The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series (45 page)

Flare slowed his horse down to match Aaron's speed and let others pass him by. “Aaron, Are you okay?”

Aaron smiled, “Yeah. I kept catching Kara watching us. She looked like she was trying to find an excuse to send us to the wagons.” Nudging his horse to speed up, he matched speeds with the rest of the company of soldiers. They didn't even notice the two guardians.

Flare rose up in his stirrups, looking over the heads of the soldiers, and then settled back down in the saddle. “I can't see Kara now, so we should have a few moments of peace.”

Aaron smiled, “Knowing Kara, it won't be long before she comes looking for us.”

Flare smiled back, “Actually, I thought that you wanted to talk. I noticed Elona at dinner last night; she looks like a new person.”

The smile slipped from Aaron's face. “I wanted to thank you for that.” Looking toward Flare, he said, “I don't know what I would have done if she had been sent back with Stonewood.”

“So what's going on with you two?” Flare asked. “I'm just curious, that's all,
you
don't have to answer if you don't want to.”

Aaron looked forward again, and for a moment Flare thought that he wasn't going to answer. After a moment or two of silence, he said, “I'm not sure. I couldn't stand the thought of her staying with Stonewood, but I'm not sure that I want her to stay with me. You know?” Flare grunted something non-committal and Aaron continued, “I mean last night I found her talking to a wagon driver. At first, I was jealous,” he paused to scratch his chin, “but then I felt,” he paused, searching for the right word, “relieved.”

Flare sighed, “Just because you wanted to protect her doesn't mean that you want to love her. Is that right?” Flare asked.

Aaron smiled, “Yeah, but I still don't like the guy I saw her talking to. He had the look of a guy who was up to no good.”

Flare laughed and Aaron eyed him questioningly, “Come on Aaron. If there is any girl that should be able to judge a man, it's Elona. She's had some experience at that sort of thing.”

The trip continued without the fireworks of the first night reoccurring, partially because the arch-bishop kept his distance from the guardians. None of the other guardians brought up the topic of religion, and Flare knew better than to bring it up himself.

He enjoyed the ride back to Telur. The weather was warm, and the soldiers rode slowly. The slow leisurely ride overloaded Flare's senses.
The chirping of the birds and the calls of the other animals.
The smells of the forest, and the occasional animal that Flare spotted reminded him of the joys of the woods. In a way, he found himself getting homesick for his elven homeland, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. There were a couple of days where Callin and Murleen didn't enter his thoughts until at least noon. At first he felt guilty, but he knew that it was just part of healing.

Due to the slow pace, the trip from Fort Mul-dune took five weeks; where as the trip to Fort Mul-dune had only taken twenty-five days. As they neared the city, Flare began once again to get nervous. 'How will I be treated? Will this win the hearts of the people, or will this change anything?' He kept wondering. And as they neared the city, another thought began to bother him, 'Will I be blamed for the deaths of the soldiers that were under my command?'

Flare wrestled with these thoughts and concerns, right up until they rode through the city gates.

Chapter 19

Captain Mondell had sent scouts ahead to notify the King of the approach of the soldiers. When the soldiers arrived, they were expected.

The soldiers broke camp that morning, knowing that they would sleep that night in Telur. With the exception of Flare, all of the guardians were looking forward to a hot meal and sleeping in a nice bed. Flare was still nervous about how he would be received. Would the people understand what had happened at the fort and cheer them as heroes, or would they blame the deaths of the soldiers on him?

All the guardians were packing up gear, and Flare was bent over, rolling up a bedroll, when he was surprised by a voice from behind him, “Uh, no, you won't be wearing those clothes.” Straightening up, he turned to see who had spoken. The bedroll dropped from his hands at the sight of Captain Mondell standing in the middle of the guardian's camp. Since the first day that they had set out on the march, Mondell had not visited them. Not intentionally avoiding them, he was the captain, and he maintained his distance from the soldiers, but that had just changed for some reason.

Captain Mondell motioned to the clothes that Flare had on, and also to the clothes that the other guardian's were wearing, “You're returning as heroes, so wear something a little more appropriate, hum?” He grimaced and shook his head, “That hair makes you look like you've been fur trapping in the mountains for six months, but I guess it's too late to do anything about it now.”

Flare glanced down at the clothes he was wearing. They looked fine to him, just an ordinary traveling uniform. All the guardians were wearing the same thing, except the magicians and Kara, of course, and the same rules really didn't apply to those three.
And his hair?
It was getting a little long, but it was just now slightly past his collar. He hadn't had much time to cut it when he was killing goblins, but he didn't think that he should tell that to the Captain. “Uh, sir, this is all we have. Our dress uniforms are packed in the wagons.”

Captain Mondell smiled, “Flare, as an officer you will need to start planning ahead.
Being prepared.”
Mondell half-turned and made a motion, and for the first time, Flare noticed the two soldiers standing behind him holding a trunk between them.

After breaking camp, the soldiers rode slowly toward the city. Throughout the morning, Flare noticed that the pace seemed to pick up. Smiling, he wrote it off to the excitement of the soldiers.

Atock rubbed the sweat from his forehead as he moved his horse up to Flare's left, “If we don't get there soon, I am going to die from the heat.” He seemed to growl as he spoke.

Flare too was suffering in the summer heat. It hadn't been this hot in the mountains near Mul-Dune. But they were now squarely in the plains in the middle of the summer, and in their dress uniforms! Flare grimaced at the uniform he had on, it looked like something he should wear to a ball. The black knee high boots were comfortable enough, but the black pants and black jacket soaked up the sun. He was sure that the grey shirt was covered in sweat stains, and it wasn't even mid-morning yet.

