De Haguns Family/Orpheu/Duty and Loyalty, but to whom?

Timeframe: After the events of Summons and Return of the Lioness.

During the night, the Knight of the Perdan Mines had ordered the troops to disassemble the camp they had first set on the outskirts of Montauban. They had been placed strategically away from the main encampment, because the Knight was in no mood to be seen amongst the other nobles. Ever since the arrival at Montauban, he had not been seen outside his pavilion, from which occasional messengers would leave and come binging parchments.

Now, his troops gathered as silent as they could, though he was aware noise would be heard and their movements would probably be noticed. To accomplish what he planned, he would need to be fast.

“M’lord, the captain Guido Aumerle has not yet returned, should we wait…”

“No, I sent him away to entertain himself with other captains. He shall stay here, I do not wish him to accompany us.” The Aumerle brother would create difficulties if he knew his plans, and Orpheu would have to kill the man. He would rather not.

“Where are we going, sir?”, asked the soldier.

“Away. On the Imperatrix’s command, as well as the Marshal of the Blackmane Paladins.” Orpheu said, as he mounted on the Thunderlight, wearing travel clothes. He would not have his men die to foster the corruption of the high nobles. Perdan would not have one drop of his blood anymore.

After arriving in Montauban, he had spent most of the days drunk, or raging with insulting letters, or plotting revenge against Storme, Laststar and now Poe, while his captain Guido and his soldiers spread the word of Perdan’s valor and liberties to try and convince the population to defect to the realm.

Yet, how could Orpheu endorse these views, if he did not share them? He only saw the corruption, deceit and dishonor of those nobles who called themselves “lions”. He would not support a war for a Duke that had offended him and all knights of the realm when he raised simple concerns about the Army expenses, he would not serve under a Duchess that had treated him, a guest and nobleman, as scum, dragging him and the mother of his child as beggars through the ducal palace. They were worse than barbarians, they were animals.

And they would pay one day. The Knight was determined to collect his debts, even if took him a lifetime.

Even his own faults, if compared to what he had endured, were harmless and insignificant before what he had suffered under Aila Storme’s iron fist and Oliver Laststar’s venomous lies.

He would not suffer that Gislin Luitolf’s “Justice”, while scoundrels such as those walked free and even ruled. The Knight could not withstand what he perceived as the absolute corruption of the affairs of the Kingdom.

He would not suffer those asslickers such as Orobar and Goldwater, who kissed Poe’s perfect ass to maintain their positions and rank. The Knight was disgusted with those nobles, whom he thought were amongst the root of corruption of the Kingdom, who had no voice of their own, but only echoed their overlord’s voices as puppets. He had taken Orobar's words into consideration, and realized there was no place in the realm for him.

One day, he knew, his sword would cross with Lucius's Daemonic Sword of the Mother, and the Duke would regret his challenge. But that would happen when Orpheu was ready, because he would never enter into a duel to lose. Never more.

Now he was sober, and after days of thought, had made up his mind. Through suffering, he had been enlightened.

The troops moved as fast as they could and light through Montauban, towards a destination certain only to Orpheu.

And he had his own plan for Thea and his child, one he knew no one would dare to cause them harm. That would be his last affair in Perdan, yet the most important. His own family, his brother and his brother could rot in hell, for all he cared.

For now, however, the Knight of the Perdan Mines would desert the Blackmane Paladins.

On that day, the Knight had seen seventeen winters and a half. He had seen the worst and the best of people, he had failed in what he planned to achieve and saw his dreams turning to ashes before his very eyes.

But now he would really have his moral values tested like never before, as the future held more for him than the past.