Age of Kings

by A bag of plums

67 - Prench Dressing

The departure from Fort Hayward took until afternoon once everything had been loaded onto the carriage. Kite Shield had supplied a second wagon for extra supplies, as well as some surplus weapons from the armory. Emerald now wore a plain longsword on her waist, though she hadn’t given it a name.

“The next named sword I take will be Excalibur,” she had said firmly. The others had been impressed. Emerald was staking her honor as a knight on stopping Morn and taking back Canterlot.

They left Fort Hayward through the east gate, which was guarded by two portcullises and a deep moat. There were still leftover arrows and spears from their skirmishes with the Prench, but at least for now, there weren’t any signs of them. Kite Shield lowered the drawbridge for their wagons and stood on the wall to bid them farewell.

“May your swords stay sharp!” he had called out to them.

An appropriate send off, Emerald had thought, looking at the long stretch of road ahead. May Celestia help us all.

For quite some time, the group rode on in silence, with the occasional neigh from one of their many horses. Even Jewel Pin had gone quiet, working on some clothes in the carriage. Posey sat atop the storage carriage, giving Gabriel a few pats along his back, at the same time, checking her arrowheads to make sure they were sharp.

The weather remained mostly sunny, but the wind had a bit of bite to it, which made sense. Prance was more northern than Canterlot, so it was only natural to expect it would get colder as they approached. Thankfully the captains at Fort Hayward had also packed winter gear for them.

They traveled on, pausing to have lunch next to a pond. There were frogs in the water, but Emerald was relieved to know that none of her companions considered them a delicacy.

“Prench people do eat frogs’ legs though,” Moon Tide commented as one of the amphibians hopped past. “I only use frogs for alchemy, personally.”

“Humans eat everything they can get their hands on, huh?” Emerald watched the frog hop away. “I am sure they eat trolls too?”

“Troll meat is really tough because of all the muscles,” Light Speckle said. “It doesn’t make for good eating. The fat is a good ingredient for potion making though. A good antitoxin.”

“So someone has tried it.”

Nightfall was looking through her telescope again. She had one eye on the spyglass and one eye on the map, which was no easy feat. The mage was mumbling to herself, and appeared to be sketching out things in the dirt with her finger.

“Hey, Nightfall, are you going to eat anything?” Spectrum asked, waving a piece of bread under the mage’s nose. “You’re done nothing but look through that telescope since we stopped.”

Nightfall seemed to jump, dropping her spyglass and falling over backwards. Her eyes were spinning, presumably from looking in two directions at once.

“Sorry,” Nightfall said sheepishly. “I was just doing a little looking ahead. And back.”

“What could be so important that you miss out on a meal?” Jewel Pin asked.

“Well,” Nightfall said in between bites of bread and cheese. “There is no smoke or anything rising from the direction of Fort Hayward, so I do not think Canterlot has got that far yet. As for ahead...” She swallowed the bread with a sigh. “I can see some smoke coming from quite the distance ahead behind those hills. By tomorrow, if we stop for nothing, I think we will have reached the first Prench settlement.” Nightfall pointed to the map.

“Well, let us stop for nothin’ then.” Honeygold said from atop the main carriage.

“Soon, dear.” Jewel Pin munched on a roasted wing of a chicken. “We need to eat.”

“I think you have had more than your fill, Jewel Pin.” Posey tried to take the wing from her, but she darted her hands to the side.

“No! Tis not enough! I need food!”

“You already had two whole chickens.” Spectrum looked at the pile of bones in front of her.

“Well, it is better to eat them sooner,” Jewel Pin reasoned. “Fresh meat like this won’t keep very long.”

“She’s not wrong,” Light Speckle added. “The unsalted meats and fresh vegetables won’t last more than two days before going off. Best to eat them while we still can.”

“Wait, no more vegetables?” Emerald balked. She had completely forgotten that vegetables would be difficult to keep stocked on while on such a long journey, unlike salted or dried meat. “What am I supposed to eat then?”

Light Speckle held up a jar of preserved onions. “There are plenty of pickled and dried vegetables left, Emerald. Don’t worry, you won’t starve.”

