990. Chapter 990

After Much Ado About Murder

Episode 8.20

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Once more unto the breach for I do not own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

All four men came to their feet.

"Lady Katherine, you know Father Ryan. This is Will Fox, sometimes known as Will the Fox." He pointed to the grey-haired man. "He was my archery teacher and now is my second in command. And my friend."

"Lady Katherine." Fox said, bowing.

Kate just stared at the men.

"Please, join us, Lady Katherine." Said Castle. "Dinner is not yet ready, but we do have wine. Would you care for a glass?"

Kate glared at the big Englishman. "Don't think that you'll make me your whore by offering me food and wine from my own house." But in her mind, she heard her mother telling her to act like a lady.

"My apologies. And I have no intention of making you, or any other woman, a whore. What I seek from you is an ally, and perhaps a friendship."

She laughed. "An ally? Do you expect me to fight?"

"No. But you are obviously a brave, smart, resourceful and knowledgeable woman. You know of the city of Pola, of the Dukedom of Istria and of Italy. I am English. I know little of this place. I need an advisor, and one who speaks English."

Kate sat down, moving her chair away from Captain Castle. "My suggestion is that you join me in the forests beyond Pola. Your company has no chance against either de Braquenne or Demming."

Castle smiled. "I fear you have misunderstood me. When I said that Duke Rodrigo has hired us, I mean that he has hired the Great Company of England, led by Sir James Walden. We number some thousand English and Welsh archers, and the same number of mounted knights and men at arms. We have some four hundred hobelars, Irish light cavalry, and two hundred crossbowmen, mostly from the northern Italian cities of Milan and Genoa. We also have a thousand infantry, ranging from heavily armored spearmen from Flanders to savage Irishmen who fight nearly naked and use only a light spear."

"Savage Irishmen?" Said Father Ryan. "There's a new race of Irish then? For all know that Ireland is the home of the most civilized souls in all of Christendom. Or, might these men be English?"

"Well said, Kevin." Castle replied with a smile.

"How far away is this army?"

"Sir James is a week behind us. He had to wait to meet up with Duke Rodrigo and his army. He sent me ahead to Pola. Rodrigo intends to make it his capitol and Sir James will base his company here."

"You can't hold Pola against de Braquenne and you have little hope against Demming."

"Nor can they hope to hold Pola against Rodrigo and his army. They'd be sticking their heads in a noose. If they're smart, they won't try." Something occurred to Castle. "And why was a notorious pirate walking around Pola anyway?"

Kate shrugged. "Money."

"Money? Whose money?"

"The city pays Demming not to raid the city. He comes once a year and makes his demand. The city has three days to come up with the money. On the fourth day, Demming comes to collect."

"From his voice, Demming is English? How does an English pirate come to Italy?"

Kate shrugged. "How does an English mercenary come to Italy? I have no idea."

Castle turned to the priest. "Father Kevin, write a letter to Sir James and tell him what we've learned. Ask him to send us reinforcements. Make copies and send a copy with each courier." He turned back to Kate. "Is there another road other than the road on the coast we arrived on?"

Kate got a piece of paper from Father Ryan and drew a map. "On the coast road your men will pass an inn called the Happy Virgin. The man who runs it is a scoundrel. He offers strangers good wine and willing women, then slits their throats. Slit his first. There is an inland route. Go up the river here to the rapids and then go north along the hills. There are only peasants there, but if your men offer gold or silver, they will be well cared for."

"Four couriers, then, Father. Two for each road. Be off with you."

Father Ryan went off to write.

"Does this town have a council, a parliament or something, Lady Katherine?"

"The city has a senate. It has been in existence since Roman times. There are fifteen men in the Senate.

"Will, find out who these men are and bring them to me. Don't take no for an answer."

Will laughed and left.

At that point Constance and Lanie brought in the food. Kate was rather surprised to find that Captain Castle ate with a knife and fork like a civilized man. She soon put him out of her mind as she concentrated on the first good meal she'd had in months.

"Where is your father?" Castle asked at the end of the meal.

Kate turned away, but he could see her blush.

"He drinks." Constance, the older maid, blurted out.

"Constance!" Kate snapped.

"My apologies, Dona Katerina, but he'll find out soon enough."

Kate turned to face him. "My father was forced to watch my mother be burned at the stake. When de Braquenne scurried down the coast, my father….took things badly."

"We tried to keep him away from wine." Lanie said. "But he stole and the senate would have had him whipped or worse. We paid his bills and kept everyone sweet. The man he stole from was…obliging."

"Where is he?" Castle demanded.

Kate shrugged. "At whatever low tavern has the cheapest wine."

"David." Castle called to a tall, young archer. "Take a couple of men and the young maid and find James Beckett and bring him here."

"That won't stop him from drinking." Kate said coldly.

"No, but he won't fall in the harbor and drown, or freeze in winter if he's here."

They were interrupted by a group of archers bringing in the city Senate. As the senators yelled in Italian, Will Fox reported to Castle.

