzzled. “Taxation? Where’ve I heard that word before? Don’t think I’ve ever paid for something like that, ever.”

Eriques leaned in and nudged his shoulder. “I suppose you lot out east don’t pay any taxes when you barter for everything with potatoes fresh out the ground.”

“Oi, you can get a lot for an armful of taters.” Farvin argued back.

I ignored them both and watched for any movement beyond the imposing walls. “It infuriates me that such people can get away with being so willfully belligerent to our King and Kingdom.”

“Uh yeah, being my duty to say the same,” Eriques huffed. “But look at them, not paying taxes has let them build such a crazy place. Nobody would pay taxes if they knew they could get away with this.”

I hopped off my horse and stamped my foot in the dirt. “If only that were true. People like them may pay nothing to support the Kingdom, but they also receive no protection or benefits. Most simply wander about, but some have managed to find a decent living. I’m guessing the lord of the lands within those walls has taken advantage of some of them in a sort of parasitic relationship, a little kingdom of his own.”

“I’d bet if the dragon came this way, they’d love our help,” Eriques added.

Strad had found his way back to us on foot as we pulled off into the clearing. “Did you see what they had in their possession?”

I blinked and recalled the dog creature. “Atop their carriage? It was some sort of pet.”

“A Gnoll!” he said, “Not quite a dog, somewhat like a human. Dependant on their upbringing, they can be somewhat civilized as well…”

“So… a pet?” I answered, jumping down off my horse.

“Well, they’re capable of human language and can be taught a great many things. So yes, like a pet with benefits. I had one as a child, but… it ran away,” the pudgy man sighed.

“I’m guessing you never shared any of your table scraps with it,” Eriques proposed. “That’s why it ran away.”

Strad shrugged and wandered off.

---

After the long day of travel, I couldn’t tell if I was more hungry or tired. A fire had already been started. After I tied up my horse, I went to inspect the cart as it was being unloaded.

Farvin and Eriques were passing down supplies to some of the other men, taking turns bringing the crates to the fire so we could start meal prep.

“Good, empty it all out,” I directed.

“All?” Eriques said, glancing about at all the still untouched supplies.

“Well, of course,” I said, hands running across the width of the cart. “Yes, for this size, it shall be necessary. I will need all this space to sleep in. Or did you expect me to sleep in the dirt with the others? Me, the leader of this expedition?”

Eriques plastered a fake smile across his face. “Well, of course not.”

“Oh,” I recalled, raising a finger to the air. “Please leave my bedding in there, of course. They had my silk pillow and mask as I requested, of course?”

My squire twisted his body about as if he were looking for something. “About that…”

“No!?”

“I’m afraid the quartermaster did not stock any such items. Nor the cream for your elbows.”

I leaned my arm across the edge of the cart. “My good squire, what is that which I value the most on a day-to-day basis?”

“Your sleep, Glad.”

“And I must be at my best to lead these men here. Especially against a dragon.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And how is that supposed to happen now?”

I felt a tapping at my shoulder. I nearly struck the person daring to ask something of me at that moment. “Yes? What?”

The scarred man was at my back, finger wagging at the walled edge of the property not far from our camp. “I bet the folks that live in that fancy buildin’ up there have a few pillows and nice blankets to spare.”

I crossed my arms in thought and eyed the man. “Let’s see, your name was… Shanks? They certainly would. But in case you haven’t been paying attention, they aren’t the friendly sort.”

The scarred man shrugged. “Not bein’ friends don’t immediately make them our enemies. I mean, if we stepped into any other town, takin’ up food and space, even ones who follow the King would be cranky.”

I wrung my hands together. “Well, knights don’t show up out of the blue for no reason.”

Shanks licked at the sides of his mouth. “But of course, you get it. That’s our leader for ya. Now what if that band of knights just had a run-in with something bad? They was bleedin’ out. And havin’ no food or first aid. They ought to take what they need, ‘specially if the knights are what is standin’ between the townspeople and the baddies. The regular people will get over it. And here? We’re just after a simple pillow, some fine bedding. An’ to help us keep a dragon from coming this way.”

I stroked my chin and nodded. The walls of the estate were clearly in reach. “You’re right. All I would have to do is explain myself.”

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