"The Sandedge Barony will provide a force."
"The Ironmere Viscounty will ensure the invaders are gone."
The two lords pledged to send forces to repel and kill the invaders. Lord Cenroy's voice was particularly booming. The support of the Baron of Whitesand was a given, considering they had just been attacked, and since the Barony of Sawhead was their neighbor, he didn't feel the need to speak out.
Attention quickly turned to Adrian as he immediately spoke. "The Harrowfield Barony will provide."
He knew Baron Harrow had already predicted that the attack nearly a week ago would demand a response. The Baron had told him Harrowfield would contribute, though it wouldn't be much.
Luckily, it wasn't mentioned exactly how much each lord would need to provide, as Adrian wouldn't have been able to give a specific answer.
Lord Stellor Sanford nodded at the assembly. "My thanks to all the lords here. Together, we will defeat and repel the invaders."
The lords nodded in agreement, while the Prince merely smiled. Soon, everyone began to plan, discussing the layout of Sawhead Castle and how the enemy might defend it.
Someone voiced a concern, how could they be sure the enemy was still there and hadn't already left? Lord Sanford responded that they still needed to mount a response regardless.
They couldn't simply sit and watch while the enemy raided their neighbors, they had to act.
Hearing that, Adrian, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but speak up. "Say... if we found the islanders holed up at Sawhead, or in a castle directly..." He paused, waiting for the table to quiet down. Soon, every gaze was fixed on him, but he was too lost in his thoughts to mind.
"They must know it's foolish to take an area with only their current numbers, right? Unless they have more men hidden or coming to support the, likely enough to hold off the surrounding lords."
Adrian turned briefly to the Prince before looking at the Lord of the castle. "If they are evacuating from Maglu Islands, they have to be looking for somewhere to land and stay."
Lord Sanford's lips pursed, clearly hating the thought of invaders settling next to his territory.
"So we should expect more from the enemy if we find them there." Lord Hardinge said, nodding.
"And we should hit them hard now, before they can truly fortify or have reinforcement." Lord Cenroy added. "We will not be reserved in ensuring the enemy is defeated." He directed this to Lord Sanford, but everyone could see he was merely performing for the Prince.
Still, Lord Cenroy had the confidence to back it up, out of all the lords present, aside from the Prince, he was the wealthiest and commanded the most men.
Lord Cenroy's attempt to take the lead lessened the burden on Adrian's shoulders. At the very least, when Baron Harrow learned of this, he wouldn't feel pressured to contribute beyond his means, as it was impossible to compete with Lord Cenroy anyway. Though, the Baron might still give more than he could afford if he learned a Prince was in attendance.
Then the prince finally spoke, "If the numbers of the enemy is beyond what we thought, fear not, I will step forward."
Words of gratitude sounded in the room, though Adrian wondered what the prince purpose of coming here, could he have known the islanders would attack? Or is it something else?
The meeting continued for another hour before finally adjourning. The other lords needed to send messages to their territories quickly to gather their forces.
Steward Osway and Sir Cordell joined Adrian in his room afterward. The steward praised him for his words at the meeting before telling him to stay at the castle while he, half the guards, and some servants left into the night back to Baron Harrow.
As they left his room, Adrian looked at the moon through the window and sighed. He didn't know if Baron Harrow would force him to join the campaign.
He hoped he wouldn't be part of it, but he had a feeling he'd be disappointed, so he kept his expectations low.
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Cale lay there with his eyes closed, feeling lips and tongue against his neck. The bed creaked with Wilona's every movement. When he opened his eyes, he saw the woman, the wife of Lord Cenroy enthusiastically moaning as she moved her bare body up and down, riding him.
Each time her bottoms hit his waist, a wave of pleasure washed over him, as if his entire length were being stroked by her whole body. At his side, Lord Sanford's daughter rubbed her breasts against his chest. She stayed busy with her lips and tongue, panting as she recovered from the ramming she had just been through.
Wilona eventually lowered her upper body, her hot breath ghosting over his face. Their lips met and their tongues intertwined while she continued to move her hips.
As he neared his limit, Cale shoved Wilona off him. With his hands, he guided both their heads downward. They obeyed instantly, and soon he felt their hot breath against him.
"Finish it that way," he commanded, closing his eyes. He felt the soft and wet flesh envelop him.
