The Fireseed Wars

"Especially in your Great Hall!" Geblon replied. "It appears that every younger son and wastrel of noble blood in the Great Kingdom of Hos-Harphax has come to curry favor with you and pick crumbs off the Besthan platter."

"They won't stay for long," Phidestros finished with a harsh clearing of his throat. "Any who stay after their purses are empty will find themselves with a home in our dungeon. I'm tempted to bag the whole lot."

His comrades laughed.

There was a knock at the hall door and Mynos, one of Phidestros' body servants, poked his head in. "Your Highness, I have a Captain Ranthos to see you."

"Bring him in, and another cask of winter wine."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When the former Grefftscharrer came into the Great Hall, Phidestros offered him a chair. "Welcome, Ranthos. I was surprised to find you gone when we arrived at Beshta Town."

"I had hoped to welcome you personally, Your Highness, but there were some problems along the Syriphlon border. Some of the Syriphloni border reivers were beginning to set up camps on the Beshtan side of the border; they took your absence as license. I took four companies with me to teach them some manners. We burned the stubborn ones out and beheaded the rest. We will not have any more problems this season."

"Excellent work, Ranthos. I was pleased at the order and tranquility that you and Captain Cythros had established in the Princedom before our arrival. Our former Hostigi subjects were quite welcoming."

Ranthos grinned. "They were made aware of your bearding of Investigator Roxthar and are pleased to have a Prince who can defend his borders as well as keep out unwelcome elements."

"Well done. How many companies were you able to raise?"

"Three new companies mostly of former Hostigi troopers and mercenaries, Your Highness.

"Again, well done. I can see you are a man of your word. It appears, until we do a new census, that we lost only about half our subjects to the Hostigi migration, and most of those were in Sashta which suffered the brunt of the war. To be honest, my lands have been much better tended than I had anticipated. The Princedom of Hostigos itself is a wasteland, as are Sask, Nostor and Ulthor. I didn't know what to expect upon our arrival in Beshta. You and Cythros have done well for us."

Captain Ranthos bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"During our passage through Sashta, we settled most of the baggage train there along with several thousand soldiers. We took the liberty of removing most of the criminal element, but we still need a firm hand in those lands to provide lawful authority and to ensure that our subjects are well-treated. Having seen your successes here in Beshta, I am prepared to invest you as Baron of the Sashta border lands. Duke Geblon will be your overlord, but I suspect he'll spend most of his time with me here in Besh Town. It will take a strong hand and a will of iron to rebuild that former princedom. You've already proven you can master the border reivers."

For once the broad mercenary captain was speechless.

Duke Kyblannos said, "Our Prince knows how to reward those who do good work, as Geblon and I have discovered."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best."

"That's all I ask," Phidestros said, pouring a goblet of wine for his new Baron. "As you can tell, I am more interested in keeping men about me who can make things happen than in whose father sired them. And, while I am generous with my rewards, I also do not spare punishments for those who earn them."

"As it should be, Your Highness."

"I will also give you a thousand foot and five hundred horse from my Army to secure your borders, and send you five thousand ounces of gold and twice that of silver and leave to raise another five companies. Is this agreeable?"

"Very much so, Your Highness. That will provide me with a sufficient force to repel any invaders, especially those wearing white bedsheets."

Phidestros grinned. "Exactly. I will also give you the patent to create a militia from those former members of the Army of Greater Beshta who have settled in your new barony. Should we be called upon by our Great King to fight in his name, I would like to have enough men-at-arms to secure our borders while we are gone. Does this meet with your approval?"

Captain Ranthos nodded his agreement.

"Excellent! Geblon bring me the Domesday Book that former Prince Phrames had collected."

"What is this Domesday Book, sire?" Ranthos asked.

"It is a volume that former Princes Phrames put together at King Kalvan's request; it lists all of our subjects, their lands and location. It was another of Kalvan's new measures. As you know personally, there is much to be learned from his model."

"I learned this working at the Royal Foundry. The Great King would come by personally to direct our efforts. He was most helpful."