Emerald nodded, but grimaced at the same time. She liked her food to be fresh, and living on pickled and dried vegetables and fruit didn’t really appeal to her very much.

“Maybe we can buy some vegetables from the Prench?” Honeygold suggested upon seeing Emerald’s face.

“Maybe…” Emerald said. She wasn’t eager to interact with the Prench people, based on the stories and reports she had received about them. And it wasn’t worth getting caught just because she wanted fresh food.

On the other hand, living off pickled onions for the rest of this quest didn’t sound so good either.

“I think we should avoid interacting with the Prench too much,” Light Speckle said slowly. “We are not on the best of terms.”

Honeygold raised her hand. “But would they really turn down a payin’ customer? Ah mean, if all we want is some vegetables…”

“Ah’m sure them Prenchies don’t like us Canterlot folk, dear.” Apple Bean gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Best we can do is pretend to be Prench, like that nice guard said.”

“I suppose Spectrum is our backup plan.” Emerald looked to the female squire, who grinned back. “She has a better Prench accent than most of us.”

“I hope we can make it to the first town at least before tomorrow night,” Guard Streak commented, pointing to the west horizon. “Them storm clouds don’t look too friendly.”

---

As evening fell, the wind began to pick up, whipping around the travelers’ clothes and hair. Those who could stayed inside the wagons, while those who could not were forced to weather the gale.

At least, Emerald thought as she spat out a strand of her own hair. It’s too windy for it to rain. The whole west horizon was covered in dark thunderheads and they were only getting bigger.

“When is this going to end?” They could hear Jewel Pin wailing from inside the carriage.

Posey, as always, rolled her eyes as she looked ahead at the path they were traveling on. “Does she think everything should just be daffodils and daisies?”

“I wouldn’t mind a daffodil right now,” Emerald remarked.

“You shan’t find any in this weather.”

There was a flash of lightning from behind them, lighting up the surroundings with its stark white glare. They were traveling through a valley that was mostly made of stone, though here and there some patches of grass had managed to survive. There were even strawberry bushes, but it was not the season for them.

“I think we oughta stop fer the night,” Golden Nugget pulled his horse back and gestured to the road. “Horses are gettin’ tired and Ah don’t think we should be travelin’ at night. Not in these lands.”

The night was a grueling night for the spymaster as she tried to get some rest. She kept picturing attacks in the middle of the night, startled awake by the slightest of sounds. In the end, she had taken over watch duty from Golden Nugget and Light Speckle, watching their surroundings until the sun rose on the horizon, though the stormy clouds still kept the sky in an overcast.

Once they were ready, they packed up and continued their journey once more, continuing along the dirt road to find any sign of civilization.

It was only when the moon returned to the sky did they finally see their torchlights in the distance.

“A town!” Jewel Pin stuck her head out of the carriage. “I see it! I see a town!”

“We all see it, seamstress. Now lower your voice.” Moon Tide pushed her head back in as she rode alongside the carriage. “And remember, do not give away your origins unless you want trouble.”

It was just as well that Moon Tide warned them of this, for just over the next hillock was a farm, with about a dozen people hoeing, tilling, and planting things. They noticed Emerald’s caravan immediately and paused in their work to watch it approach.

A man wearing overalls and a straw hat put down his hoe and made his way to the edge of the farm where the road was, just as the convoy was passing.

“Bonjour,” the farmer said cheerfully.

Emerald nodded at the farmer, not wanting to open her mouth. She didn’t speak Prench, but she knew enough from being a spymaster to know that that was a greeting.

“It looks to be a rainy day soon,” the farmer continued in a heavily accented voice, but Emerald was surprised to hear the Canterlot tongue from this man’s mouth. “Have you traveled far?”

“Oui, monsieur,” Moon Tide replied, pulling her horse up to the farmer. “Our group has come from down the path, seeking shelter for the night.”

Emerald’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. She had not known Moon Tide was fluent in Prench.

“There’s naught that way but the border,” the farmer said, taking off his hat to fan himself with.

“Oui,” Moon Tide nodded. “We meant to do trade with the soldiers of the fort, but were turned away.”

The farmer laughed, slapping his knee. “Of course they turned you away. They would not know good stock if it slapped them in the face! You must be desperate to want to trade with them.”

