A/N: This world has changed a lot from the one we new, the spelling, and at time the usage, of several words are different from what we know in order to indicate a language drift. The calendar differs, as well... but I try to leave enough connotations to make evident what is meant.
Early Aprilo, 1382, Old Calendar.
Kaylli washed the tender herbs she'd gathered this morning from the forest. She wondered if she could make enough medicine from them to last the village until next spring. It was getting difficult to find some of the early plants she needed for her tinctures. The seasons were turning and the spring growth was almost over.
She took her responsibility as Healer of the village of Redford seriously. Her dead husband, who'd taught her the trade of rural healing, would have expected no less of her. It was a different kind of healing than she had learned from her father, an Army medic.
It was nearly two years since she had lost her Donis. She was thankful for the way the village had rallied behind her and her young son. They had gone out of their way to make the two of them feel comfortable. She could certainly understand why. A village with a healer stood a far better chance in the Meraken wilds then one without. Kaylli often wished that Donis could see how much their boy had grown.
Her reverie was broken as her tow-headed son burst into the room, his face flushed with excitement. He wore one of his father's shirts, the green embroidered one that Donis had liked so well. Even though he was nearly thirteen, it was so big on the boy that he had to belt it at the waist, like a tunic.
"Mama!" Leydon said, his green eyes wide. "You've got to come and see! A troop of soldiers is here, and some of them are riding duocorns!"
"Officers are the ones who ride duocorns, Leydon," she said with apparent calm. Her hands began to tremble slightly as she laid out the cleaned leaves to dry. "The common soldiers either walk or ride horses." She quickly tied her dark brown hair back with a twist of yarn, striving to conceal her sudden anxiety. She knew from her father that the Malkar Army wasn't always kind to the peasantry, especially not to mere Homan peasants, like those who lived in Redford.
After a glance to see if her workroom was tidy, she let her son pull her out of their house to see the soldiers. Outside their home and shop, other villagers lined the streets, gawking at the dusty column. Kaylli could see on her neighbor's faces a worry that mirrored her own. The soldiers' arrival could just be an exciting event on a lazy afternoon, or it could be serious trouble.
The youngest of the officers leading the column was just a boy really. Only a few years older than her son, he proudly carried a grimy ensign emblazoned with the image of a Dragon rampart, clutching five swords. Their ochre uniforms bore dragon symbols, too.
The soldiers that followed the leaders rode well-seasoned horses, trained not to shy away from the meat-eating duocorns. Some of the men and animals wore recent bandages, Kaylli noted, and all of them looked like they were weary to the bone. She wondered if they had been in one of the recent battles in the south they'd heard rumors of.
The Dragon Companies made up the army of their Malkar Overlord. Units of them patrolled his fief regularly, to protect against both hostile forces and rebellion. They had the right to billet in the homes of any of those who lived on Lord Kannith of Golddrake's lands. However, Army units seldom chose such a small community as Redford for this purpose. Kaylli was not alone in her silent prayers to the Spirits that they were just passing through.
The dusky gold Captain looked around intently at the plain but sturdy buildings of the village center as they rode up to the ancient well. His dark amethyst eyes took in the neat smithy further down the street, and the faded sign of the Healer that hung over the head of Kaylli and her son. She had the uneasy feeling that he was judging the place, but for what reason, she didn't know.
He held up his hand to stop the column, and with another gesture commanded his troops to drink and to water their mounts. While the soldiers refreshed their water supplies, the grey-haired Headman stepped forward and said, "Greetings, good Captain." Kaylli remembered his given name was Joa, but he'd been the Headman so long, that he usually went by the name of the village he was responsible for.
"You are the Headman?" a pale gold man wearing Lieutenant's insignia said.
"That's right, sir," the elder answered. "What can our poor village of Redford do for you? If it is possible, can we provide you with something for your journey?" Kaylli hid a smile at the faintly hopeful tone of his voice.
"We're staying," the Captain said with finality. He held up a signet that conveyed the authority granted him by Lord Kannith. "My men and I need to rest and heal, and your village seems as good a place as any for that." He put the heavy gold ring away in a silken pouch.
Redford's shoulders slumped in dejection, and Kaylli sympathized. The Dragon Company would almost double the number of menfolk in the village proper, and possibly that of the outlying areas. In all probability, they would not perform as much labor as their support would require. It meant the villagers would have to work that much harder to do all that needed to be done, and the needs of the soldiers would come first. "Yes, sir," he said in a dull tone. There was no other option but to obey.
"Good," the Captain said firmly, "I'll need you to work with the Lieutenant to see where the injured will billet. We'll need to locate a good campsite. If you'll give your input to him, we can make the assignments quickly, and figure out a rotating schedule for later."
Redford looked up in surprise. "Not all of you are billeting, sir?" he said with a measure of confusion in his voice.
