It was great that we were able to have some company. Petras, Jeran and Casone were still just as determined to find a mate. There were no centaurs here in town. Their whores were fun, but you could never turn a hoe into a housewife. We moved onwards. Killing bandits and other criminals enhanced our stature as Blood Knights. We left gore and broken bones in our wake. Casone and Enetes were totally on board for the slaughter. It was a bit harsher for us. A lot more settlements closed their doors to us. Fabien and Anthony had noble blood. We did not. The ones that did were given some gold or jewels for their troubles. I genuinely appreciated their hospitality. The fort where General Kaiton was stationed loomed ahead of us. He let us in like last time. I made sure to thank him for the letter of introduction. "Did any of you win those tourneys?" he asked. "Sir Killroy was strong and a fighting champion. It brought him nothing but woe." I told him about the part where his mother was poisoned. The sad aftermath left him shaking his head. "A damn shame. I helped train him up."
Zipping to the next topic of conversation, he asked what we would be doing this time around. "The Swifthearts won a lease of some forested land. They have 10 years to develop the area into a successful hunting resort. The late king had wanted such a thing. We will help the bring that desire to life." I said. The general raised an eyebrow at me. "And what will you get from this?" he asked. I answered "If all goes well for us, Lord Sweetheart will be given the county and the title to match." He rubbed his chin and hummed to himself. I asked "Is something the matter?" He looked me up and down. "No. I wish you luck. Your story has given me an idea though." "You have children you want to advance?" I responded. "Yes..." he trailed off. "Making a good showing in the fights he watches is a good way to get his eye to pass over you. We had to ask favors to get a private audience, but someone of your rank should be able to schedule meetings with him right away." He scoffed. "If only it was that easy, my boy. I will bring my sons to the capital. Herman's out. They'll go in." he said.
As a simple low ranking knight, I had no clue what my betters were actually plotting. If General Kaiton wanted his sons given titles, he probably had a scheme in mind. As a general, there were probably dozens of large tracts of land he was aware of begging to be cultivated. He could offer his families service in making military outposts on the condition his family got the rights to the land. He had said he was from the coasts and therefore less favored than those from the capital. Still, to be manning a fort so close to said capital spoke large volumes on his actual respect and military prowess. People held him in high regard even if the royal family and high nobles did not. They could definitely pull this off if his sons were as good at fighting and dueling as Sir Killroy was. Winning some tournaments in the capital would go a long way to gaining the king's favor. I took my leave and we spent some time training with the soldiers. I was still not that good with swordplay. Enetes actually got a chance to heal when an old soldier got a nasty cut along the arm. He was scared. After a week, we left.