“These are hard times, monsieur,” Moon Tide said. “We seek our prospects toward the other side of Prance, if they will have us.”

“All the way over there?” The farmer took off his hat to scratch his head. “You have a long journey ahead of you, then.”

"That we do. We are hoping to reach the next town by evening. Is there anything we should look out for?"

The farmer shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. There's been some sightings of wolves over yonder, but they won't attack a big group like yours. Other'n that, you should reach Place de la Ville shortly.”

“Merci. We shall head on. Au revoir, monsieur.” Moon Tide did a little bow and beckoned for Emerald and the others to follow.

Once they were out of earshot, Emerald sped the carriage up to ride alongside the mage. “I did not know you spoke like the Prench people. You never mentioned it in all our talks.”

“I have been out this far before for ingredients and herbs,” Moon Tide replied. “It is safer for me to learn their language so they do not suspect where I am truly from.”

Emerald nodded. That made a lot of sense. That would mean Moon Tide would likely speak like the Kievans too.

“Warm food!” Jewel Pin cheered from below. “It has been ages since we had any!”

“We just had some yesterday…” Posey slapped a hand to her face.

“We had best keep an eye out for wolves,” Moon Tide announced. “That farmer back there said there were some roaming around here. Now, I do not think the chances of actually being attacked are high, but keep your weapons ready just in case.”

The caravan moved on steadily, and they ate dinner on the move. They passed several more farms, but none of the farmers stopped to chat. In a way Emerald preferred it like this. The less times they converse with the Prench, the less of a chance they would be found out.

An owl hooted. It sounded like laughter. Emerald pulled her cloak closer around her body; it was getting colder now, and there were distant rumbles of thunder in the sky.

Moon Tide pulled her horse up next to the carriage again.

“If we travel for another hour or so, we should arrive at the next town,” she said. “But it is dark and I am not sure we should be traveling. What say you, Emerald?”

A crack of lightning crawled across the rear horizon. It would not be long now before the storm hit them.

“We will stop for the night,” Emerald decided. “Tell everyone we will be making camp here.”

---

Miraculously, it did not rain, though the rolling thunder startled some members of the group out of their slumber once or twice.

Arriving at the first town, Emerald and her group purchased a bundle of hot food for a ‘starving’ Jewel Pin and anyone else who wanted some. Emerald had Moon Tide ask some of the common folk about raiding bandits, hoping to gain some information about Posey’s mother, but they could not give any specific information about them. All they learned was that there were bandits in Prance and that wasn’t anything to go on.

After a short but filling breakfast, they saddled up to continue their journey east.

The storm finally broke over them mid-morning. The wind whipped around Emerald and her group, splashing them with sheets of freezing rain and scaring the horses with the frequent booms of thunder and flashes of lightning. The fields of grass around them rippled and undulated in the gale, and the sky remained in a state of gloomy half-darkness, even though it was well past sunrise.

The forests in the distance whipped and flailed like living monstrosities, which reminded Emerald of trolls. Thankfully, they needn’t go to the forests, sticking to the main path instead as they forged on through Prance.

“Another day or so on the road before we get to the next town,” Light Speckle said to the other passengers inside the carriage. Thankfully, the roof was waterproof and there was glass to separate them from the elements. Pointing to the map which they had gotten from Fort Hayward, the mage said, “It is to be a much bigger settlement than the one we just left. We can resupply there.”

“Ah hope this rain stops soon,” Honeygold said, pressing her face up against the glass. “Em, Posey, Moon Tide and Ma and Pa are riding out there in the storm.”

“And I do hope nothing comes up along the way.” Nightfall fiddled with a little device in her hands. “Bandits, wolves, I wonder just what else could be out here in the wilds of Prance.”

“It should be similar to Canterlot’s wild,” Light Speckle answered. “We have our fair share of bandits and wolves as well.”

“Trolls, do not forget the trolls.” Spectrum pointed out.

“If we are goin’ there, then don’t forget the dragons too.” Honeygold turned back to face them.

“What dragons?”

“Dragons have not been seen in Canterlot for at least a thousand years,” Nightfall said calmly. “And I somehow do not think there are any in Prance either.”