"We have fourteen members of the Senate, Captain. The other one is apparently in Venice. We had to be persuasive." He gestured to several men sporting black eyes and bruises.

One senator stepped forward. He was plump and richly dressed, and was not at all used to being dragged out of his home. "Who are you?" He demanded in English. "Why did you drag us here? What do you want?"

Castle stood. "I am Richard Castle, a captain of a company of archers in the service of Sir James Walden of the Great Company of England who serves His Grace, Duke Rodrigo of Istria. As to why you're here, the Duke has been in touch with his supporters in Pola." That was a lie, but the senators couldn't know that. The Duke had no one in Pola." They have informed Duke Rodrigo that you have paid the money you should be paying in taxes to him, to the pirate Demming. He has sent me here to stop that. The money you have collected for this pirate will be brought to me for safekeeping for the duke."

The senator shook his head. "You do not know what you're asking. Demming is a very dangerous man."

"What is your name, Senator?"

"I am Federico Amalfi." He replied proudly.

"Signor Amalfi. You will find that I am a dangerous man as well. And I am right here." Castle turned his head. "Luke, can you come here?"

Luke was truly huge. He wore the leather apron and carried the hammer of a blacksmith. His muscles bulged so much that it appeared his shirt would tear from the strain. His nose had apparently been broken a number of times and his face was scarred. "Yes, Captain?"

"Would you care to ask Signor Amalfi to bring us the gold he's collected for Demming?"

A smile split the giant's face. "Can I use the fire? I love to use the fire. sir."

Castle smiled. "By all means, use the fire."

As Luke advanced on the senator, he began talking. "Captain Castle. We are reasonable men and I yield to no one in my loyalty to Duke Rodrigo. I shall send a messenger at once for the gold to be brought to you."

Amalfi quickly wrote a note and as Luke stood, looking angry and deprived, the senators tried to back away, only to find their way blocked by archers.

Soon, three small chests were delivered to Castle. Opened, they contained gold. Castle bade goodnight to his Italian guests. They left hurriedly.

"You should have had your torturer work on Amalfi." Kate said. "He stole most of our property after de Braquenne left and I'm sure he gave you less than half of the gold he'd collected for Demming. A few minutes with that monster of yours…" Kate stopped, suddenly realizing that Luke was standing by her, having approached silently.

"I did a good job, didn't I Captain?" The huge man asked softly

"As always, Luke."

"Um, Captain…." Luke reached in his pocket and took out a tiny kitten, black with white feet. "I found him. He was all wet, but now he's hungry. Could you ask the lady if I could have some milk for him?"

"Of course, Luke." Kate said, looking a bit bemused.

Luke smiled and headed for the kitchen with his new friend.

"Luke is a blacksmith and usually quite a gentle soul. He will fight if he has to, but he'd never torture anyone."

Kate found herself thinking that the English mercenary was a more complex man than she had imagined. She was also curious.

"How does an English captain of archers find himself in Italy?" She asked.

"The battle of Poitiers."

Kate frowned. "But that was five years ago. The English army devastated the French."

Castle nodded and stared ahead for a moment, recalling that day. "It was a close run thing. The French battles, battles are what we call the divisions the armies are made up of, had been attacking us all day. We had driven back the first two French battles, and were tired, had many dead and wounded and were short of arrows. Then the third battle, led by the French king himself, and containing the bulk of the higher French nobility attacked. Their king's battle was as large as our army and fresh as well. It looked like we were doomed."

Kate was fascinated. She had never heard the story of the battle from a participant before. "But you won. How?"

"The Black Prince, our leader, sent a small force around the French flank and to their rear. One hundred mounted archers and sixty mounted men at arms. When they attacked, the French were surprised and began to retreat. The retreat turned into a rout. We captured Jean II, the king, and his youngest son, as well as the flower of the French nobility. The ransoms for all those French were fabulous." Castle sighed. "But, no ransom money went to low born captains of archers. The French would only surrender to English nobles."

She shrugged. "But you won."

"We did. But with the French King and so much of the nobility in prison in England, France began to tear itself part. Peasants, who had been heavily taxed to pay for the war we're more heavily taxed to pay for the ransoms. They rebelled. Other French nobles tried to grab as much as they could in the chaos that followed. And the English army continued its chevauchees."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A chevauchee is large raid. The purpose is to damage the countryside, grab provisions for yourself and keep them from the enemy. Destroy anything, and I mean anything, that can help your enemy raise taxes or support a war. Eventually, it meant, destroy everything, farms, towns, monasteries, everything."

"You still haven't explained why you English left France for Italy."

"Things were so bad for the French, the agreed to a truce last year. That added to the misery by adding masses of unemployed soldiers to France's problems. French troops were rarely paid and English troops paid little. My company was owed a year's wages. We only got two months wages. Most bands took over towns and ravaged the countryside. Some went to Castile to fight there. But, Sir James got an offer to come to fight for the Duke of Istria. And here we are."