Remember Honour

In the midday Lord Holder Rihan had ordered Drien to send a message out to all of the guard and any who served the hold similarly. The message pertained to a general meeting that would be held in the Main Hall in order to accommodate for the number of people that would be there. Word had reached Rihan's ears that some of the guard, only a couple of days before, had almost involved themselves in scandalous deeds, so the Holder thought best to remind everyone of the standard required of them while in his service.

Drudges were given the order to set up seating with a single aisle down the middle of the room. The aisle led to the low rise of a dais at the front of the Hall with a single high-backed chair from which the Lord Holder could address them.

The meeting was to take place within the early hours of the evening, before meal time, and were informed that it would be short in length so that they could all enjoy their dinner and retire early from work after.

The hour of the general meeting was about to be upon them and a few of the Hold Guard were the first to gather into the Main Hall, even as the last chairs were being set out for them.

((Drien can be there already, but Rihan will be the last to arrive. Everyone else can post first.))

Flynn lugged the last of the chairs into position, giving a small puff of relief. There were plenty of them, true, but some of the other drudges slacked off. She shot a glance of annoyance at a little group in particular, who caught the look in her eye and quickly dispersed.

She wasn't privy to things such as what this meeting was about: she'd only been told to get the tables and chairs in order. It seemed that the last several days had been nothing but being ordered about by every single person she encountered. Was this what she had pledged her loyalty for, she thought miserably, looking at the completed task and feeling no pride in the work. She barely had time to eat and wash herself (they washed a lot more often in this holds!) before going about her daily chores, and then it was time to sleep before starting the cycle again.

But Tashin was learning to read and write, she thought, a smile creeping at the corner of her lips. There was at least time every day to see him. The Hold's harper was optimistic about his progress, and had even urged her to ask for the time for lessons herself. She'd flatly refused, of course. Let Tashin learn. She would work her fingers to the bone if it would convince Lord Rihan he was worthy of more than drudge work.

And, every now and then, she saw Drienn. They hadn't spoken since the Gather but it couldn't be her imagination that his eyes lingered whenever they met her's. The small smile got a little bigger: no, coming here had been the right choice, regardless of her new, unfamiliar station.

Waltzing down the hall at his own pace, Toshiro came from the Eastern-most Wing of the Hold. He walked with the only other Captain that had been stationed at Telgar River Hold, holding a casual conversation with the man. They both wore the uniform of the Telgar Guard, as did all of the other Guardsmen present, only, there were certain differences that could plainly be seen in the uniforms of both Captains that would denote their difference in rank. Toshiro was grinning that mischievous grin so customary of him, when the two men rounded the corner, entering into the main hall.

Toshiro's narrow, shallow set eyes were watchful about the room, seeing who was first to attend. Apparently each of the men that'd been involved in the almost-scandal, had made certain to not be late. The five of them were of the First Squad Division, which Toshiro led, and since that day, he'd put them through brutal training regimens for punishment. For good measure, the Captain had involved all of his division in the first two days of punishment. Since these five men in particular obviously had too much free time on their hands and displayed a severe lack in discipline, he was likely to see that such treatment went on for several weeks. He had even seen to it that they were made to go back to doing drudge work, helping clean the Hall every day. Toshiro didn't let them do laundry or anything else that he'd been informed that Ariadne might be involved in; he'd acted in her interest to keep the men at a distance from her. Of course, Toshiro gladly saw to the oversight of the punishments being doled out in lieu of the incident involving the woman.

As the two Captains made their way to the front row of seats designated for officers of the Guard, he glanced casually about, wondering if Ariadne had been amoungst those preparing the Hall for the meeting. Since she'd been on his mind quite a bit over the last couple of days, the punishments of those involved in her near-scandal were probably made even more painful than necessary. Perhaps it would put his heart at ease a little, being able to see her again and know that she was still doing OK.

Toshiro took his seat and waited while others continued pouring into the Hall.

The high backed chairs were not difficult to carry out or reposition as needed. Ariadne worked diligently after being pulled from the infirmary to help set up for the meeting. She would rather have been pulled from laundry detail but there wasn’t much going on in the infirmary today so this was what she was going to do for the day. As soon as Flynn set the last chair out, she walked over to her.

“What are you up to today? And how is Tashin enjoying lessons?” Since the other woman’s arrival, Ariadne had gone out of her way to befriend her. Being accepted by Lord Rihan to become part of the Hold did not mean the Hold accepted her. Ariadne had heard the whispers and rumors about Flynn and Tashin and was disgusted by the cruelty of people who knew nothing about how a person became Holdless or how hard it was to be accepted by society as a whole because of it.

As she spoke to the woman, two officers entered although she had no intention of going anywhere near this meeting originally. She had made a point not to be around the Guards as much as she could. Upon hearing of the incident the Headwoman had delegated that a man should collect laundry from the barracks, more for safety than anything else. However when Ariadne recognized one of the officers as Toshiro, she smiled and made a small wave in greeting.

