The Wintershall Tales

The next two days were busy ones as Fortitude prepared for the arrival of the King and his betrothed.  He had two towers in the royal castle set aside for his guests and servants worked tirelessly preparing them.

As these preparations were being made, nobles began drifting into Saxonburg from all around Archesia in readiness for the grand assembly.  In a remarkably short period, every inn, spare bedroom and vacant house in the city was filled to overflowing by more than six hundred nobles, guildsmen and high-ranking clerics.  Trouble began immediately and Fortitude had Carolus deploy more than a thousand Lunars through the city streets to maintain order.

Fights were broken up quickly and more than one noble son languished in the palace dungeons on charges ranging from disturbing the peace through to treason.  Fortitude reviewed the charges on each new arrest and grudgingly approved them. 

Carolus was being most effective in keeping the peace, he decided.  The man really did seem to be working in Fortitude’s best interests.

***

On the sixteenth day after the fall of Saxonburg, a breathless messenger wearing the uniform of an Archesian guardsman interrupted Fortitude and his companions while they were at breakfast.  “My lord,” he said while standing to attention.

Fortitude gestured for the man to stand at ease.  “Report,” he commanded.

“My lord, for the last three days the guard posts on the border between Archesia and Han have reported pillars of smoke moving towards them out of Han.  When the wind is favourable, we have received word of distant singing as if from thousands of children.  Border patrols report thousands upon thousands of Han fleeing from the west.”  The man paused.  “My lord, the border commander reports that something is approaching.  He does not know what it is, but it looks bad.”

“Well I’ll be…” Fortitude exclaimed.

“Yay!” cried Aidan.  “The little fellows made it!”

Nan glowered at him.  “Good grief, the little bastards really are indestructible.”

Celia spoke.  “We’d better go meet them,” she suggested.  “If they’re not managed carefully when they reach the border, the goblins are going to continue eating and looting though into Archesia.”

“I agree,” Fortitude said.  “The King has asked that we remove them from Han.”

“So do we send them back to Winterslow?” Celia asked.

Fortitude considered that.  “I don’t know,” he replied.  “Firstly, we don’t currently have a gateway link from Archesia back to Bayonnar.  Second, the King is going to want their services again I guarantee it.  His letter to me made it sound like they had been a major factor in forcing the Han to sue for peace.  I think we may want to resettle them here or in Gavin.”

Nan scowled.  “You can’t be serious.  They’ll be more trouble than they’re worth.”

“Maybe,” Fortitude allowed.  “However, I’ll judge that for myself.”

Nan sniffed and looked away as if the matter was not that important to her.

Celia turned to the messenger.  “How long is the ride to the border?” she demanded.

“Lady,” he replied.  “A fast horse will get you there in a day.  Less if you change horses and ride post.”

Celia made a sour face and turned to Fortitude.  “I think the sooner we get to the border the better.”

“Indeed,” Fortitude replied.  “I’ve got some arrangements to make for the coming grand assembly, so let’s plan to leave around midday.  The main thing that worries me is how are we going to control them once they enter Archesia?”

Nan grinned coldly.  “Leave that to me.”

Fortitude shook his head.  “No Nan,” he said.  “I don’t want them dead.”

Nan replied in a tone that was just a little too casual.  “I’m over that now,” she reasoned.  “I won’t kill them.  Besides, you need me there to control them.  Who other than the Big Goblin Princess will they listen to and obey?”

Fortitude evaluated her carefully for a long moment.  “All right,” he ruled.  “You can come but I’ll be watching you.  I really don’t want the goblins killed.”

“Trust me,” Nan replied.

***

Fortitude’s departure was delayed somewhat by various officials and nobles wanting a few moments of his time.  The group was unable to get away until nearly mid-afternoon. 

When it came time to ride out Nan could not be located.  Fortitude was instantly suspicious and he questioned his companions.  “Did she tell anyone what she was doing?”

“Yes,” Aidan replied.  “I saw her leaving earlier.  She said she was going to ride ahead with some presents for the goblins to show that she had forgiven them for everything that had happened in the past.”

“And you believed her?” Fortitude said incredulously.

“See seemed sincere,” Aidan replied.

Fortitude shook his head.  “Let’s leave right now,” he commanded.  “We have to get to the border before she does. I don’t know what she’s planning but I doubt it’s a peace gesture to the goblins.”

***

The Archesian roads were excellent and the horses sped easily along them, however, the late start meant that Fortitude and his companions did not get far before nightfall. 

They camped that night at a homely little village inn and resumed their journey at first light the next morning.  Several hours of hard riding later they caught up with Nan. 

She was driving a huge wagon piled high with large barrels.  Four horses were pulling the wagon and Nan was driving them hard.  They were breathing heavily and, when Fortitude made Nan stop the wagon, they snorted and whuffed gratefully.

“Well this is a surprise,” Fortitude began while studying the barrels suspiciously.  “What’s all this then, Nan?”

“It’s beer for our little goblin friends,” Nan replied innocently.

“Beer?” Fortitude echoed doubtfully.

“Beer,” repeated Nan with a firm nod.  “I’ve treated the goblins badly in the past I think and this is by way of an apology.”  She studied Fortitude’s face and her expression became hurt.  “But I don’t think you believe me; would you like some?”

“Yes, all right,” Fortitude replied.

Nan stepped back into the wagon and broached a barrel apparently at random.  She scooped out a mug of foaming beer and handed it to Fortitude.

Fortitude stared at the beer suspiciously.  It looked and smelt fine, but knowing Nan as he did, he was sure that all was not as it seemed.  He considered taking it over to Sang and getting him to check it for poison, but before he could move, Aidan sidled his horse over. 

“Hey Fortitude,” he said staring at the beer and licking his lips.  “I’ve got a bit of a thirst.  If you’re not going to drink that, could I?”

Fortitude glanced at Nan.  There was nothing about her manner that suggested anything other than hurt innocence and so he passed it over. 

Aidan seized the mug and drained it in a second.  He let out a long and low belch, wiped his mouth then passed the mug gratefully back to Nan.  “Good beer,” he said.

“Are you satisfied?” Nan asked primly.

Fortitude refused to believe that Nan or anyone else for that matter would be transporting a wagon full of beer towards an approaching horde of goblins.  “No sorry,” he said.  “I’m not happy.”  He gestured at William and Marcus.  “Search Nan’s wagon please.”

Nan protested as they scurried up onto the wagon.  Other than the beer barrel Nan had broached previously, they found that every barrel contained highly flammable oil.

Fortitude nodded with a certain grim satisfaction while Nan tried her hardest to look indignant.  “I’ve been cheated,” she claimed.  “I paid for good beer.”

Marcus stood up on the other side of the wagon and pointed at something behind the running boards.  “Hey Fortitude,” he said.  “There are a couple of sets of hinged wooden frames here – just like we made for the gate bomb.”

Everyone stared at Nan who reddened.  “It’s not what you think,” she said weakly then fell silent.

Fortitude considered his options.  He really did need Nan to keep the goblins under control but he could not afford to let her out of his sight again.  “I think we’ll leave your wagon here Nan,” he said.  “You can ride with us.”“

Nan muttered something darkly under her breath, but seeing that she had been out-manoeuvred, agreed grudgingly.