Tinsley Family/RP/Seeking Ilya in Barad Falas
Seeking Ilya in Barad Falas (Still looking for her)
Willem walked the rows of the main camp in Barad Falas. He had received a letter from Dame Ilya describing her banner. Eagle with a sword on a water-blue background. It shouldn't be too hard to find a female troop leader that commanded a fine set of archers.
It had been a day or two since he'd walked the main camp. He saw quite a few recently arrived tents from Ash Sea Islands. He stopped a spoke with a few of the troop leaders that he'd fought along side with in Anost. Well, that was before he was captured. He heard a few stories on how his men stood firm as long as they could, then, after the battle, they were hunted down and slaughtered. It was unclear if the spineless men that did the slaughtering were Estonites or Darkan. One Ash Sea Island troop leader said that he thought that it might have been Barony of Makar. Willem, in his mind and heart, determined to exact revenge on each of those realms. It didn't matter.
He made it a point to stop and see Lasten and try to figure out what quality it was that made men, both older men and youth, leave their lives behind and follow him, to join his band. It was more than a band of men. He'd never seen a single troop leader actually lead almost 100 men. If they were at all trained, it would be an awesome sight in battle. Willem told Lasten of the stories that his father had told him about the red haired man and the milkmaid. Lasten told Willem that Freidroch had already shared those stories with him.
He passed the cavalry camp on the south end of the main camp. He understood the need for the horse in warfare, he just didn't like to ride them. These horses, though, were different than the ones that he grew up with on the farm at the family manor. These were bigger, more muscular. Not for pulling the plow, but they just looked fast standing still. He respected them, and their riders, he just didn't feel comfortable around them. He moved on.
Back up another camp road, still looking for the eagle and sword banner. Finally, he found it. He straightened up, then walked past. Up a few tents, and then turned back. This time he would stop and and ask the man that stood at the front flap if this, indeed, was Dame Ilya's tent. He made his introduction to the man. The man excused himself and went inside. It was only a minute or two, but it seemed like an hour or two.
- Dame Ilya is tending to a few things. She asks that you please wait a few minutes and she will join you.
- "Just like the army," he thought. "Hurry up and wait."
Willem waited a bit. The man at the front flap was called into the tent again.
He came out rather quickly.
- Dame Ilya regrets that she cannot spend time with you now, Sir Willem. Perhaps you forgot about the orders to move out to Belegmon?
Willem had forgotten about the realm orders. He wondered why, as he was walking through the main camp, the men were very busy. He had his own men on standby, but sometimes they received different orders than the most of the other troop leaders.
Willem asked that the man pass on a message of safe travel to Dame Ilya. The man went back into the tent. A few minutes later, he emerged.
- Dame Ilya wishes you the same wherever you have to lead your men. She asks that you seek her out in Belegmon, if you go that way.
Willem waited a few minutes and then went back to his own men. He'd meet up with her sometime, somewhere.