“There’s dragons back where Emerald is from though!” Honeygold nibbled at a crust of bread. “She’s fought one.”

“She’s a magical flying horse!” Spectrum tapped the side of her head. “I’m sure they even have giant monsters with… with long sticky arms. That live in the sea. And eat fishermen. And have massive eyes.”

“What.” Honeygold said flatly.

Nightfall took out her snuffbox and inhaled some of the powder, sighing with contentment as she did so.

“Rumors are that they have some of the best snuff in the Kievan lands,” the mage said, putting the box away. “I’d like to try some myself.”

They sat there quietly for a while, listening to the rain patter off the windows and the roof of the carriage.

“Light Speckle?” Honeygold asked after a moment. “How long do you think it will take to find the last artifact?”

“I… do not know,” Light Speckle confessed. “Why don’t we worry about finding the artifact after we actually get to Saddle Arabia? We’re still a long way from there.”

“Oh.”

“Cheer up, young’un,” Nightfall said in an obvious attempt to sound wise and sagely. “Perhaps when we get there, we will find the artifact quite easily.”

“You really think so, Nightfall?” Honeygold asked, perking up.

“Ah… no. But maybe.”

“Em can sense ‘em. If we get her close enough, Ah’m sure she’ll find it just fine.”

Outside, a flash of lightning signalled the arrival of a drum of thunder, sounding almost like there was an angry giant creature out there, coming after them.

“What if it is already in the possession of someone else?” Jewel Pin fished out an apple pie from their sack of food. “What if they don’t want to give it up?”

“We’ll just have to take it, will we not?” Spectrum balled a fist and waved it around in the air. “Canterlot depends on us! We cannot just sit by if someone owns the artifact. We need it more than they do.”

“We don’t know th-that...” Guard Streak stammered.

The female squire folded her arms. “Now what could they need the artifact for that is greater than saving a kingdom?”

“Maybe th-they could be dealing w-with a p-power struggle too.” Streak shrugged.

“Hm. I guess we will have to find out when we get there…”

---

The convoy didn’t stop again until they had finally arrived at the next town, not wanting to get out to make camp in the rain. They had finally arrived at the next town somewhere close to dawn the next day, where the sunlight could already be seen emerging in the distance. The rain had slowed, but still fell considerably, so no one got out of the carriage until they had stopped by an inn.

This town was about five times the size of the previous one, and it even had a wall, though the guards hadn’t even stopped them as they entered through them. The Prench guards had similar armor to the Canterlot guards, with the only difference being their colors. While Canterlot guards wore an off-blue color, Prench guards were dressed in white.

Emerald Edge had heard, “bonjour”, so often that she could actually repeat it now, with a similar accent to the Prench people.

“Right, we will stop here to resupply,” Emerald declared to the group as they dismounted and got out of the rain. A trio of servants scurried out of the inn and went to take care of the horses. For her small frame, Jewel Pin was quite the eater, and their food supply had been reduced to crumbs in just those two days. Emerald made a reminder to have a talk with her about that later.

The inn was quite full, with a large assortment of people. There were townsfolk, a group of bards playing music, some guards, and a storyteller in the corner regaling the children with some tall tale. A couple of revelers turned their heads to look at Emerald’s group as they came in, but Emerald didn’t detect hostility in their looks.

As long as they didn’t open their mouths, they should be fine.

Moon Tide went over to the innkeeper and began rapidly conversing in Prench. Emerald had no idea what she was saying, but she was probably getting rooms for them.

Posey removed her bandana and wrung it like a towel, squeezing water from it. “I hope she finds something about my mother…”

“What happened with your mother, dear?” Jewel Pin pulled at her dress and sighed. “Did she move to Prance?”

“She was taken, Jewel Pin,” Honeygold whispered and wrung her braid. “Prench bandits. Such terrible people!”

“Lower your voice.” Light Speckle hissed.

“Right. Sorry!”

Moon Tide finished talking to the landlord and came back with a ring of keys.

“I have managed to get us some rooms for the night. I think the landlord suspects that we are foreign, but there is nothing I can do about that. Food will be sent up to our rooms later. Right now we should dry off and plan our next move.”