"No, Headman," the Captain said, his gem-colored eyes scanning the few buildings again.. "I can see that you can't put all of us up in your homes, and usually we take care of ourselves. The only men I'll want billeted at first are those who need healing. After they have recovered, then the other men will billet in shifts to give them a break from living in the field."
He looked up again at the sign of the Healer, with its red crossed bars topped with a pair of antlers on a green field. "You do have a Healer, I hope?" A jolt of apprehension went through Kaylli as he asked the question.
Leydon answered for her, when he nudged her and said in a loud whisper, "Mama, he's talking about you!" She looked down at him with her gray eyes narrowed. His expression shone with such pure innocence that she sighed, and smiled back at him.
There was no hope for anonymity now, so Kaylli stepped forward as the Captain turned to see who had spoken. "Captain," she said, with an appropriate salute. Sometimes, she thought, being the daughter of an Army medic had its advantages... but only sometimes.
The Captain nodded in interest at her salute, but he betrayed no surprise. "You will assist Rhysse, our medic, madam." For all the graciousness of his address, it still wasn't a request, and she resented it.
"Then I will need his assistance in turn, Captain," Kaylli said with a challenging tone. "Just this morning I was worried that I didn't have enough medicines to last the village 'til next Spring, and now I have to share our medicines with you?" She took a deep breath and continued. "Your right to billet doesn't include a right to impoverish us any more than we already are, nor to take from us what we need to survive."
"Why, you impertinent bit..." the Lieutenant snarled, raising his riding crop to strike her. The Captain seized his arm, restraining him.
"No, Tokken, you can't whip her for being correct." He turned back to Kaylli as he released the junior officer. "We won't cause any hardships, Healer, and we'll help as we can." He continued in a more personal tone, "My name is Martez, Captain of this Company."
"You will address him only as 'Captain Martez', or as 'Sir'" Tokken hissed at her. "Do you understand?" His lavender eyes glared piercingly at her.
"Of course I understand, Lieutenant Tokken," Kaylli bowed with a show of respect. She had seen enough of them to know that even through the trail dust, these soldiers were all of Malkar blood. Under the laws of the Kingdom, they each had more rights than the entire village of Homan peasants.
She was fairly certain that the Lieutenant's display of temper was designed to endear the Captain to the villagers. Tokken would play the arrogant lordling, asserting his dominance over the peasants, while the Captain would demonstrate his compassion. Her father had told her of this kind of drama being performed occasionally to manipulate reluctant townsfolk.
The medic, Rhysse, dismounted, and passed the reins of his snarling duocorn mare to the wrangler. Hanging his medic's bag over his shoulder, he strode over to Kaylli. He bowed to her, and then tousled Leydon's pale hair with a smile. "After you, madam," he said, waiting for her to precede him inside. As Kaylli passed him, she noted that the golden highlights of his skin and hair were very faint. There was a lot of Homan blood in this man, unless she missed her guess.
"The Captain sure is a nice man," Leydon said, as he trailed after the medic into the house.
Kaylli nodded, "It certainly seems so, dear." She bent to fetch a medicine satchel and gave it to him. "I noticed some of the horses need to be treated, Leydon," she said. "You know enough Healing that I can count on you to take care of it."
The boy looked quizzically at the medic, who shrugged expressively. "I'm a Medic," he explained, "not a veterinarian. Our farrier died recently, and with him, we lost our knowledge of horse-healing." He gave a heavy sigh, "I did what I could, but it hasn't been much," his voice trailed off. "Have him stay away from the ‘corns though, the wrangler cares for them." Leydon nodded, and Kaylli patted her son on the back and sent him out to check on the animals.
The medic watched her closely as she prepared her satchel with what she would need to work on the soldiers. "So," she said dryly, "it's Tokken's turn to be the 'bad' officer."
Rhysse stared at her, momentarily mute by the sideways accusation. Then he laughed, and applauded quietly. "By Pax, won't this be fun! What a find we have here in you." She frowned at him, but he grinned even more. "A woman with spirit, skills, and an appreciation for 'theater'. How wonderful!"
Kaylli curtsied to him for his applause. The medic was a hard man to hate, and she found herself smiling back at him. "My father was an army medic, and I had heard about such performances before."
"Ah! That explains many things," he said. Her lips thinned and her frown returned when she spoke of her father. "Before we return outside, I've run out of several medicines. Do you have any to spare?" He told her of several items that he no longer had.
"I have most of those," she said, pulling some of what he asked for from her supplies. "You'll have to help me get more, though."
"Captain Martez has already agreed to that," Rhysse said, putting the items carefully away in his bag. "After you, madam?" He bowed, and gestured for her to precede him. With an appreciative smile, he followed her back outside.
Go to the next part.
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