Derek moved closer, although still on the other side of Atock. “Yeah, if we don't get there before noon, people are going to start getting sick.” He kept his voice down as he spoke. “And why are we in dress uniforms, I feel ridiculous!”

Flare smiled a mirthless smile at them, 'I can't let them see that I agree with them.' “I tell you what. You two have my permission to ride to the front and inform Captain Mondell of your opinions. Although, I am sure that he won't be as patient with you two, as I am.” With that, he nudged his horse faster, leaving the two men watching his back.

Derek waited until Flare was out of earshot before he spoke, and even then he spoke quietly, “What's the matter with him? Why is he so touchy?” He waited for an answer, but when none seemed forthcoming, he glanced at Atock.

Atock had a thoughtful look on his face, watching Flare. “I think that he agrees with us,” he said after a moment. “But he's a lieutenant now and I think that he is trying to set an example.”

Derek snorted, “An example.
What for?”

Atock glanced over at Derek, “You forget that my father is a king and he too has to set an example. He has to do things for the people's sake, even if he doesn't want to.”

“I can take orders just as well as any soldier,” Derek protested.

Atock smiled, “Then do so, and maybe we should complain a little less while we do it.”

Derek's only answer was a frown and an inaudible curse.

Finally, they neared the city, and Flare was the first to make out the people lining the walls. His elven sight was a blessing and it wasn't long before he could pick out that people lined up at the base of the walls too. He began to reconsider his distaste for the dress uniform.

Captain Mondell called a halt about a mile from the gates. In a column of that many men, it takes a few moments for the whole column to stop, but the soldiers accomplished it with only a small amount of cursing and grumbling. Captain Mondell turned his horse and rode back from the front of the troops and stopped in front of the guardians.
“All-right.
I do believe that those people are here to see you. Flare, I want you to lead us in, and I want the rest of your squad to follow you.”

“Sir?”
Flare asked confused, “What's going on?”

Captain Mondell smiled, “These people are here to cheer their new heroes, and I am not one of them.” He motioned toward the front of the company, “I want you to ride in front, with your squad right behind you. I will follow them and lead the soldiers.”

Flare blinked in confusion, but luckily Captain Mondell kept right on talking.

“We are entering the city through Cetila's gate; it's in the merchants section. It won't be difficult because the streets will have guards and soldiers to keep the people back, so all you have to do is ride slowly down the street. The guards will lead the way for you right to the palace, and there will be someone else at the palace to direct you.” Mondell smiled at the anxiety so plainly evident on Flare's face. He spoke again this time a little quieter, “It's simple.
Nothing to worry about.
Surely, it can't be as bad as fighting goblins.”

Taking a deep breath, Flare nodded to the Captain and moved toward the front of the troops. The rest of the guardians arranged themselves behind him, and then he gave the command to move forward.

The people noticed the soldiers riding toward them almost immediately. They had been sitting on the grass or playing games. Merchants strolled through the crowd selling everything from pastries to toys for the kids. However, when the soldiers rode down the road toward the gates, the towns-people hopped to their feet in excitement.

Flare nervously led the way toward the gates. 'Are all these people here to welcome us?' He thought in wonder. The anxiety sprang to life again at the sheer numbers of people in those crowds. He resisted the urge to kick his horse into a gallop.

The crowd began shouting and clapping their hands. They called out the names of the guardians. Cries of victory and Telur could also be heard rolling down over them. Flare was extremely surprised and moved that so many of the people called his name.

Flare slowly led the soldiers through the crowd of people. The people moved out of the road to let the soldiers pass, sometimes pulling young children out of the way of the horses.

As Flare rode through the people, some of them reached up and touched him. They patted his leg, or touched him on the lower part of his back.

More than one young woman touched Flare and spoke to him. Some of the ladies shouted where they lived, and others asked him to meet them, some even said things that made him blush furiously. Still others simply said, “Thank you.”

As they neared the gates, the guards made a show of opening the gates and stepping to the side to allow the soldiers to pass. The guards saluted as the guardians slowly passed them. The smiles on the faces of the people and the festive mood began to calm Flare down, hope sprang up in him. This was a hero's welcome.

He had thought that the crowd outside the gates had been large, but inside the gates there was an enormous amount of people. So many people were waiting, that soldiers and guards had been stationed there to keep them out of the road, but even so they were having a hard time.

Flare was not sure where he was supposed to go, but the soldiers and the people only allowed for one choice, so they followed the path created by the soldiers.

He continued to ride slowly, taking in all the commotion that was going on around him. The spectators could not touch Flare the way the crowds outside the gates had been able to, but they were prepared. The spectators threw flowers at the guardians, and some women through bits of clothes that seemed almost an invitation. The road quickly became covered with flowers.

Banners were hanging from the buildings along the street they were following. The banners proclaimed the guardians as heroes and likened them to heroes from ages past. Many actually had the names of the guardian's written on them. He was amazed at the sight of his name hanging from so many buildings.

They rode for some time, and the crowds actually increased as the guardians neared the center of the city. People leaned out windows and from balconies to get a sight of the newest heroes. Soon, the tops of the buildings were also full of crowds. The guardians were directed to an area that was on the palace grounds, where a huge stage had been erected on a wide lawn of the palace. The wooden stage had the flag of Telur draped across the front.