Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Exile's Road ❯ Chapter 8

Exile's Road: Eight

 

Commander Hudson smiled slightly, the grizzled old soldier reviewing the paperwork that cluttered his desk. It was almost like a curse, he mused, that as soon as he got rid of some of it, more papers would turn up to take it's place.

 

"Commander?" the voice said and Hudson smiled. He had heard the man coming up the hall, his armor rattling.

 

"Knight Daniel," Hudson nodded to the brown haired young nobleman, "how can I help you?" Of course the commander rather suspected he knew why the man was here, but it never really hurt to be sure.

 

"I've returned from the eastern lands as requested," Daniel said formerly, "and talked to the Bardic Guilds there. They have vowed that they will quest for the information you seek about the mercenary fighter Midori."

 

"Good," Hudson smiled wryly. It wasn't that the city and kingdom didn't have... agents scattered about, but the bards did this sort of thing so much better.

 

"M'lord," Dan hesitated, "could I ask you a question?"

 

"You want to know why I'm looking for information on Midori?" Hudson looked at him seriously. A slight smile appeared as the boy nodded, "There are some reasons you don't need to know, but consider this: Midori may know, even without being aware, who leads the Genin assassins here. Learning more about her could help us stop them."

 

"True enough," Dan admitted the point, if a bit reluctantly.

 

"I don't much like going back on my word," Hudson said with a weary sigh, "but in this case it seems that I must."

 

Dan bowed slightly, "M'lord, I will return to my family's home then, and await the call to arms." With that he turned, red cape swirling as he strode off and the commander sighed.

 

"Someone let him read too many books on chivalry growing up," Hudson muttered fondly. Still, Dan was a good man, not to mention being one of his most reliable. Not too terribly bright, but still reliable.

 

One of the young boys who served as pages and messengers arrived, his sandy hair falling into his eyes. "M'lord," he bowed, "news from the castle."

 

"Trouble, Sam?" Hudson narrowed his eyes.

 

"No sir," Sam shook his head, a slight smile on his face, "one of the palace guards sent us a update on Lady Jantha." He looked mildly amused, "It seemed that to get Laur'ien in, they had to disguise her as a maid."

 

"Maid?" Hudson chuckled, trying to imagine the tawny haired, irreverent officer running around dressed in a maid's uniform. It was, in all honesty, a little hard to do. He shook off his amusement and asked seriously, "Anything new to report?"

 

"Not really," Sam conceded, "the only surprise was the appearance of the ambassador of Edo at the palace."

 

"Sasoke?" Hudson blinked, remembering the elderly man. "I thought he was still out of favor with the new Shogun?" he recalled.

 

"Yes sir," Sam nodded, "but oddly he spoke for a time privately with the mercenary Midori."

 

That got Hudson's attention. "Did the guards note what they said?" he asked curiously.

 

Sam drew a piece of paper from his tunic as he noted, "They switched to some foreign tongue, m'lord, but he did call her something odd." He frowned as he read the other guard's note, "Midori-dono, I think." He looked up, catching the stunned look on Hudson's face, "M'lord?"

 

"Thank you," Hudson said formally, taking the note from Sam, "is this a exact transcription?"

 

"Written by his own hand," Sam agreed.

 

He saluted and left, leaving Hudson with his troubling thoughts. 'If I hadn't led a expedition to the east,' he thought, 'I wouldn't have recognized the honorific.' He looked down at the note, 'The high ranking ambassador called Midori a lord, so who is that woman?'

 

Getting up from his desk Hudson strode through the halls of the barracks, considering. He didn't understand the rankings of Edo as well as he should, his experience had mostly been back when he was a younger soldier. The Shogun ruled over the land, then below him were the commanders of each region. But where would an ambassador rank?

 

"Damn it," Hudson growled, shaking his head. He just didn't know enough to make an opinion... he just had to hope that he heard back from the bards soon. At the very least, Midori was a woman of rank, if not possibly royal. 'Which means things may be even more complicated than I thought,' he mused.

 

*********************

 

Queen Gwen studied the two soldiers even as the slim blonde led them and her cousin into her private chambers, considering them the way that she had been trained to as both a diplomat and royal. She recognized the tawny haired maid as Laur'ien, one of Commander Hudson's 'special' troops, a shapeshifter. She had been brought up as a discipline problem several times, but was also one of Hudson's best.

 

'Not too surprising,' Gwen conceded, 'unconventional thinking is also often coupled to an independent spirit.'

 

The other woman was cut from a different mold, and Gwen studied her a bit more carefully. The dark haired woman had a foreign cast to her features, from what Gwen remembered she might be from the eastern lands, possibly Edo or China. She handled herself with a calm surety, even in the presence of royalty, and even warily watched the guards that hovered at the edges of the room.

 

'Like a good bodyguard should,' Gwen thought approvingly.

 

Jantha relaxed a little once they were out of the main hall, smiling with a more honest sort of warmth. "So how goes the political dealings?" she asked as they walked to a table, Gwen gesturing them to take their seats.

 

"Better than expected," Gwen took the head seat, sitting with a sigh. "The nearby lands are cautious, understandably, but my royal cousins seem willing to support me."

 

"But those not related by blood?" Jantha asked.

 

"They are a different problem," Gwen conceded. "There is little that I can offer them," she noted, "and no bond of blood for loyalty."

 

"There is always the option of political marriages," Jantha said quietly, meeting her sister's gaze directly.

 

'And you would hate me forever if I married you off to one of those dolts,' Gwen thought, 'but thank you for offering.' Aloud she said, "We will save that as a last resort, I think."

 

"Thank you," Jantha smiled wearily.

 

Gwen looked over at Laur'ien and Midori, "And what do you think?"

 

Laur'ien smiled wryly, "I try not to think, I'm a soldier m'lady."

 

Gwen fought back a laugh at the lady's supposed innocence. "Please tell that to some of my generals," she answered, "they think far too much at times."

 

Jantha looked disapproving, "The officers that you inherited from the former king are still giving you trouble?"

 

"I think they are still having a bit of trouble with having a queen," Gwen answered her dryly. She looked over at Midori, "And what do you think, easterner?"

 

Midori met here eyes coolly, the woman's expression grave, "Kill the general who is the most obstinate, I suspect that the rest will soon fall into line."

 

"Midori!" Jantha burst out.

 

"She asked for my opinion," Midori said with a shrug, "I granted it."

 

"And in truth I suspect it's good wisdom," Gwen admitted. She smiled slightly, "But it's a road that once you start down, you cannot go back."

 

"True enough," Midori acknowledged.

 

To be continued....