'Til Kingdom Comes - The Banished Prince Vol 3: The Prophecy

Austin Powers

After realising the prices that were set around the town, the adventurers just hoped to get a load of bread each and then they would fish freely at the duck pond instead. Besides, there's no nearest body of water and it would be miles before they would find one.

Besides, as Gregory the guard had mentioned, there would be mutated grey wolves within the area and that's the reason why the guards were deployed all around the town to avoid such rampage.

Remembering the time when Gracehaven was hit by a mutated armadillo before, it seems that mutated wild beast was bountiful in the frontiers. He hoped that the rest of the Adventurers would not encounter such beasts during their expedition.

"Alright, I will ask the Lord of the house first before you proceed alright? I would be at the entrance gate that you had entered earlier so if you need any other assistance, you can get me to help you around then."

With that Gregory, the guard went inside the Lord's house and within 5 minutes he was out and informed the party of four to have their short break first since the Lord would not be meeting anyone around this time.

Gregory the guard led the party of four to a small eatery where they shared a bowl of pottage each and a loaf of bread that was sliced rather thick. It would be considered as the town's dinner as it had past midday and after which Gregory the guard would pick them later and usher them to the Lord's House.

"I would be right back, guys. See you in half an hour later or after you had finish eating, which is the faster one then. I'm off to have my break as well."

" I've informed the barkeep to keep the prices low since you are all Adventurers and also do not have many pennies with you. So that's it all I could do for you guys now. Catch up with you later then."

Through Gregory the guard, the barkeep kept the prices at their local's prices and the Adventurers only need to pay 6 pennies for a loaf of bread and 4 pennies for the pottage of meat and vegetables that they had shared.

"It's so damn expensive out here in the frontier... I wanna go back home...!" That's the exact thoughts the Adventurers were having right now and wished that they were enjoying sumptuous meals at the Greasy Spoon instead of here in the frontiers.

After their meals, they engaged in small talk with the barkeep and find that the settlement had been recently set up too. It was like mushrooms that sprout after a heavy downpour where plenty of settlements began to form around some resources available in the wilderness.

Besides not being near a steady body of water like a stream or river, at least the town managed to get hold of a water diviner and source out the best place where they could dig a well.

There was a duck pond and these fishes were brought in by the ducks that had flown in other places to roost and populate. The roes of the fishes that got stuck within the feathers and webs of the feet of these ducks were somehow dislodged when they are in the water, thus providing the duck pond with a steady supply of fishes.

Besides the variety of ducks that had roosted during spring had nearly all flown back to warmer climates and had a few families of geese left waiting to fly off when it's in the last weeks of Autumn.

The hunters of the Camp took the opportunity to hunt these geese down and supply meat to their families. Since there was a duck pond of about 50 feet in diameter across and about 6 to 8 inches deep, there was a constant flow of wild animals that came to the duck pond and treating it as a watering hole.

There was an occasional ox, some wild boars families and also red deer where it was hunted down and made into preserved meat jerkies especially in autumn since most animals would be hibernating by then.

The pottage that the Adventurers were having were made of some wild boar innards and greens from the vegetable farms. Even if the town was not equipped with cold storage, but they were able to preserve the innards of the hunt in vats filled with brine and other preservatives.

After the Adventurers get to know what was needed to find out regards the town, Gregory the guard came back and then the Adventurers trailed behind him as they went to the Lord's house.

"Good morrow, my Lord. I'm Gregory the guard and here are the Adventurers that I had earlier mentioned that had come from GraceHaven about 5 days of travel from here."

"They had brought with them a sort of decree from their Majesty, Territorial King Audemars Macleod. May I present to you with the decree, now, my Lord?"

Gregory the guard became the spokesperson for the Adventurers as Guy removed the decree from his knapsack and handed to Gregory the guard to be presented to the Lord of the House.

The Lord of the house received the decree, removed the red ribbon that was tied to it and unfurled the scroll. After he had read the scroll, he furled jut back, tied the ribbon and handed it back to Gregory the guard to be returned to Guy for safekeeping.

"My name is Lord Austin Powers. I had been a Lord of this town for several seasons already and this is the first time I have heard of Gracehaven."

"Although I do not practise serfdom and may have peasants coming in and out form other neighbouring towns here to seek for employment, I believe that Gracehaven is many times over than this town, no?"

Lord Austin Powers paused a while before letting Gut speak up. Even if it was the first time he met a lord of such, but meeting and speaking to His Majesty seemed to be much simpler than this.

"That's right, Lord Austin Powers. Gracehaven is in need of more manpower and there would be ample housing lots and crop fields that the serfs and peasants could work on."

"Although Gracehaven does not practise serfdom as well, all it wishes to have was to have more manpower to work on more than 1000 crop fields that were segregated all around the perimeter of the town's walls."

