Jaxen III

  The thick forest whose roads they had been struggling to cross had been left behind, but even that monotonous confusing sprawl of foliage was preferable to the devastated and dread filled valley that he and his companions where now traversing. Long sprawling fields that laid untouched despite spring fast approaching, their unsown grounds being reclaimed by nature. Carts and farming tools left to rot while skinny dogs and prairie varmint scoured abandoned farmsteads for rotting scraps.

  “Captain, do you perchance have any issues with your eyesight?” William asked while watching his footing trying to dodge swampy spots in the road.

  “Watch your tongue you dolt, for I may be getting forgetful with age, but my eyesight is still as sharp as ever!” The captain barked back

  “My apologies if I offended you sir, it's just that I wonder if you were really looking when those hunters pointed you towards Sigrios”

  The captain stopped in his tracks and the rest followed trough, his armoured frame standing motionless while he scanned the ravaged fields with his eyes. He then turned and gave William a killer glare that would make the spirits of most recruits leave their earthly vessels.

  “I swear, if you were still a squire, I would have already slapped that grin away with my gauntlet”

  “Luckly my knighthood gave me the right of not being slapped sir” William responded. His face was covered by his helmet but his smirk could still be felt behind the layers of steel.

  The captain frowned and turned around to gaze at the fields once more, his face now showing a mix of confusion and anger. But soon the latter emotion took over as his eyes darted towards a fallen banner that was partially covered in mud.

  The old man walked through a puddle of muddy water just to take a better look of the fallen crest. He grabbed it and wiped some of the mud off, revealing the image of a yellow pheasant in a blue field darted with white dots.

  “Look at what you let happen, you old fool” The captain grunted between his teeth.

  “Thats the Heraldry of the Sagears, we are in the right track after all” Cassian said after taking off his helmet to take a better look.

  “Thank the lord then, I seriously thought we were going nowhere” Harlan sighed with relief.

  “One would think that after all these years your incompetence would give you what you deserve, but i guess even the lord has a sense of humour, albeit a dark one” The captain continued, having still not looked away from the banner.

  “Something wrong, sir?” Jaxen asked.

  The captain kept looking at the banner for a little while, then dropped it to the muddy puddle where it came from. Out of all the corpses of people and animals that rested around them, of all the putrid scents and destroyed buildings, the thing that had manage to disturb the seasoned Elias Spindall the most was a rugged piece of fabric that had been left to rot in the ground, and that mere thought alone perturbed and intrigued Jaxen to his core.

  “Night is fast approaching” The old man uttered calmly while ignoring the question. “We have to find shelter”

  “There are plenty of abandoned farmsteads around that should do the trick” Jaxen affirmed.

  “Not another run down shack again, I prefer to sleep on the mud next to the rats” Harlan groaned, unamused by his suggestion.

  “Don't ask me why, but I always pictured you as the swine type Harlan, rolling around the mud without a care to give” William teased him. “And the good part is that you won't get any dirtier that you already are”

  “Go chomp down on a carrot you goat looking bastard, at least the pigs know a thing or two about comfort, unlike whoever made our bedrolls”

  “At least we get to sleep on bedrolls” Jaxen added quietly.

  “First thing I will do when we return to Rosen is ask for the skinniest of noble wimps to replace all of you, for even they won't complain as much as you all!” The captain exclaimed; he seemed to have finally returned to his usual self. ” Now I don't wat to hear a word until we arrive at one of the farmsteads. I’ll let you choose Jaxen, we’ll follow your lead”

  “Understood sir” He obliged while he took the lead of the group.

  They continued through the roads but Jaxen quickly got separated from the rest while he climbed one of the hills to get a better view of the valley. Most of the buildings seemed far to damage to be suitable, with collapsed walls and burned down thatch roofs. He continued to wonder about what had caused such destruction.

  A small flash of light among the faslty darkening surroundings caught his attention. It looked like a small fire coming out of a doorframe of a relatively intact house. Meanwhile, his companions had caught on to his exalted gaze.

  “Did you find something brother?” William yelled from down the small hill.

  Jaxen nodded while he skipped down in their direction.