“What is this place called, anyway?” Apple Bean asked. “I can’t read Prench.”

Moon Tide thought for a moment. “I believe the inn is called le hibou qui rit.”

Nightfall asked, “What does that mean?”

“It means, ‘The Laughing Owl’, if I’m not mistaken.”

Tired as they were, Emerald and her group did not talk much after this, instead staying near the fire to dry themselves. Once they were no longer damp, they went upstairs in groups of two and three, using the keys that Moon Tide had procured to enter their rooms.

The rooms were clean and had soft beds and a small hearth there, though there was no fire burning in them at the moment.

Emerald found herself sharing a room with Posey. Dinner had arrived not too long after, with a bowl of salad for Emerald. She was pleased to see that at least the savage Prench still ate vegetables. Once that was done, they left the plates outside and got ready for bed.

“Well, we made it,” Emerald said as she removed her armor, putting it in a chest next to her bed. “At least this far.”

Posey nodded in reply, but seemed to have a brooding countenance about her. Emerald took off her boots and placed them next to the hearth, then got down and arranged some logs in the fireplace before setting them alight with some flints.

“How long do you think we have been gone?” Posey asked suddenly.

Emerald started. It wasn’t like Posey to ask questions like this, but she could guess what had brought on this query.

“You’re worried about Sir Ganeighn, aren’t you, Posey?” Emerald said quietly.

“I know he has been turned, but I cannot help but wonder…” Posey gazed out a window to the rainy Prance streets below. “Do you think they realize what they are doing? Do you think they can fight it? Morn’s control, I mean.”

“I…” Emerald sighed. It still hurt to know Morn was the one that did all this. “I do not know, Posey. Before Morn used Excalibur, I had no idea it could bend others to his will.”

“I find myself thinking this many a time in a day.” Posey leaned an arm on the windowsill. Gabriel flew in from above, landing next to her and nuzzling up against her cheek. The archer smiled and gave him a pat. “If he knows what he has done to us. If he knows what he has done to the kingdom. My time with Ganeighn was fleeting, but every moment I spent with him… I treasure. I do hope nothing else has befallen him.”

With one big sigh, Posey returned from the window and threw herself on her bed, pulling her bandana down over her eyes at the same time. Gabriel flew in and perched himself atop her armor chest and stretched his wings.

“No point thinking so much about what we cannot yet change, Em. I will see you in the morning.”

“Yes, Posey.” Emerald sat on her bed and watched her friend.

They had all lost something when they left Canterlot, whether it was family, friends, research, business, or the love of their lives. Arguably, love was the hardest to let go, and it was just as painful to hold on to after everything that had happened.

Emerald lay down on her own bed. It was soft and squishy, but the comfort of the bed did little to assuage her worries. There was still such a long way to go before they even reached Saddle Arabia. At least the Prench had yet to pick on that they were from Canterlot. She didn’t know how long their guise would last, but hopefully until they were close to leaving the kingdom.

Listening to the rain tapping its fingers on the window, Emerald Edge drifted off to sleep.

---

Comments

[Jaxxon Markus Citadel]

Looks like the Prench aren't the barbarians that the Canterlot people said they were. Yay for character development!

[Marcthelightspark2004]

Emerald nodded. That made a lot of sense. That would mean Moon Tide would likely speak like the Kievans too.

So....she knows Russian, too?

[Marcthelightspark2004]

“She’s a magical flying horse!” Spectrum tapped the side of her head. “I’m sure they even have giant monsters with… with long sticky arms. That live in the sea. And eat fishermen. And have massive eyes.”

A.....Kracken? Are there Krackens in Bloodlines? I suddenly wanna see a Kracken. Gimme a few to rewatch the Pirates of the Caribean franchise.

[MixMassBasher]

Nightfall took out her snuffbox and inhaled some of the powder, sighing with contentment as she did so.

“Rumors are that they have some of the best snuff in the Kievan lands,” the mage said, putting the box away. “I’d like to try some myself.”

Nightfall don't become a drug addict who's knows how much stress in your genes that'll follow you next generations

[MoonlightRift]

Canterlot people already proven wrong