Chapter 1 - Sir Maisel the Young

Deep in the forests of Prussian, the sun's rays lanced through the gaps in the woodland canopy above the heads of the border patrol. To the men of the scouting patrol, currently following a trail that skirted the province's ill-defined border with the Savage Lands, the hot day was a nightmare, even more so when their helmets and armor only increased their discomfort.

Despite this, they were on alert. As Sir Edmund Maisel halted his trusted companion and reached down to take a drinking flask from his saddlebag, he was pleased to see his men had kept their discipline despite the heat and suffering they were currently experiencing.

He had sent a team of five men ahead as a vanguard to scout the trail but the rest of the patrol needed to maintain a state of readiness, warily watching the forest around them for signs of ambush. The barbarians were known for such tactics and Edmund would rather face the wrath of his mother than the hordes of the Troll king. Even if he was trained from a young age to serve The Kaspian Family and their Duke, being a knight wasn't an easy life for anyone that has to face at least once a month the barbarians and the horrors that help them.

Counting the vanguard, and the knight himself, the patrol numbered twenty proper soldiers and one knight in total. While not a small patrol by any means, it was vital that everyone stayed sharp for anything that may befall them in this God-forgotten corner of their holy land. Their mission here was routine if nothing else, but the recent rumors had forced the Duke to send one of his knights to properly assess the situation and in case the rumors were proven true, to smite those barbarians in the name of his lord. Sadly, the duke he serves wasn't exactly rich by the common standard of the higher class, but even though he wasn't swinging in gold, Thomas Kaspian still managed to equip his men-at-arms with light armor, and arm them with the best swords and shields his treasury could afford.

Unfortunately for Edmund, his men weren't prepared to face any serious opposition, instead if they by some misfortune happen to stumble across the savages, their job was to turn away and warn others—not to fight a losing battle.

Sir Maisel's men were competent riders, but sadly, they were swordsmen by profession, better known as infantrymen, or even more popular was the term men-at-arms rather than cavalrymen. Usually, only the knights form those deadly spearheads, and only in the most desperate times does a leader turn his men-at-arms into cavalrymen. In the field, the armies of the King made use of light lancers and riders in the role of light cavalry, rarely would the valuable knights be sent as meat shields by their lords. But such illustrious troops were in short supply in the north, especially when it came to serving as part of the garrison, even more so when in the last few years the number of hunters saw decreasing thanks to the ever-growing threat from the savage lands. Being in the service of the Kaspian Lord was not uncommon in such rare instances for his own soldiers that are supposed to defend his manor such as Edmund and his men to be given horses and then find themselves deployed in a scouting role near the border. As rare as it may be, every single man and woman that serves in the personal force of the Duke had found himself or herself facing the savages at least once in their lives. It was not an ideal solution by any means sending barely trained horsemen to the job of proper cavalrymen, but his time as a knight in the service of the Duke had taught Edmund Maisel to be thankful for any duty his lord throws on his back. Whatever other hardships might lie ahead, at least they wouldn't have to walk on foot. Besides, if everything went well, Edmund would be able to see his youngest brother for the first time since the little bundle of joy was born. Six years of not seeing his family could make any man sad and somewhat desperate to see them again, even more so when he was the heir of the Maisel Family and the big brother of three boys and one beautiful little sister.

As Edmund was lost in his thoughts longing for his family, his best friend and second-in-command, pulled his horse beside the knight, forcing the poor brother out of his thoughts.

"Sir Maisel, I've said countless times since we left the town, but this is a fool errand. There's nothing in this forgotten forest, only animals and trees."

"That may be true, my good friend, but remember that we serve a noble family and their orders are law. If the Duke told us to verify the rumors then by the gods that's what we would do."

"I don't care what those poor souls told Sir Weissel. We won't find anything along this trail. It's the wrong time of year for the savages to plunder, besides since Sir Weissel and Sir Liam cleaned the left bank of the river, the savages hadn't stepped a foot on our lands."