  “I saw one that was almost intact, probably the best place we can spent the night”

  “So, it is decided then, we shall go to that one” The captain concluded.

  “Wait sit, for I also saw a light peeking through the doorframe, we might have unwanted company”

  “Hmmm... I see” The captain said while scratching his beard from under his helmet. “We shall approach swiftly then”

  “What for? Whatever that may be lying out there can be no match for us, sir” Cassian affirmed confidently, his youthful pride shining brighter than the setting sun.

  “Whatever is out there either managed to survive whatever ravaged these lands or helped cause its destruction” Jaxen responded coldly to the vitalier.

  “What is it Feiss, afraid other two unarmoured low lives might ambush you again? I still wonder how you even got knighted while showing such cowardice”

  “It's not called cowardice young one, its common sense, something that comes with age and by trying to look under once own nose from time to time” The captain swiftly uttered while facing Cassian. “You can go ahead and barge in if you want, but don't count on us dragging your corpse back to your family”

  Cassian grunted and followed the rest on their march. Their steps were now thoughtful and quiet as they went around the hill in direction to the farmstead, the quiet clanking of their armour being drowned out by the wind and the sound of night bugs.

  Finally, they came face to face with the house. It was a simple hut made of mud and wood roofed with thatch like the others, to its side rested a small shed that Jaxen hadn't seen. The dim light still shined trough the open doorframe while the wind made some hanging metal ornaments hit each other frantically.

  “Listen up” The captain whispered “Two will sneak towards the main house while the rest trail behind at a distance, that way we can see if there is an ambush and react swiftly”

  “I shall be one to go first then, I know how to disguise my steps” Jaxen volunteered himself

  “Very well, Cassian shall be your companion then, that way you can show him firsthand the usefulness of stealth”

  He wants the spoiled brat to accompany him now? He felt mocked by the mere suggestion, if the boy hadn't learned to restrain his impulses already why did he have to be the one to teach him?

  “I'm in no need of a squire captain, send William instead, he will prove more useful”

  “Did I stutter Sir Feiss? Now stop complaining and move on, we don't want to alert them with petty bickering”

  Jaxen nodded reluctantly and signalled Cassian to advance with a hand movement. Both men crouched and kept close to the grassy edge of the dirt path leading to the house. It was going better than he had anticipated, the wind and the rattling covered the sound of their armour, and Cassian was actually keeping his composure while doing no abrupt motions.

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  They reached the short stone wall that surrounded the farmstead which they used as cover. Jaxen took the chance to look around for signs of a possible ambush, but it looked like the ones inside the house where the only ones. Having already scanned the layout of the farmstead, he turned to face Cassian.

  “It looks like there is no one else around, we must go back and join the others”

  “For what purpose?” The Vitalier asked impatiently “There cannot be more than 4 or 5 men inside that house, with our armour we can take them on easily”

  “Are you mad boy? This is not a game, even if there is only one man inside that building, we must exercise caution and wait for the others”

  “You are just a coward Feiss, stay here if you want, I will show the captain the best way to approach these savages” Cassian uttered while he prepared to sprint to the door.

  “Stay put, you fool! what in the lord's name are you-”

  Jaxen couldn't finish his sentence as Cassian darted towards the doorframe in a full charge. He couldn't believe his eyes as the vitalier entered through the doorframe, carrying a gust of wind with him that blew out the dim light, leaving the house engulfed by the darkness of the night. Screams and hacking sounds could be heard from inside the house, he couldn't just stay there and wait for it to be over!

  Jaxen leapt over the stone wall and rushed towards the house. The wind had closed the door, so he kicked it open and entered only to find Cassian surrounded by a couple of slashed wooden chairs.

  “They locked themselves in the other room!” Cassian exclaimed while looking at a door.

  “How many were there?” Jaxen asked

  “I think I saw three, I can't tell for certain without light”

  “Did you see if they were armed at least?”

  “I think I managed to hit a sword with mine, and i am pretty sure I saw the silhouette of a spear”

  They must be pretty inexperienced to bring a spear inside for a close quarters fight, that relieved Jaxen a little.

