Chapter 19: Home at Last!

Soro and Darianne remained in Reshall of course, no doubt reporting to their masters.
For the rest of us, it took a couple of months to make our way home.
Sir Zacharias went to his family and resumed the long courtship of his beloved Lady Mercedes. Because of his notable service to the Church, he was granted the right to add a discrete but important fleur de lis to his coat or arms. Like all of us he was debriefed by the Robbinian-Elousie. The wedding was set for the auspicious day 15/6/1070, 10 months after our return.
Adan resumed his real identity, and the miracle that had made him appear as Sir Jean-Marc faded. He was possibly hunted by Keruna, but rather than hide in Valon, he joined the Reshallian campaign against Cho Rak, returning to Valon a month or so before the wedding.
I spent many months writing down all that I knew for my order. Our agents are still keeping an eye on Reshall: Keruna (who enjoys the elimination of a major rival), the Queen, Undead, and of course the war (Reshall had already effectively won a year ago). There was, so far as I know, little overt meddling.
After that I devoted myself to becoming the foremost expert of Demons within the Robbinians, and indeed the Church.

A little while before the wedding preparations were under way, I noticed that Adan had left several bottles of Reshallian wine untouched, and for no good reason. I sampled one myself, and it tasted particularly fine (although I felt a little strange afterwards). Not thinking much of it, I put the other bottles aside, drinking several of them over a week or so.
As the wedding approached, I gradually realised what I had done: this was not ordinary wine, but Elven contraceptive, and I was feeling delicate and emotional.

I had better describe some of the local characters:

Sir Zacharias is a mighty knight with his own ideas about fashion, and especially hats. He is a superb horseman, jouster, and a dangerous man with a sword, which is as it should be. His faith is firm, his heart is true, and his musical talents are notorious. His intellect is not lacking, at least not in matters related to being a knight.
He has a younger brother; Robespierre, who is not a man of military prowess.
His father is, frankly, a miser, for Chateau de la Roche is a small holding beset by swamps.
Some of the de la Roche sheep have gone missing. I am not a herdsman, but I suspect that part of the holding's financial woes is due to trying to farm sheep in a mire. I would have thought oxen, or frogs, or water fowl would have been more promising.

Adan is a foreigner; a huge man, and on foot he is a most effective warrior. He is feareless, but also a heathen, though he seems a good man. Sometimes I feel that he does not understand all the subtleties of our speech, because he sometimes utterly misses the point.
Adan picked up a social disease. I cannot cure diseases, but the Bishop can, though preferred to grovel at the local priory instead; the caring hands of the Sisters of Mercy on his member seeming less threatening to his machismo than those of the good Bishop.


The neighbours to the West live in a slightly less swampy sort of a swamp. They are wealthier, have more men at arms, and their Chateau de la Grande Fond is larger, if less defensive.
Lady Mercedes de la Grande Fond is a strapping lass, greatly beloved of Sir Zacharias.

To the East, where the land is even danker, lurk the Méchant family. They are nasty and mean, oppress their peasants, cultivate long curly moustachios, and live in a squalid chateau in the midst of a small lake. There are even crocodiles.
Vaine Méchant, the daughter, is another strapping lass, having some sort of relationship with a commoner (of sorts).
Lady Méchant is pretty huge as well.

We call him the Birdman, but his real name is Bever FitzRichelieu, unacknowledged bastard of Comte Richelieu, who is the most powerful local landowner.
His ambiguous social status allows him to get away with a lot of dubious behaviour; supplying swans to the tables of the nobility and entertaining at least one daughter.
His farm is to the Northeast of la Roche.

Chateau Destrier is another small holding to the Northeast, North of the Méchants. The family do not breed destriers, only lesser horses.


Bishop Artoi de Bonneau is a flabby and effeminate young man from a very powerful family. He will perform the ceremony, if he can keep his pudgy hands off the altar boys.

The real Jean-Marc is a Knight in the Order of the Sun.
Jeanette is his sister, open to offers from Adan.