Port City of Callium (2)
Port City of Callium (2)
"Never mind what I said Sir Knight, it is just the ramblings of an old skewer vendor. What you have accomplished in the north would always be remembered by the citizens of this city."
The skewer vendor quipped; the knight in front of him is clearly still a young man, on his early twenties, and talking such talks and opinions would confuse the young knight who is still making a mark of his life.
Unbeknownst to him, Constance understands what the skewer vendor is talking about but only keeps his opinions to himself. He understands that the common people are feeling uneasily and dissatisfied with the current situation of the empire.
"I still the trust that the men of the empire would prove their mettle when the time would come to call for it." Constance said to the vendor.
The vendor is amazed then hopeful as he sees the young man in front of him, the man in front of him makes him believe that the empire still has a hope in the future. That there would be still some men who would fight with honor and answer the call of the empire when the time would come.
"Thank you, Sir Knight. You give me hope that there are still good men fighting for the empire... Go Sir Knight, the lady you are with is looking at our direction, don't make a fine lady waiting."
"Thank you for the talking with his old man Sir Knight. May God bless you!" The skewer vendor added. Constance waves and nods to the skewer vendor and walks towards where Princess Tessia is standing, at the fountain at the center of the city square.
Princess Tessia waves to Constance so that he can see where they are waiting for him. Constance waves back to the princess and smiles, making the ladies nearby blushed at the sight of a smiling handsome man.
"Princess, do you like fried skewers? It is freshly cooked... Lady Sasha and Lady Elisa, you like some?"
Constance brought the skewers he had just bought from the old skewer vendor and gave them to Princess Tessia and the two lady knights with her.
The two ladies are waiting for Princess Tessia's decision, she nods, and the two ladies accept the skewers that Constance had brought. They get one skewer each and offer it to Princess Tessia after taking a bite.
Princess Tessia gets one skewer and takes a bite with her two lady knights. She looks cute chewing her first street food fried skewer, Constance looks to Princess Tessia fondly, like his own little sister.
"Thank you Lord Arignon. It really is good." Princess Tessia said while eating the fried skewer.
"Let's continue to walk around the square princess."
"Okay."
The four then continue to walk around the place until the sun sets in the west where they then go to the inn that they would spend their nights with.
-- -- -- -- --
"Any rumors related to the happenings in the capital?" Constance asks his knights inside his room of the inn they are staying in Callium.
It is already late in the evening, and they have just finished dinner downstairs of the inn that they are staying at for the night when Constance calls his knights for a meeting. All the knights follow Constance inside his room so that no one can listen to their conversation.
His room is on the uppermost floor and in the corner of the floor to make sure that they can have a secret meeting for the night. They stayed in this expensive inn as they also know that the walls are thick enough and the adjacent buildings are not near enough.
They are sure that the room they are staying in is out of spies and people's hearing.
"The factional fights for the throne have escalated further in the capital my lord, that murder and assassinations have become the norm to the people in the capital."
"How many men do we have in the Margravate's estate in the capital?"
"Two Knights, Sir Alec and Sir Baldwin and fifty soldiers my lord. I suggest my lord to ask His Excellency the Margrave for more men," Sir Markus replied.
It is clear in his face that he is worried that there have only few men in the capital to protect the young lord of Arignon who is now a famous and influential name in the capital and might be a target of other factions and groups.
The time when his lord would choose to side with one faction in the capital, then all the remaining factions and groups would be his enemies. Having only a handful of men to protect their lord is just asking the enemies to attack them.
He can't allow that; the young lord is the only last relative of the Margravate of Arignon and the sole heir, losing him would make the Margravate an imperial family territory if there were no relatives and heirs that would succeed the current Margrave.
"Do that, just ask for an additional fifty men, but tell grandfather that the men armed with muskets, not swords and pike, we have enough of that already."
"Yes, my lord."
"There are also some movements of the first legion near the capital my lord." It is now Sir Roderick who speaks to Constance.
"Did you know the reason Sir Roderick?"
"It is still unclear my lord, but it seems the emperor ordered two diovoris of the first legion to enter the capital. They are now stationed in the inner wall garrison camp."
"How about the Capital Guards and the Capital police?"
"There are no large movements yet, they are trying to keep the peace in the capital by stopping any murders and attacks, yet most of it have failed."
"That is troubling... it seems that the capital forces are having a hard time in stopping the political struggles and fights in the capital."
"Where do the loyalties of these men lie then? We might get some answers if we know that at least." Sir Emile asks.
Everyone becomes silent when Emile asks, they know that he is a former knight commander in the Kingdom of Frankias and he is sensitive about such issues as political fights and struggles as he is a victim of one and is ruined by it.
Sensing that everyone becomes silent as he is the one who speaks, said "there is no need to keep me away to such issues, I am now a knight of the Margravate and I want to be of help."