It might be nice to talk to him again at some point and it might also be nice to find out what the meeting was about from someone who was there and not eavesdropping.

A faint but genuine smile adorned the Captains features as he caught sight of Ariadne. Just before he took his seat, he noticed that she was in the company of the holdless -no, no, the once-holdless- woman Flynn. The expression shifted then, becoming a bit indecipherable as he'd turned from them then to sit. His conversation continued with the other Captain present, but he kept it at the forefront of his mind that he should make a point of saying hello to Ariadne after the meeting; he could also use that as an excuse to see what Flynn had been up to since her arrival.

His initial dislike of the idea that Flynn would be coming to the Hold with them was not because he suspected her of anything, but because he didn't want to see what happened to him happening to another little boy. Having been abandoned at Telgar when he was very young, when Flynn suggested that she leave her brother with Drien to care for, it was only natural that he shun the idea after he himself had suffered by the same 'caring' designs. That reason had quickly developed into actual suspicions of her actions on the day of the Gather however. Such musings the Captain had yet to share with his Holder or Steward. He would address his concerns with them soon.

In any case, for now, he would find ways to converse with Ariadne to see what ways he may be able to confirm any suspicions about Flynn. Well aware that Ariadne had been assisting the woman in her adjusting to Hold life and helping direct the woman in her work, Toshiro was glad that he had someone he knew that he could inquire after the once-holdless woman casually. No matter how hard Flynn worked however, or how friendly she presumed to be, Toshiro would do whatever necessary to ensure the safety of the Hold. The Captain hid such secrets of his mind well, so his suspicion did not show to anyone, even if a general dislike of Flynn may have been apparent. But how was that different than how he treated anyone else he hardly knew? Toshiro's manner for being socially rough around the edges was well known -and perhaps that was even an understatement.



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When everyone had been seated, Rihan came into the threshold where sunlight flooded into the Main Hall from where giant doors to the outside had been set ajar for them to all enter through. A servant manning the door to receive them all announced the Heir Apparent's arrival. Not but a fraction of a breath after he'd finished his announcement, Rihan wasted no time in lengthening his stride to walk the center isle that led to the dais that had been prepared for him.

A new stillness came over them all as every footfall came in a precise cadence that could be heard in a soft echo through the vaulted room. Like the echo of those boots, Rihan's presence likewise filled the room. Perhaps for now, they would be left to guess what kind of energy he hoped to bring to this meeting. Most of those present however, had an idea that it had something to do with the crime that some had nearly committed days earlier, but Rihan did not often address a large number of the hold at once; typically that was left to their direct superiors or even Drien. Most of them had no idea what to expect.

Today was different though. For Telgar River Hold was still new, and it was growing and many of those present had just moved to the area from possibly distant places. As a young Lord Holder and as the Heir Apparent of the territory, he called this meeting not only to address abominable acts, but to set a precedence for their future -for his future as a Lord Holder.

Rihan stepped up onto the dais, turning a stoic face to them as he sat in his own high-backed chair, finished in a warm crimson velveteen. Looking out over the workers who had assembled before him, he took a few breaths to look at each of their faces before speaking. "Thank you all for joining me here. I will make our meeting brief and allow you all to retire early from your work that you may enjoy the rest of the day with your friends and families. For that to happen, allow me get right to business."

Even given the nature of the topic, the unruffled composure that so well suited Rihan was well worn, but his voice carried a stern note that left no room for debate, and his eyes imparted the gravity of his words that he hoped would reach them. "You all know that the citizens of Telgar are proud to live by an indisputable code of honour; that is a code that is written on the very tablet of our hearts. Know that I will not permit any of you in service to me to break that code of honour we live by, even if it means the loss of your own life. That is the only way that I will have it."

As promised, it was delivered. Short and to the point. Now, it would be blatant disobedience if any of them acted in such a way that was dishonourable. And through disobedience they could only become a disappointment to their Lord Holder. More than the loss of their own lives, Rihan's own disappointment should be their greater fear. Likewise, what punishment they should receive in lieu of their failings to him would be of little concern in comparison to the dishonour they would have brought upon Rihan's head should they decide to act thoughtlessly.

After a moment of permeating silence, Rihan finished, leaving the floor open to their concerns. "Are there any questions?"

When everything was said and done, Rihan had dismissed the gathering of personnell, leaving them to disperse for an early dinner. The Captain started visiting again immediately with the other officer whom he'd arrived with, but soon was out of his chair, making his way to the back of the room where he'd caught sight of Ariadne earlier. Letting his left arm hang over the sword at his hip, a bemused smirk worked its way to his lips when he found the previously-holdless woman Flynn there beside her.

"Did they ask you to put away the chairs again, before dinner? I'll find an excuse to get you out of the work if so; we could sit together for dinner again." Shiro was only speaking to Ariadne, it was apparent, and he hadn't given Flynn another look since he started talking. It was obvious through his posture as well, that he preferred ignoring her.

[Closing thread due to inactivity over holidays Moving on.]