Chapter 209: Armed and Dangerous

Chapter 209: Armed and Dangerous

As usual, Gerald was in his study, and the Warden had to negotiate past a series of aides and secretaries to see him. It didn't take that long. Since they all knew him, the bureaucrats only put up only a token resistance to his advance. Gerald had never bothered to change his standing orders that anyone but the King should be delayed as long as possible, but at the same time, he had never turned away any guest who was persistent enough. One just had to know the tricks for getting to him.

The Warden walked into the dusty office. The only source of light was a small window above the desk. Otherwise, the space was crammed with paper, scrolls, and thick tomes. As he entered. Gerald lifted his pudgy bulk off of the comfortable armchair behind the desk. His hunched figure practically waddled over to the Warden to give him a big hug. "John, my friend, it's been too long! Why don't you visit more?"

The Warden returned the hug quite warmly. Gerald was an odd man, but he'd never met anyone with a better head for numbers. "Well, if you simply would let me past your guard dogs easier, maybe I would. Or perhaps you could come to visit me."

"Hurmph," Gerald said as he sat back down. "If I could ever find you, I might perhaps consider it."

The Warden knew that was a lie. Gerald rarely left his office other than for food or the ministers' meetings. He also knew that Gerald was too mindful of his own time to change the rules, even to let a good friend see him more frequently.

"So, what brings you by?" Gerald asked as he pulled a bottle of whiskey from underneath his desk. The man wiped out a pair of glasses and poured drinks, completely ignoring that it was ten in the morning.

"Well, I can't be the only one to notice that something strange is going on. I want to know if you have any insights on what we can expect from our most industrious King next."

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Bee and Tony stood at the gates to the castle as the first of Arthur's army arrived. The steady tramp of boots marching in step rang throughout the valley, echoing off of the mountain walls. Even though they were allies, Bee couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by the display.

She didn't like the idea of there being a force at home that she couldn't match, aside from Void, of course. Not yet, at least. She wasn't sure if she should be bothered by that thought. It had just crept into her assumptions that one day, she would rival an army all on her own. One day soon, too, if a fourteen-year-old at level 50 was any indicator.

Some basic searching in the library had told her that myths didn't even tell of such things. So far, no one had really noticed her true strength. Only Mary and presumably Void knew her exact level. But looking back, what she had accomplished during her time with Void was only so impressive.

"They will." Bee didn't add that the Nighty Knights would also have their own guard rotations. On the surface, it wasn't that important. But now that their levels were starting to near the double digits, they began to match some of the weaker soldiers, and with their growth...

"I would like to add some of my own men to the rotation to assure that order is kept, if that won't cause any offense."

"I will see that it doesn't. But how will that help with our problem?"

"Well, as my solution will require extra work for them, it's only fair that we contribute." Arthur explained with a smile. "I'm thinking that it would be a bad idea to bar soldiers completely from the castle. That would drive a wedge between us and unnecessarily sow division. While I would like to think that I can control my men, I would rather not have to. So instead, I propose that we have some allotment of day passes to offer as rewards."

Bee thought for a second. That wasn't a half-bad idea; there would need to be a lot of setup work for them at first. They would need to issue some identification for all the citizens of the castle, for example, and measures to verify the pass's holder. But it would be good to mingle with their people. "I think we can work on that. We will need to think about a starting number and get some other things set up. I would like to say that at least half should be strictly training rewards, the other can be discretionary."

"Officers do like to have ways to reward their men, but training is paramount now." Arthur agreed. "This whole army is bloodied now. I wouldn't call them all veterans, but each and every one of them knows a bit about soldiering now.

"Armies like this usually get split at the end of a campaign to form the backbone of new legions. The veterans form the new core and greens fill up the empty slots. I have never seen an army like this be given a chance to train without disruption. We are going to produce something new here."

Bee nodded solemnly as the rows of soldiers continued marching past. They must have taken extra time to prepare last night as, despite being at the end of a multi-week march, they looked clean and sharp. "I hope it's enough."

"I do too."

Tony had been standing off to the side, listening for a long while. This was his first time meeting the general, and Bee could tell that he was slightly overwhelmed. It was rather out of character for the guy, but Arthur did have a presence about him, she supposed. Sadly, this wasn't a great time to get over his awkwardness and have a first conversation in front of everyone. Still, she felt a bit of an obligation to help her friend out.

"Also, this is Tony, our people manager. I think you two will need to get to know each other, as he will also be the army's point of contact for their needs from the castle." Bee introduced the slightly star-struck young man.

They exchanged a handshake, and Arthur gave the younger man a fatherly smile. "I hope you have some staff. Things might be a bit overwhelming, especially at first. You have no idea the amount of paperwork an army generates."

"Well, I hope that the castle'll have enough paper then." Tony said, "And yes, I have a few helpers. Mostly I keep track of people and make sure they're using their skills well, so we're not wasting talents. The castle is pretty settled right now, so of everyone on the council I have the most time."

"Not for long." Arthur grinned maliciously.