Guy replied and the Lord in front of him continued. "Then if your Majesty does not practise serfdom, then why does he need the serfs for? To work the fields for him for free as the monarch of the land or to serve the knights under him?"

"Actually, Lord Austin Powers, there are no knights at this moment and only Our Majesty is the only monarch that stands on top of the pyramid."

"There are close to 3,000 citizens back in our town and we could easily accommodate up to 15,000 citizens as we have as close to 4,000 homes, both thatched and brick homes as well."

The Lord before them pondered for a while before changing the subject. "You seemed to be a learned young lad. How old are you and where did you go to school to learn how to address yourself before a noble in this manner?"

"I am 17 years of age and my sister is 13 years of age. The other two that are travelling with me are newlyweds couple. My sister and I do not go to a proper school at that time since there was a single classroom where we learned how to read and write and do simple math. The classroom had since being upgraded to a three-storey full session school."

"We learn how to speak to others in this way as the same way we learn how to speak to our elders, our pioneers and even to Our Majesty. As what Our Majesty always says, 'A title is bestowed to a man and without it does not make a man be naked."

"A title is just something they place in front of a name and the most important is how we treat one another in the community."

"Respect begets respect and we earn respect and not to demand it.' That's what Our Majesty used to say to the young generation such as us."

The Lord in front of them laughed out loud and slapped his thighs as he did so. "Hahaha... This is the most absurd thing I had heard in all my life before...!"

"Does Your Majesty think he is a commoner who suddenly became the ruler of his town? How long had he been serving his town, eh? For 10 years already or something?"

"Hahaha. So speak so freely like a commoner who seemed to have been married to a Queen... Hahaha."

Guy and the rest don't know that the lord in front of them was implying but from the sarcastic remarks, they all knew that this would not bode well at the end of the session.

"I am a true blue-blooded noble and I declare myself as Lord of the House here and governs this piece of land to ensure that everyone follows my instructions. You, young lad, does not seem fit enough to speak to me further on any of the topics mentioned inside the decree. If you may, get Your Majesty to come and present himself to me before I would consider his preposition inside his decree."

"With just a signature and seal, do you think he could bring anyone down to its knees and follow to what he says inside it, huh?"

"Do you think your so-called Majesty is greater than me here? What you had said earlier about 4000 homes and 1000 crop fields were all fabricated and had been brainwashed by your so-called Majesty to tell everyone what you had said to be true and through, am I right?"

"Where in the world would you find such lands that could provide so many homes and so many crop fields? This is not London nor Liverpool or Manchester at all..."

"15,000 citizens ready to be move in and settled in Gracehaven? Which leg are you trying to pull eh, kiddo?"

All the adventures ears were getting hot and that's how steam get to be seen if one were to observe closely...!

The words that had reached them were ringing inside their ears and their minds.

Only those who had come from Gracehaven knew what changes had the town recently underwent and what they are facing was manpower.

With more manpower, the earlier batch of residents could finally be upgraded to become permanent residents and then move into brick homes.

The crop fields that were around the second cluster could then be tended, rather than leaving it to be abandoned and uncared for.

Actually, the crop fields could be tended in phases by not using the bumper crops since it would make everyone work in such a frenzy to clear all the 1000 odd crop fields every 10 days.

"I have said my piece. As to what I had mentioned earlier, get your fake King to come and face me instead of sending you young brats to come and send me a decree that you can't even read a single word out of it."

The Lord in front of them further insinuated the Adventurers that Guy can't help but pick up a piece of stick and began to write on the ground in front of the Lord's House.

It simply read, "Do not poke a stick at a hornet's nest unless you are getting ready to be stung."

Seeing Guy had written something in the ground, the Lord of the house asked Gregory the guard to read it out for him and of course, being illiterate, he could just scratch his head and smiled back.

"Gregory, please lead us out from here before we do something untoward to your old and wise man over there. Please allow us to get some bread before we leave but mark our words, Lord Austin Powers, that today is not the lady day that you had seen the four of us."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Gregory... Its time for us to go. Leave these words on the ground to be etched into the minds of that fool before us."

Guy beckoned for Gregory as the Adventurers stood up and about-faced since it was a sign of rudeness to about-face and show their butts to the Lord of the house directly.

The moment the Adventurers left with Gregory, Lord Austin Powers went down from his home and stepped over to read what Guy had written on the ground.

He was surprised at the cursive writings that Guy had written on the ground and this could indicate one thing, an insult had been delivered by him while a threat had been issued by their higher command.

"Do not poke a stick at a hornet's nest unless you are getting ready to be stung."  this saying is an absolute slap on Lord Austin Powers' face as he didn't know that his insults would carry so much weight and be a burden to himself.

I guess that this Lord Austin Powers didn't care about his words before and once the words were spat on the ground, it can't be licked back, am I right?

Just wait, you little twerp... Wait till I bring my army to you... Hmph... Hmph... Hmph...!!!