8 The Prince’s Manor
1560 Words
Master Oswald shook his head. Arthan sighed.
The men were even more uneasy now.
"You Highness, the King has expressed specifically that you are to be supervised. I'll be there to assist you in managing your estate as I know it better than anyone in the Kingdom." Master Oswald said.
"Royalty must not be left unprotected outside the castle walls. If anything happens to you your highness, the Royal Guard's honor is at stake." Said Arthan.
"We can leave the servants at the castle then. We'll hire others on the way." Janus said.
"No please your highness. It is hour honor to accompany you to your journey." Bodwin bowed.
"I'll carry you to the carriage sire, if that's necessary." Dulfo said.
"I'll be cooking for you on your journey sire, it would be an honor of mine. And there's the matter of new recipes that you need help with." Rufus said.
"And I wouldn't mind the fresh air." Millen added.
Janus was surprised at this, he had read that loyalty was highly valued in Galedon's culture but not to this extent. The servants should have been relieved to escape the Prince's supposed plot for murder, but being turned away was actually more of an insult to their honor. As if their loyalty to the King was questioned.
Janus smiled despite himself. Did he just accidentally do a power move?
No matter, he needed to seal the deal.
"It is settled then. You may have heard that I have since relinquished my claim to the throne. Rest assured, the Prince that you once knew is now dead." He showed the scar in his wrist, to which everyone recoiled -- even the Knight. "Master Oswald specifically selected you for this quest due to your expertise, we would not want to break his or the Kings trust. Any danger to your life would be of my responsibility. If any harm that should fall unto you under my hands, I authorize Sir Arthan to cut up my other wrist." Janus said with conviction.
"Sire, that wouldn't be necessary." Arthan said, aghast.
"I command it." Janus said. He himself wasn't sure if he was bluffing.
This seemed to ease the doubts of the servants. Arthan's loyalty was unquestionable, but the old Prince was a dishonorable man. Janus felt the need to resort to extremes to get to his good side.
Yvaine wasn't here, so he needed as many allies as he can get. He figured this would be a step in that direction.
"We will go as soon as preparations are in order. Master Oswald, we shall leave on your signal."
Arthan bowed and left for his preparations. Master Oswald gave the servants their assignments. The old man approached Janus after everyone had left.
"Your highness, that was a marvelous speech. For a minute there I thought that you were Prince Marcus." He smiled.
Janus graciously accepted that as high praise. He went to his room to check the Golden Library on which books he could use. He had also found out that his discovery of Galedon's value to loyalty had yielded him a few points.
#
Janus butt wasn't too amused with the carriage ride. The roads from the castle were rocky and uneven. The horses stank and had to stop for a few moments to relieve themselves. It was crude and it was very primitive.
Janus loved it. He was like living in a fantasy world that was very much similar to the books he read and the video games that he played -- there was no fast travel here, but that was how he always preferred it anyway.
The manor was six hours away via horse-driven carriage. Janus wanted to sit outside, but Arthan gave a very compelling argument. An arrow in the back was not something Janus would want.
The castle gates opened and finally, Janus could smell the fresh air. They would pass by the markets on the way to the manor, and Janus was excited to see the sights along the way.
The castle looked every bit as a plain from the outside as it was from the inside. It was more like a fortress, very utilitarian in design. It was like a huge cube with very minimal slits and openings. Janus thought that it would be very easy to garrison inside, and a nightmare for any attacking force to lay siege on. It was also deemed to be impossible to infiltrate. Janus asked Master Oswald what the castle was called during its construction.
"Why your highness, it's simply called the Galedon Castle."
Janus snorted. Every bit as boring as it was useful. The royalty seemed to be focused on function versus form. Perhaps that bit of information could earn him some CP.
He was met by the rolling hills and plains by the time they had traveled for an hour.
There were fields as far and wide as the eye could see. People were tending to their crops and herding their animals. Janus found sheep and goats and buffalo along the way, some were carried in carts to be sold in the markets.
There were also a few creatures which piqued Janus' interest. A few slimes were bouncing around the roads and intersections, only to get crushed by the carriage wheels. There were also grubs that were as big as his legs, and could sting you if you got too close. There were also huge birds that would swoop in and eat these grubs.
These weren't just creatures, these were the low level monsters in this world!
Not only that, he spotted an orc who was working with one of the farmers. It had a huge upper body supported by stout legs. It had hoofs for feet and its horns were cut off. It was one of the Minotaur variant of orcs that Janus had read from his books.
Arthan said that this was an unusual occurrence, but some of the other races are capable of assimilating with humans. As long as they declared their fealty to the King. Janus was sad to know that they still lived their lives under extreme prejudice and discrimination, and are judged harshly for even slight misdemeanors.
Janus wondered if he could look into changing that as well. Maybe Princedom wasn't such a bad thing after all.
On the way to the Manor he noticed green tufted ears sticking out from one of the fields, only to disappear quickly.
"Looks like Goblins are getting bolder by the minute." Noted Arthan.
Goblins? This trip is getting better and better.
Janus noted a lot of interesting sights in the market. Peasants sold their produce with stalls in one area while the nobles and the more established professions like blacksmiths, tailors and craftsmen were on a different district.
They also passed by the city square, where children played and citizens and congregated and gossiped. There was a statue of the King in the middle of the square as well as some Knights in shining armor. Janus found an image of the Holy See as well. He couldn't stop to collect this data right now but he noted it for later.
They left the city center and got back to lush farmlands and hour later. And soon enough, after a lot of bumps and horse manure along the way. They were in sight of the Prince's Manor.
#
The Manor wasn't as big as those that they had passed by on the way, but it was impressive just the same. Janus had never owned a piece of land before, it was a nice feeling having something like this -- even though technically it was the King's.
They passed by a few straw houses, presumably from the serfs working the fields. There were barns with the sound of farm animals. There was also a quaint church which was all painted white.
There were fields as far as his eye could see. The crops were taller now, Master Oswald noted that they were almost ready for harvesting.
When he got a closer look however, it slowly dawned on him that things weren't going so well. His head burned along with his sore butt, while the carriage bumped and grinded its way towards the Manor house.
First of all, he could see that the crops had weeds all over them. There were rows and rows of grass that were uneven, and he could tell that it was damaged by insects. There were two fields all in all that were planted with one field left fallow in order to grow. The fallow field looked like a mess. There were littered broken carriages and wild animals running all over, Janus spotted rats and slime monsters digging and damaging the soil. It wasn't the kind of environment for a field to fully recover.
The situation of the workers were even worse. From what he could see there was and equal assortment of men and women working the fields in the grueling heat of the sun. They wore the barest clothing imaginable, with the men wearing only loincloths and the women wrapped in what seemed to be pillowcases. Only their delicate parts were covered, and not much more.
They looked thin and dirty, and ranged from the elderly to the children. Janus was shocked at how it contrasted castle life, the garb that he considered to be drab and boring was actually way better than what the peasants had! They made the castle servants look like Lords in comparison.
Janus' spine tingled when he heard a crack of a whip, it was too much for him and he couldn't suppress himself any longer.
No!
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