  “Allright, you had your little thrilled filled battle, now let's wait for the rest to take them on”

  “I just about had them, and I won't wait any longer to destroy this varmint!” Cassian yelled while he started ramming the door with his shoulder.

  “You idiot! you are going to dent your armour like that, didn't they teach you-”

  The dim ray of moonlight that entered through the doorframe suddenly vanished, leaving the two knights in darkness. Something was standing from outside, and it was so big that it blocked almost all light that entered.

  Jaxen snapped into a defensive guard while facing the shadowy figure, then suddenly, the door closed, leaving the room pitch dark. Cassian stopped shouldering the door and grabbed his sword again.

  “Come towards me Cassian! We must stay close!”

  Cassian didn't respond his shout and the room fell in silence. He could hear the steps of Cassian shuffling his stance and turning around frantically. Their opponent was nowhere to be found, he had completely blended into the darkness.

  Jaxen knew there was no point in scrambling aimlessly, so he backed into a wall, took a deep breath and remained still but alert. He started to hear everything, from the nervous breathing of Cassian to his own heartbeat. He concentrated more and focused on the background noises until he heard something that catched his attention.

  Quiet steps could be heard, steadily approaching in his direction. He thought about what he should do next, wait for him to approach more? Or maybe he should take the initiative and lunge towards him. Maybe the latter was the better choice, as by judging by the sound, he was not wearing any plate or chainmail, so there was no way he could withstand a fully plated knight charging him.

  But as he kept assessing his moves, he noticed that the steps started to become farther away from him. Could it be that he was heading towards Cassian?

  His question was quickly answered as he heard the grunts of Cassian accompanied by the sound of metal being hit. Jaxen rushed towards the struggle and slashed towards the two, as Cassian was armoured, there was no real chance of hurting him. He felt the tip of his sword make contact, and then a pained grunt was heard. The figure released Cassian from his grip and disappeared again. Jaxen tried to hear his steps again but the gasping of his comrade made it impossible.

  “Are you ok Cassian?” Jaxen asked while backing towards his fallen comrade. He suddenly heard the sounds of metallic steps hitting the wet mud rapidly approaching.

  “Surrender in the name of the lord you heathen! You are now surrou-”

  Air escaped from Jaxen’s lungs before he could finish the sentence, as the figured tackled him to the ground with incredible force, knocking his sword from his grip. They struggled in the ground for a while until the figure was atop Jaxen. He tried to knock him down in order to stand up again, but his attempts were met with furious punches to his helmet that stunned him momentarily. He managed to free one of his legs in between the blows, which he then used to kick the figure in the back with his armoured knee. The blow stunned his opponent and gave Jaxen a window which he used to release himself from his grip.

  He gasped for air while he tried to find his footing again. Suddenly, the door slammed open and the room was lit by the amber glow of a torch. Jaxen used the first instances of light to grab his sword, darting his eyes around the room shortly after to find Cassian and the figure.

  “Let him go you bastard!” Harlan yelled after entering the room.

  Jaxen followed the direction that his comrades were looking towards, only to find a tall burly man backed into a corner. He had the bruised Cassian without a helmet in a chokehold while he pointed a dagger to his throat.

  “Easy now, don't do anything harsh” The captain said while he and the rest faced the man.

  Now having regained his composure, Jaxen gave a more thorough look to the man’s face. It was covered in a bushy beard and wavy hair, from which two hazel candles lit with fury darted around the knights that opposed him. His eyes had a look that he had rarely seen when facing outlaws and ruffians before. His intentions where not to hurt or steal, but protect. A sense of dread filled Jaxen’s chest as a realisation began to make itself clearer.

  “We mean you no harm my friend, I swear upon the lord” Jaxen said while dropping his sword and taking off his helmet.

  “This is not a good time to strip Jaxy!” William urged him

  “Trust me! All of you! Drop your swords!”

  His comrades stood motionless with their guards up, but he could feel the hesitation in their stance.

  “Captain please, listen to me, this man is no cutthroat”

  “I want to believe you Jaxen but he IS holding a dagger to the boy’s neck” The captain responded.

  The tension only kept rising between them, and it didn't look like they were going to pay much attention to his pleads, so he took matters into his own hands and started walking towards the man and between the knights.

