Chapter 112 The Greenwood
The camps and cabins near the Greenwood sometimes housed nearly a thousand hunters. Most people slept late into the morning. They had spent a wet, cold, and miserable night. The soldiers lit bonfires with any dry wood they could find. The servants went about their work out of habit.
In a large cabin.
Esteban: Thank you for coming. I know none of you have had enough sleep or food. First, I want you all to understand the situation of our army.
The count pointed to several men and asked them to speak. They all looked like they had not slept. Many of them still had blood on their clothes.
Rodrigo: We have two hundred and eighty-five war unicorns with their riders. Six arrived last night without riders, along with Azure Death. I want to test some men to see if they can ride those six, if the count agrees. This force can defeat an army of twice as many knights mounted on horses or a thousand infantry soldiers.
Peador: The knights from all the houses number two hundred and seventeen. Some are wounded, but it is a considerable force. We have enough weapons for them.
Pedro: With the guards and soldiers from some of the houses, we have almost five hundred men who can fight.
Manuelo: Before the meeting, the squires swore an oath to the royal militia. The militia now has more than two hundred members, but most of them are under sixteen years old.
Esteban: Thank you. So, there are nobles who want to speak.
Andoni: I have seen that the militia oversees food supplies.
Esteban: Yes, I instructed the servants to guard our meager food supplies. They know how much food over a thousand people consume. If anyone has a problem, they can tell me about it with a sword in their hand.
Beñat: Lord Andoni, please be quiet. They do not need your complaints. We need to think about what helps.
Maite: Yes. Until we receive a message from the queen, the count is her representative.
Esteban: If you cannot fight, I do not want to hear from you. We are at war. You supported the queen because you know she can be better than her father. And, of course, she could not possibly be worse.
Some people laughed nervously. The captain of the guard stepped forward again.
Pedro: I have only seen four people in combat against whom I am not sure I could win. One is the wife of the count. Two others are in this cabin.
The captain looked at Peador and then at Rodrigo.
In the camps
Emiliano was watching the unicorns. Sometimes, he would put his arms or legs in strange positions. When people walked or worked outdoors, they would look at him, and some would laugh.
Gunther and Frieder were sitting on a log near a campfire. The older boy was showing the blond boy how to use a knife to make arrow shafts for crossbows.
Gunther whispered, Do you think the priest is mentally stable?
Frieder whispered: Talebearer!
Gunther: He is strange. But very kind. He can talk about unicorns for an hour or even longer.
Frieder: Yes. It is not normal, like a person who can talk about clothes or wine for an hour or more.
Gunther: Horse ass.
The two boys laughed a little. Frieder groaned in pain.
Gunther: Are you okay?
Frieder: Yes. Sometimes there is pain. But there is no blood now.
Gunther: You are strong. Are you afraid to fight again?
Frieder: Yes. But more because I am afraid for you might than because I am afraid of dying myself.
Gunther: That is very selfish, but also sweet.
Deeper into the forest.
Yegor and Antonio were gathering firewood and branches that were straight enough to be used as arrows. Yegor had been looking for his mother, but an order from his Count had prevented him. Antonio offered to accompany him on a walk through the forest. He thought for a while about how to break the news to his friend. Finally, his wood on the ground and stopped. Yegor stopped and looked at him. The older page took out the brush and showed it.
Antonio: I am sorry, Yegor. I found her last night while I was searching the rooms. She had been struck by an arrow.
Yegor carefully placed his wood on the ground and took the brush. He began to cry silently.
Antonio walked over and awkwardly hugged him. The two boys stood there for a few minutes until the younger one was able to continue.
They searched until they had gathered everything they could carry and then returned to the camp. As they passed near the priest, they saw that he was on all fours and moving in a strange way. If they had not been so sad, they probably would have laughed.
Near a stream nearly overflowing after the storm.
Juana and Alicia were carrying water from the stream to the campfires to boil it. The Count asked them to do this until each camp had enough water.
Juana: Have you seen Arturo?
Alicia: No. When I see a child, I look at him to determine if it is him.
Juana: I am worried about him.
Alicia: Yes. I have something else. It is strange.
Juana: Honesty, sister.
Alicia: Honesty. I met a woman from the city who was at the castle. She is a...
The young woman looked in all directions to make sure they were alone.
Alicia: ...a whore.
Juana: Sister!
Alicia: I spoke with her for a while. She knows Pedro.
The woman stopped moving and looked into the eyes of her younger sister.
Juana: Are you sure?
Alicia: She has the same necklace with the same Pegasus pendant as us. He bought it for her before he bought ours.
Juana: What did she tell you about him?
Alicia: He had been visiting her for eleven months. He talked to her about sex, and over time, she showed him some things that women like.
Juana: And they have...
Alicia: She promised me they never did that.
Juana: So, what did they do?
As the two slowly made their way back to the camp with large bags of water, the young woman told her some things they had not known about until then. As they passed by the priest, they were too distracted to notice that he was moving on all fours among the small trees. The mind of Juana was filled with thoughts of sadness, shock, love, her wedding, and a prostitute who had seen more of her future husband than she had.
Antonio and Yegor joined the other boys. The four of them worked on the arrows and wood with knives and axes, like many young men in the camps. They were hungry and all felt sad for their friend Yegor.
After a while, Yegor looked at the others: Has anyone seen Marco?