Depression by cmsix

Chapter 32

Well, maybe he would at that. No matter, I had to decide what to do when the Barons and their men got here. All I had so far was a general idea of sitting up at the wall and picking off the leaders with Barretts. I really had no idea what their men would do after that.

"Maybe I can help," Big Boy thought to me.

"What did you have in mind?"

"We had in mind providing the weapons we have and then letting you take the natural course of action. We know that they have no hope of doing you damage. They don't even own any significant artillery. They do have an engineer who has seen a trebuchet before but he's never tried to build one."

"In other words their only real hope is talking me into surrendering?"

"Yes. They have gone off half-cocked. I believe that is the expression," he thought to me.

"I'd say they haven't even planned that well. That brings us back to my question. What did you have in mind for them, considering the new information?" I asked.

"More men will be helpful to you, and they are bent on attack. Why don't we let them all fall soundly asleep tonight? We will provide handcuffs and leg irons and you should have plenty of men to make them secure. When they wake in the morning the men you have now can just march them inside," he said.

"No muss, no fuss. I like that much better. It really isn't much fun to just kill them, although I'll probably make an exception in the cases of the Barons.

"Do you know anything about their holdings?"

"Of course, we know everything about their holdings. One is fifteen miles north of you and the other is twenty miles west northwest. Both locations are considerably larger than the one you now occupy."

"Do you think we'll have any difficulties securing their property?" I asked.

"We don't foresee anything that we cannot handle together. If you'll do the talking we will make sure it is enough."

"Excellent. You are a wonderful ally," I said.

"Thank you. It is our pleasure," he thought to me and then he was gone.

All in all I thought this would be even better. We wouldn't even have to shoot the Barons, we could frog march them inside the walls and execute them. No doubt it would avoid a lot of confusion. I even decided to go up and talk down from my walls to the men Geron said would probably show up, if they did show up.

With everything practically arranged I headed back into the castle and made my way to the dining room. It was coffee time. One of the serving girls saw me as soon as I entered and I took a damned good look at her too.

"How may I serve you my lord?" she asked, in perfect English.

That Big Boy had become a caution with making my life easy.

"I was hoping for some coffee," I said.

"Would my lord like to be served in his study?" she asked.

"Yes he would. Would you be so kind as to show him where his study is?"

"Certainly my lord, please follow me," she said.

I was more than glad to; especially with the way her slightly swinging hips put the motion of the ocean in her short skirt. She led my way with her beautiful buns peeking out first one side and then the other.

It was the first trip to my study for me and I was impressed. I didn't exactly have a desk, rather it was a large table, but it did have a nice comfortable looking chair behind it. There were several other overstuffed chairs and a couple of couches in there too, along with several large cabinets and several maps hanging on the walls.

No doubt this was where Pierre, his sons, and his advisors had relaxed after meals. There was even a humidor with several large cigars, right near where Pierre's chair was, I guess it was my chair now. I didn't mind if I did so I took one out, trimmed then end and lit it.

I wasn't really much of a smoker anymore but no one could fault me for taking a cigar now and again, especially since there was no Skoal around. I'm sure powdered snuff was available, but it wasn't the same.

"I'll be right back with your coffee my lord," she said, and was about to turn to leave for it.

"Better bring a helper back with you. I may need other errands taken care of and I don't want to be lonely if I must send you off again," I said.

She blushed crimson, but agreed that it would probably be best.

I didn't think I was being unreasonable. I'd spent the last couple of nights in bed with beautiful women but it hadn't done me a damned bit of good, and there was every chance we'd have to go somewhere tonight too. No doubt we'd need to assert control over some new castle. I was thinking about getting a little pussy before lunch.

I'd come to my senses before they got back with the coffee. Just because I was riding herd on a feudal barony didn't mean I had to act like a pig. I did give each girl a ride in my lap and a little light fondling, but it was all in fun, for now anyway. They blushed but when I kissed them they kissed back, and I wasn't the only one fondling.

Luckily for me they were gathering up the trays to leave when Meka and Tutsie came in. Meka gave them both a looking over and then looked at me and grinned like a little wild child.

I wasn't fooling her for a second. Apparently I wasn't fooling Tutsie either because he came bounding across the floor, jumped up into my lap and began barking at me while he wagged his tail at least a hundred miles and hour.

Meka didn't give the serving girls another glance. She came around behind my table and stood by the chair.

"Tutsie me want ride Missy, you ride Joe Bob, please Daddy," she said.

"Your wish is my command my princess," I said, handing her Tutsie and standing to go.