  “Are you insane Jaxen?” Harlan spat with rage and confusion.

  “Look, I mean no danger friend, I just want this to end peacefully” Jaxen continued while he raised both of his hands. “Don't do it for us, do it for them”

  “What in this muddy wet hell are you talking about?” William shouted.

  The man locked eyes with Jaxen for a while, he could see the hesitation in him. The burly giant dropped the dagger to the floor and released Cassian from his grip, causing the latter to fall to the ground.

  The captain lowered his guard and took off his helmet, his face was filled with confusion as he took steps to approach the man and Jaxen. The rest followed through and lowered their swords.

  Jaxen gave the stranger a look of approval and backed away, leaving the captain standing in front of the man while Cassian laid in the ground between them.

  “I will pick him up now, all right?” The captain said while holding his hands up. The stranger nodded with approval, after which the old man began to approached the downed Cassian. The latter was now on his knees and looked like he was still catching his breath, but his right arm suddenly moved towards his dagger.

  “No! You idiot” Jaxen yelled while the vitalier prepared to lunge towards his unexpecting opponent.

  But before he could do anything, the captain knocked the dagger off his hands with a swift blow, then he knocked him back to the ground with the same motion. It happened so fast that Cassian didn't even had time to react.

  “What did I tell you about barging in without thinking, you incompetent sack of crap” The captain snarled disappointingly towards the fallen knight. “Forgive my companion, he is still lacking field experience” The captain said to the startled man.

  “You ain’t with them freaks, right? Your surcoats, they don’t have the bells drawn in them” The man spoke with a slight shake in his voice.

  “We are knights of the Order of Saint Arthur my friend”

  “That’s good, that means you don't follow that crazy brute around”

  A look of relief took over the man’s face after that realisation. Their gazes were all drawn towards Cassian again, who was now standing, looking madly towards the man.

  “C-Cap-Captain, there a-a-are still the others” The knight struggled

  “Oh right, the other three that knocked you around before I came?” Jaxen asked while he smirked.

  “St-Stop smiling y-y-you idiot, they are gonna a-ambush u-us"

  “We’ll see about that” Jaxen responded while trying to open the door. The man went forward and stood close to the door.

  “It's okay luv, open up” The man said towards the door. After a little struggle, the door finally opened, leaving Cassian and the rest with a dumfounded look. Inside the room stood a blonde woman with a baby in her arms, while a child no older than 12 stood in front of them holding a knife. They gave the knights a distrustful gaze while they sped towards the man that now stood opposed to his comrades.

  The woman embraced the man for a while, but then she squirmed back and gave him a concerned look.

  “Don't give me that look, it's just a scratch” He tried to calm her.

  “What scratch and what not? That thing is almost 3 inches long, you blunt headed fool, you have to be more careful” The woman griped. She looked at the wound for a while but suddenly turned towards the knights again, as if she had just remembered their existence.

  “Y-you can take whatever you want, we won't get in your way, please just leave us be sirs!”

  “Don't worry, they are not part of that band of rascals, they are from a holy order, like the ones who used to give us bread and salted fish near the village" The man explained.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Well, from the fact that I only walked away with only a cut tells me that they are not here to kill us hon”

  “Oh, thank the lord” the woman sighed with relief.

  “I apologize for the misunderstanding ma'am, we were just looking around for a place to spend the night” Jaxen explained to the pair.

  “I understand, if you are men of the lord as you claim to be, then I can let you all stay at the shed outside. Can't promise you any food though, I have barely any left for her and the boy, I myself haven’t eating a proper meal for a couple of days now”

  “That won't be necessary, we have our own” Said the captain “And as a form of compensation for all the trouble we have caused, I can spare some of it for you and your family. Matter of fact, Harlan! Start the fire and get a stew going, use the hares that we found in the woods”

  “Right on it captain” Harlan obliged while he began to open the sack where he had left the hares.

  “I think I have some yams and onions left in the shed, I'll go get them” The woman told Harlan. The latter nodded and went with her towards the shed. Things had turned out better than Jaxen anticipated, and now they could rest for a night with a good roof above their heads, and eat something that was not a grey porridge for once in a while.