Pleasure engulfed him entirely, it felt as if his whole being were being swallowed. His hands instinctively pressed down on one of their heads as he thrust his hips upward and released.
A moment or two passed, followed by the sound of coughing. He released his grip and opened his eyes to see Wilona. She coughed slightly as she pulled away, her lips closed for a moment, as she swallowed before she looked up at him, her eyes cloudy with exhaustion and lust.
Cale caressed both women's cheeks and spoke, "I thank you for your service."
"It is only right, Your Grace." one replied. "I am honored." the other added quickly.
"Sleep here tonight, and tomorrow. For as long as I am here, I will require your services," Cale stated.
Having the castle lord's daughter at his disposal was always a pleasant thought, but using another man's wife? That was even better. The women's eyes lit up, and Wilona in particular smiled widely.
"Of course, Your Grace!"
Soon, one of his servants arrived to clean the women and change the sheets. Cale retreated to the balcony, staring out at the dark sea.
Ambition rose inside him as he took in the view.
The sea... it would be the key to his rise.
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"You're only 15?" asked Sir Rookie, a knight of Lord Hardinge, as he whipped the spear in his hand.
"I am." Adrian answered, resting the shaft of his own spear across his shoulders.
It was afternoon, and there was nothing for him to do but wait for the lords' forces to arrive. He had spent the entire day training for the coming battle as if he was expected to participate in it.
Now, he was sparring with one of Lord Hardinge's knights whom he found particularly skilled with the spear and sword, aside from one underhanded move Adrian had tried, the man had beaten him easily.
'If he were an enemy, I'd be dead already' Adrian thought. Unfortunately, a single day of training wasn't enough to bridge the gap that years of experience provided. The thought made him grimace.
Sir Rookie looked him over from head to toe. Wearing only a simple tunic and trousers, Adrian felt exposed under the knight's gaze.
"Not bad. You have a great frame. You just lack experience, is all."
"Thank you, sir."
It was likely due to his gift that Adrian looked healthy, at the very least.
He was already the same height as Sir Rookie despite being only 15, and though his frame wasn't large, his arms showed lean muscle. The best part about pushing his body until it broke was that he could mend it with his gift, push himself to the limit again, and repeat the process.
He didn't know if this would actually help his muscles develop faster and in his hope, beyond, but there was no harm in trying, aside from the pain, of course.
They continued their spar, rotating from spears to maces and then to swords. Adrian didn't stop training, even after Sir Rookie excused himself.
"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep going." Sir Cordell said from the sidelines, watching Adrian spar with Dexton.
Adrian used his buckler to deflect Dexton's mace and stabbed forward. Dexton's footwork allowed him to dodge, but Adrian chased him relentlessly, sweat beading on his face.
"Hup!"
Dexton kicked out, trying to push him away. Expecting this, Adrian sidestepped and shoved his buckler into Dexton's shoulder. Dexton twisted and planted his feet, the blow made him stumble, but he quickly steadied himself and swung his mace.
Adrian put his entire body's strength into a shield bash. The two weapons met with a loud clang. The force made Dexton lose his grip, and a moment later, the tip of Adrian's sword was at Dexton's throat.
"Haahh…" Adrian panted as the spar ended. Dexton looked at him in shock, breathless, before breaking into a smile.
"One out of three... you're really good," Dexton said, shaking out the hand that had held the mace.
Adrian lowered his sword and chuckled. His entire body ached, and his hands trembled as they gripped his weapons.
"I had to win at some point." he shrugged, proud of getting one victory out of three bouts.
"You should rest, milord. You're going to need it," Sir Cordell said, approaching them.
As the representative of the Baron of Harrowfield, the others from the village addressed Adrian as "Lord." He didn't mind it at this point.
Adrian grinned and raised his sword, unable to hide the shaking of his hand. "No way. I'm just getting started. Why don't we spar again, Sir Knight?"
Sir Cordell raised an eyebrow, about to retort, when a servant rushed through the gates. Mutterings erupted from the guards atop the walls.
Confused, Adrian walked toward the castle entrance with Sir Cordell. In the distance, he saw the cause of the commotion.
An army had arrived, though "army" might have been an overstatement, as he reckoned there were only a hundred or so men. By the banners and colors, they were Lord Hardinge's forces.
Adrian's expression hardened. He knew it wouldn't be long before the others arrived as well.