We headed to my barn to saddle and fork our broncs. When they were dressed to ride we led them to the front of my house and I reached inside the front door for my Marlin. We were on our way after that.

Missy was a small, very small horse, but Joe Bob wasn't. Still, compared to the warhorses he was diminutive. He wasn't nearly so tall and probably weighed five hundred pounds less than the smallest of them. That didn't bother him in the least though.

Joe Bob still had his balls down there swinging and he could smell mares when we he was out of the barn. He sounded off to let them know he was around. That was the extent of his shenanigans though and after I had my rifle in the saddle scabbard I got up then Meka, Tutsie, and I took off for a ride.

We started around to the west, generally following along our outer wall. We'd made about a mile when we came to a large gate. It was across a road that passed through the wall and into our little town. There were two guards manning it and we stopped to talk. I hoped that they knew at least a little English.

One of them did and both of them knew exactly who I was, I could tell by the way they treated us.

"Any problems today?" I asked.

"No, my lord. We have had a few people come in but we were told to keep the gate closed and only open it for people we were sure of," one of them said.

"Isn't the gate a lot of trouble to open and close?" I asked.

"Not now my lord. Since the wall changed all we have to do is press what they call a button. We push it and the gate lowers into the ground, as if by magic. If we press it again the gate rises. It is very fast and no trouble at all now," he said, grinning.

"Well, I'm sure they'll send word if you should stop opening it. We are expecting trouble later today," I said.

"Yes, lord. We've been told. The new box inside talks to us when we have instructions," he said, offering to show it to me.

I'd seen an intercom before so I declined. Meka and I continued our ride. Later we came to a bridge over a small stream. The stream was probably twenty feet wide and it was flowing gently on its way. The bridge might have been there for years but it had been lately improved, last night probably.

We didn't even make it to a corner before we turned around and headed back. Meka had enjoyed the ride but she was afraid she'd tire Missy out. Poor Missy, moved from one gravy train to another.

When we got back to the barn there were two grooms waiting to take charge of Joe Bob and Missy. I didn't mind but I asked them what was up. Only one seemed to speak English and he told me that the main man over the horses hadn't noticed us going to the barn and he'd been shamed that we had to saddle our own mounts.

"Tell him not to worry. I usually saddle my own mount," I said.

"But sire, he's sent us here as our regular duty now," the man said.

"Fine, I may still saddle my own mount but I won't run you off from your easy job. Someone needs to be here to look after my personal stock," I said, and finished by telling him that Simon was Jaycee's mount and that Jasper and Jeffry were my personal mules.

Meka and I had made it back just in time for lunch. Everyone else was in the dining room when we entered and as soon as I was seated food began appearing.

I could get used to this. Actually I'd already gotten used to it at George and Ethel's house. The food here was wonderful but not really any better than in east Texas. The serving girls though, I don't mean to be critical of Ethel, Wanda, Geneva, and Carolyn but their costumes couldn't hold a candle to these. I did need to speak to the head cook and bottle washer though, about coffee cake.

I barely had time to finish my third mug of coffee after lunch when one of Geron's men came to the dining room with the happy news that a small army was approaching. Of course everyone wanted to come and join in the excitement. I decided to let them. Jaycee made us wait a few minutes while she went down to get the Barrett she claimed as her own.

When she came back she had one of her trainees with her and he was carrying a box with probably twenty pairs of binoculars in it. I was so glad she'd thought of them that I kissed her on the spot.

"You're a wonder woman, that's what you are. I can never remember things like that until I'm already on the spot and need them," I said.

"Can it, you just wanted a kiss," she said, and then led the way to the wall.

When we were up top and could look out through the embrasures we saw that a parley party was already on the way. There were probably twenty of them, all decked out and no place to fight. Behind them were at least five or six hundred men setting up a camp.

It seemed like it took forever for the white pennant on top of a lance to reach us, and when the obvious leader of the pack started spouting off French titles I wished we hadn't bothered to wait. I cut him off after a bit.

"Speak English or turn around and go back," I said.

He started again, still in French.

"Ok, lets go. He wants a pecker test and he's failing," I said, turning my back and heading toward the stairway; everyone followed me down.

Meanwhile Frenchy hadn't given up, he kept yelling something and began getting louder and speaking faster, like I gave a shit. No matter what was said they'd all be my prisoners before dawn so it didn't matter.

When we were back on the ground one of the gatekeepers, who had some type of peephole that Big Boy had provided told us that the party was heading back.

