Cynefrith stopped before the Dragon Monument, the proud symbol of Isilioth. The sun was barely beginning to peek above the horizon. Its first rosy rays glared into the sky. "Good horsey, good horsey," Cynefrith muttered to his brown-spotted steed. The boy was tired after several long hours of riding in the night, and the horse looked no better.
Cynefrith then dismounted the horse and started walking alongside, passing under the grand monument. The city of Oakland had a long, proud history, being founded by some of the first Isilian migrants to the New World. However, despite the recent economic prosperity brought to it, signs of wear abounded. Many of the old buildings have cracks or obvious signs of renovation. For many decades the king had been declared missing, presumably long dead or far away. Raiders, of course, saw the political instability as an excuse to prey on the town. However, these were not those days. Tiber III was back, and it seems the Isilian dragon has taken some notes from the Pyrencian phoenix.
A few of the townfolk began waking to do their morning duties. Guards patrolled the town. Cynefrith kept walking with his horse on the worn cobblestones of the Oakland streets. He was set for the docks, where the militia would be gathered there for their voyage to Secara. Cynefrith did not want to miss his chance. He had already abandoned his home, deceived his friends, and even betrayed his family by making this journey. To go back now would be admitting his cowardice. Not only that, but he could hardly imagine the disciplining he would receive. His mother would certainly have harsh and creative punishments in her Östron repertoire. Whatever lay on the battlefield could hardly pale in comparison to his mother's fury in Cynefrith's mind.
A stocky guard wearing Isilian garb appeared from behind a warehouse on the other end of the docks. "All soldiers called to fight in Ostland gather around here!" yelled the figure.
"There it was!" the young Cynefrith thought as he started walking to the man. Several other people, presumably militia, started assembling around the building the man was standing beside.
One, a red-haired, scruffy man with dwarfish figures, began loudly complaining to his peers. "By the dragon! They expect us Isilians to come and solve the mess those exploding bastard worshippers had gotten into. I say we let 'em leave the empire, that way when they kill themselves huggin' the damn monsters, we can all laugh at the chunks of 'em left behind!" He and a few of the other soldiers began laughing. The guard who called the others to the warehouse even smirked a little.
The dwarf-looking man meandered closer to the building haphazardly, as if he had not even stopped drinking from the night before but carried on into the morning without even thinking of such notions as "respectable drinking hours". "Oi! Now who are ya? Are ya even able to lift a rapier?" he directed in Cynefrith's direction.
"Uh," Cynefrith stammered, "you mean me?"
The dwarf-man replied sardonically, "No, I meant the brick wall over there. Of course I meant ya! I've seen whores with bigger biceps than yer legs."
Another soldier, a blond-haired and freckled man who had laughed earlier, piped up, "You sure about that, Daryl? I'm pretty sure she was a man."
Daryl immediately retorted, "Listen, Roger, it only looked that way 'cause of the hair. Besides, her forest had nothing on yer mother's."
The soft breeze carried with it the laughter of half a dozen soldiers listening to the conversation. Daryl had turned his attention away from Cynefrith to continue bickering with Roger. In the meantime he had finished walking to the boat. He followed the lead of the guard and started walking with horse onto the deck of the boat. Cynefrith was very afraid he was not prepared for what adventures were in store.
_________________ Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)
Last edited by Cynefrith Arataefia on February 15th, 2017, 12:36 am, edited 3 times in total.
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