Reign: Kingdom Come
Chapter 1 - The Adventure Begins
It was a particularly busy day in the city of Milborne. Crowds bustled too and fro from the marketplace. Merchants bragged about their wares to the many passer byes, all claiming to have the best produce. The hunters brought their game to the market in order to sell fresh meat. Gossip swirled about the town due to the recent fire that had swept through the Theater of Milborne. The owner of the theater, Gardevior of Montenegrey, was no where to be found and many feared the worst. Some said they saw him heading toward the Glittering Wood last night. This information was hard to verify. His right hand man had remained out of the public eye ever since the incident. At least as far as the public knew. All night there were guards on patrol attempting to find the elusive actor.
As this was going on, a troop of soldiers trotted out of the city gates on their horses clad in full uniform and weaponry. They stopped by the animal training grounds and enlisted the assistance of multiple hunters with their blood hounds. The townsfolk were perplexed by this. Could it be a training exercise? Or was there an actual problem? The soldiers made their way toward the Glittering Wood and disappeared from view behind the trees.
Marque de Bourdeaux
Marque stood perfectly still as he heard the sound of hooves making their way down the road. They passed by the stables and headed toward the dog kennels. He felt a sense of relief wash over him. Marque had had enough of hiding from soldiers for one night. Having them find him now would ruin everything. He was perplexed as to the turn of events. One moment he was sleeping inside his comfortable room and the next a fire burnt up significant portions of his theater. Marque was currently hiding in a stable just outside the city along with horses. He had cleverly disguised himself as a stable hand taking care of them.
Soon after the soldiers had passed a woman wearing a farm maid's outfit calmly walked over where Marque was hiding. She quietly whispered to him, "The authorities are blaming us for the fire. Rumors are swirling around that Gardevior was seen heading into Glittering Wood as well. I think that would be our best bet for finding him. There is an expert tracker who lives in a cottage nearby who is not currently employed by Lord Bryce. Perhaps you could enlist his help?" Marque realized soon after seeing her that this was none other then his longtime friend Rosanne. Her words were quick and to the point. She had a knack for finding useful information. At that moment, Marque looked through the door of the stables. There was a man walking up to a small cottage with a bag over his shoulder.
Col Ward
Though he had been forbidden from joining the men on their expedition, Col was determined to find Sir Rolfe. His biggest issue would be finding a tracker who was not working under Lord Bryce. Col had heard of a young man who had a special gift for training animals. They seemed to flock to him. He had recently been injured and was currently out of the Lord's service. It didn't sit completely well with Col to disobey a direct order from his Lord, but this order made no sense. How could Bryce expect him to sit by while Rolfe was dead or missing? He would find this young man and enlist his aid. He heard that he owned a cottage directly outside the city.
Col saddled his horse Merlin, and headed outside the city gates. Hopefully evading the eyes of men who would report to Lord Bryce. He continued down the trail seeing the tail end of the soldiers enter the Glittering Wood. A few minutes later he saw a man outside the cottage he was heading towards. Interesting..
Bastian Felstead
Bastian had seen the recent fire at the theater and had even tried to offer his assistance. The authorities had blocked it off completely and weren't allowing anyone near. Kind of strange if he thought about it. Regardless he had a job to perform. Bastian headed toward his on-call assignment with his bag of medical supplies slung over his shoulder. He was going to see a certain man who had no control over his legs. Bastian had never used his gift on the lame before and wanted to see if he could help him. What was his name again? Lorenzo? That was it! He was known for his skill as a dog handler. An unfortunate accident prevented him from doing the thing he loved most. Perhaps Bastian could uplift him to his former position with his healing touch.
As Bastian walked down the dusty road, he heard a bunch of hooves approaching behind him. He quickly got off the road and let the soldiers pass. They were headed in relatively the same direction as himself. They stopped by the dog kennels and were on their way within a few minutes. Afterward, they headed into the Glittering Wood with some hunters and their blood hounds. Unfazed, Bastian continued on his way and headed toward the cottage that he believed was the correct one. Then he knocked on the door.
Lorenzo of Windor
Lorenzo busied himself with his paints, coloring a landscape that he'd been working on for a few days. His mother was in town at the market while his father was out hunting. This left Lorenzo with plenty of time to practice his art and escape the pain of his recent tragedies. Though it had been some time since Loyal was killed, the hurt was just as real as it had been then. He didn't get much sleep last night either. After all, through his window, Lorenzo could see the Theater of Milborne ablaze with fire. He hoped his mother would have some juicy information for him when she returned.
His replacement dog Martyrdom, sat by his master, prepared to take care of any emotional or physical needs he was able to. Though new to the job, Martyrdom was trying his best. When Lorenzo felt up to it, he would train Martyrdom on the side. Though a major part of him still couldn't get over Loyal.
Suddenly he was taken out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. Who could it be? His parent's had no reason to knock. Lorenzo felt a little fear as his dog finally seemed to catch on and bark at the noise. That's when he remembered. His mom had sent for the head physician of Milborne to look at him. She had even told him to be ready to let him in around this time. That was a relief! He looked down at his position about 6 feet from the door. Now to find a way to let him in..
Favian The Hermit
Favian longingly looked outside his window at the many colors all around him. He played a sad but hopeful song on his precious lute. It was the beginning of autumn. The leaves on the trees sported beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange. It displayed a vibrant canvas all around the lone Hermit, inspiring soft melodies of days gone by. Yet, they were hopeful of a future not yet seen.
Favian was anxious to leave his home for fear of what he had seen in the night. He had observed large creatures stalking the Glittering Wood for about a week now. They had not yet threatened him, but who knew when they would strike? It was for this reason, it seemed like an eternity since he had last played for the city. In fact, it had been some weeks since Favian had set foot in his former home of Milborne. Maybe it was time to bring his delightful sounds to light up the townsfolk once more. That's when his stomach rumbled. Come to think of it, that was the last time he had purchased food either. His supplies were dwindling.
As these facts crossed the thoughtful musician's mind, a large troop of men clad with weapons and armor rode along the path in the Wood. Favian's cottage overlooked the path making them and him clearly visible. They halted along it. Favian stopped playing his instrument. He was very wary of their presence. For some time it looked like they were conversing to one another. They would point towards his cottage now and again. Favian anxiously waited for them to do something, anything really. After a few agonizing minutes they finally resumed their journey further down the path. Out of sight, but not out of the Hermit`s mind.