"There is a season for savages to plunder, then?" Edmund asked with gentle sarcasm, looking at his friend.

"Like there's a season for hunting boars?"

Smiling, he offered Andre the flask. Despite the banter, he valued the other man's company. Andre was just a year younger than him, but despite the barely noticeable difference in age and status, the two men were probably the only ones that would fight to the death for each other. When his father sent him to learn under Sir Maisel, Andre wasn't exactly keen on actually learning something from the man, but in a week, the two of them became best friends. For a minor noble like Matthew, Andre's father, having the friendship of a knight was something he didn't dream of, not to mention actually being happy.

"You can laugh, but everything has its season, sir. We may not like it, but every time we leave the safety of our tows, the season for hunting our starts."

"Men, animals, barbarians, monsters—we all have our cycles. It's the way of things, my good friend. We are only meat sacks held together by bones and dreams. One day we'll die and the world would forget about us."

Taking the flask from his friend and master, Andre drank hungrily, before making a face as though he had been poisoned by the worst kind of concoction found on the black market.

"Bloody water. I had hoped for some good wine, maybe some brandy or even beer would have been better than plain water, something to satisfy a man's thirst, not a woman's mouth."

"Where's that man? I only see a young man, barely able to keep his pants clean."

Both of them let out a laugh before Sir Maisel turned serious for a second. "If you want a real drink, you'll have to wait until we get back to the fort, Myrella would serve you the best wine her father made."

Andre rolled his eyes at him, not expecting the Lady of House Maisel to waste the good wine on the son of a minor noble. At the same time, Edmund made himself more comfortable in his saddle, as he gazed at the woods when his smile disappeared.

One of the scouts that were sent earlier, returned in a hurry.

"My lord, barbarians have been sighted in the area. That makes it a serious business, even if you don't believe the rumors! We need to report to our lord!"

"You heard the man! We have some barbarians in our lands! Let's show them how good of a host House Kaspian is to their unwanted guests!"

Meanwhile, Andre noticed the uneasiness that was slowly taking over all of the men, it wasn't unnatural to feel scared when going into battle, but at the same, that could also lead to death. He quickly shook his head before ordering the scout to return to the Fort and warn Sir Weissel of what they have found.

After everyone start galloping toward the rest of the scouts, Edmund's horse matched Andre's before the knight spoke his mind.

"We are going blindly into combat, my friend. This may be the last peaceful moment in our lives if my fears are to be proven true. However, usually, if those damned savages go to plunder, it will be in early spring or in the summer and not now in the middle of autumn. If it's spring, it's because the ones that are old enough to become warriors are eager to prove themselves by killing enemies and taking trophies, mostly slaves. It's worse, though, when they attack in the summer. If that happens it means there's a hard winter ahead and the weather has forced them to plunder even more than they did in the spring. Usually, when that happens, The Troll King would attack the Crown of Ice, that damned fortress that was built by thousands of dead savages held prisoner by Bernulf the Conqueror, the mad bear of Prussian."

"You seem to know them well, sir."

"I should do, my good friend. I'm twenty-four this year and I've had almost nine years of experience against them in these damned forests. You learn some things in so many years whether you like it or not, as unbelievable as it may seem, not all barbarians are monsters, some of them are also running away from the Troll King and his hunger for power."

"Well, I hope you're right, sir. If it turns out the barbarians hereabouts are just delusion of a man that stayed too much under the unforgiving sun, then I'll be happy. I'd rather be in a bed together with a maiden than on the battlefield with a barbarian."

"Don't we all wish that? Nevertheless, in the meantime, the words of our scout have to be investigated. We'd better get moving before we lag any further behind and the others think we've decided to abandon our friends. I'll tell you what, though, Andre. If it turns out you're right and there are no savages out here, the drinks are on me when we finally get back to the fort or if we get to spend a few days in town."

"You're on, sir. "

(A/N : For more chapters please check my patre0n. When this chapter goes live, there are five chapters in advance there.

Link : https://www.patre0n.com/meatbunkun)