"I wish I could be a fly around that pile of shit when he tells the ones that sent him what happened," I said, mostly for something to say.

"Why not watch it in your war room," Big Boy sent straight into my head.

"I didn't know I had a war room," I thought back to him.

"Every great general needs an information center."

"I'm sure they do, but we don't have a great general here. Do I have a war room anyway," I asked.

"But of course. There's a door leading into it from your study."

"OK folks, I've just been informed that we'll have a ring side seat for the parley member's return," I said, and we went to my study and sure enough there was a door with my hand print glowing beside it.

Inside was more like a small movie theater. On one wall there was a giant flat screen probably twelve feet high and fourteen or sixteen feet wide. Facing it were very comfortable theater seats.

"Kewl," said Jaycee, "Will we have popcorn too?"

I think we should. Who's going to check with the kitchen?" I asked.

Turns out we didn't need to and I'm sure that Big Boy had spread the word somehow. Four of our scantily clad serving girls showed up in seconds with mountains of popcorn and an ice chest full of Cokes. Too bad I didn't have time to pet them a thank you.

The big screen came to life as we settled down to munch our snacks and drink our sodas. I don't know who was doing the camera work but it was excellent. When what must of been one of the Barons started speaking to the returning messenger I could tell he was not pleased, even though he was speaking French too, at first anyway. Soon enough it was translated for me.

"Percy, why are you back so soon? What did they say?" the hot under the collar Baron shouted.

"I don't know who I was talking to, but he refused to listen unless I spoke English. Of course I refused to speak the peasant's language and he left," the smart ass said to his boss, and even I knew it was a mistake on Percy's part.

The Baron, whichever one he was, reached back and slapped the coon dog shit out of the uppity little bastard. It knocked him off his feet and I think a couple of teeth came out of his mouth. He lay on the ground, stunned senseless.

"You arrogant little pimp. I didn't send you so you could indulge your vanity, fool! I sent you for information. Charles, take him and see that he gets thirty lashes before dark. If he lives until tomorrow he gets thirty more, every day, until he can no longer fuck things up for me," the Baron said, and he was pretty hot.

"Jacques, do you have a messenger that is not a complete idiot?" the mad one said, and I assumed he was talking to the other Baron that was standing beside him.

"Probably not, Searlus, but he watched what your man received for his failure and surely he knows he will get worse if he fails also. Don't you, Damien?" Jacques asked.

"Yes lord, I will be glad to speak English with the man," Damien said, and headed for his horse.

Instead of sending the same mounted party back with a new messenger, the new messenger gathered a new party of his own. But Searlus wasn't through ranting and raving yet.

"Henri, how did this happen?" he asked, nearly screaming, at one of the mounted men from the first group.

"With great respect for you sire, I have mentioned before that it is not wise to send one who has never been in battle to parley about a battle. That thing you sent to talk assumed that we would just threaten them and then break down the walls and conquer them," Henri said.

"Don't even bother with beating him Charles, just kill him," Searlus said, in exasperation.

"How could such a fool live long enough to learn to walk. It would have been an awful battle if Pierre's walls hadn't seen such improvement. It will be impossible now. I can't believe the changes since I was here only a few months ago."

"I can't either. Those walls must be thirty feet high, and my scouts say they are the same all the way around, for miles," Jacques said.

"We can't even bother him with eight hundred men. I'm not sure we could take him with eight thousand and we have no way of gathering so large a force," Searlus said.

"If we can't talk him out of there we may as well go home and try to become his friends, later," Jacques said.

"Indeed, it will be the only way. Even the King would not send an army large enough to breach those walls for the little amount of territory they control," Searlus said.

They went back into a tent then, and it looked like a splendid one at that. I'd have to make sure no harm came to it tonight.

"Geron, when the next group gets here, if Damien is respectful and speaks English, invite them all inside. While I bring him into my study to talk I want you to take the armed guards around and show them all our improvements, all the ones above ground anyway.

"After you've impressed them take them somewhere nice and make sure they get plenty of wine, plenty. I'll make sure the kitchen help knows to bring very strong wine, just be sure you don't drink much. There won't be any need to send them back tonight," I said.

"There won't?" he asked.

"No, after sunset every one out there will go to sleep, whether they intend to or not. About nine o'clock we will go out and deal with them. Have all the able bodied men ready for instructions at seven o'clock. I will tell you how to proceed then.

My thanks to Zen Master for help with proofing, editing, his attempts to inject sanity into my tale, and enlightenment about things happening in France during this period. Any mistakes remaining are mine, and he probably told me about them but I didn't pay enough attention.