It was spring now, or so Alphonse was told upon disembarking the ship leading his horse by the reigns he looked around captivated by the differences as if he stepped into another world altogether, the air was hot but surprisingly dry, the ground was dusty under his feet but it was land nontheless he was glad to be on land again. The port town was built from what seemed to be sandstone and mud and the buildings were all square shaped from small buildings to some towering 30 feet into the air full of tiny windows. The port was bristling with activity; milling soldiers, locals and merchants all trying to get their work done. Alphonse looked back to his companions and gestured for them to follow as he stepped toward the heart of town eager to see more but even more eager to see the open land under his feet.
He stopped at a well to water the horses and fill their skins and flasks as well. He asked a soldier that seemed to have been there a while to show him the road to Akrassa, the soldier pointed westwards, said his "god bless" and then moved on his way. Alphonse saddled up once his horse was watered and rode out at a steady pace west, they would follow a caravan until they got to their destination.
The whole day went by them, they had arrived somewhere near noon but now the sun was setting ahead and the sands seemed to be on fire bathed in the orange-gold glow of the sun. Finally it appeared on the horizon, Akrassa as the letter from the order said. A fairly modest estate by the looks of it, there was a medium sized manor in view the same as the buildings at the port town it was square shaped but more complex, it had the layout of a H with the center sporting a second story added to it and the sides roofs doubled as balconies with simple thick cloth stretched out on a wood frame shielding it from the sun. As it was the estate did not have any defensive wall or rampart or anything of the sort. Around the manor were sparse groupings of hovels and houses and the people seemed to be busy tending the small farms and the larger date fruit plantation.
Alphonse turned to the others and smiled gesturing to the manor "welcome brethren to your new home, lets try and make the best of it shall we?" He rode kicking up clouds of dust and as he approached the manor children started pouring out of the shades by the dozens to see the knights as did the serfs to greet their new masters and protectors. Among the people was a man who was a bit more well dressed than the others and a bit more healthier and cleaner, Alphonse guessed that he was the liaison and adviser.
When he stopped in front of the crowd he raised his hand in greetings and spoke clear and loud "God be with you good people, here we come to defend your lives sworn by oaths given and will be upheld if we have to lay down our lives then we shall do so. You may sleep easier from now on" He dismounted and proceeded to shake hands with each of the gathered men introducing himself and taking their names in return, although it will take him some time to remember them all. He chuckled as the children pulled at his surcoat and he handed them his bascinet helm to go and play with and he sent his page to stable his horse.
The inside of the manor house was more than it leads on from the outside. The walls were covered in fine drapes and the floors were covered with thick rugs and carpets, candelabras and candlesticks made from brass and even silver in some places lined almost every corner ensuring there would be lighting even in the darkest of nights. The main area had a large oval hardwood table in the middle and was surrounded by large sitting cushions made of velvet in vibrant blues, reds and greens. The sides of the H were split into two separate rooms, the majority of which were bedrooms identified by three beds in each of the rooms made from finely polished wood, the covers were made of soft dark coloured velvet and silks. The smaller rooms were bathrooms each with a moderately sized iron tub on the far end of it accompanied by large brass washing bowls. The upstairs center was a modest study of sorts, there were bookshelves lining the walls parallel to each other and in the far end from the stairs was a large desk with abundant drawers, small shelves and such. It had a larger window backing the desk and the dying sun shone on the almost empty shelves, there were two doorways on each side of the room leading out onto the balconies that had smaller tables and wicker chairs around it. All in all it was quite extravagant compared to what Alphonse was used to, quite a change from the cold simple walls and near barren rooms he had lived in.
That was it now, Alphonse found himself a bed and accepted his new duties with a bit of fear and a lot of excitement, he pulled a crucifix medallion to his lips and uttered quietly "god help me" he took off his heavy armor and had a bath prepared.