My Lord! Please! (A Character Driven Kingdom Building Novel)

“A child could hide beneath the canvas.”

For a long moment, no one spoke.

It was Cora's father who broke the silence.

"My Lord, please give me leave to find her. I need only borrow a single horse," he said quickly, bowing low.

The furrow on Dorian's brow deepened, though he didn't scold the man this time for his presumption.

Henric, who had remained silent up to this point, seemed ready to step forward in the captain's place, only to still when Merek placed a hand on his shoulder.

At the back of the group, Marcus gave Henric a look that seemed halfway between amusement and resignation, already shaking his head before the man had even fully moved.

Lucien's attention remained on Will, still bent before him with his hands clenched at his sides.

After a brief moment, he came to a decision.

"Will. Go and prepare three horses now."

At his words, the guard's head snapped upward from his bow. "Y-yes? I mean, yes, My Lord!"

He spun around and began to move toward the stables, his pace just short of a run.

Dorian watched the man leave before glancing toward Lucien, eyes narrowing.

"You intend to go, My Lord?"

Lucien's eyes remained fixed in the direction Will had gone, following the man's hurried steps until the stable wall swallowed him from sight.

At some point, more people had begun to gather in the courtyard. Most of them were servants whispering at the edges, while the guards halted those who had likely heard the news at the entrance.

Beyond the courtyard, Ashridge carried on in faint, ordinary sounds, most of the village still unaware that a child was missing.

When he looked back at the household guards around him, Lucien kept his expression unchanged as he spoke.

"No."

Dorian seemed surprised by the answer, though he quickly recovered as Lucien turned toward Marcus, who straightened from his relaxed posture.

"Marcus. I have heard from Dorian that you have skill in tracking?"

The man gave a slow nod, glancing at the captain. "Yes, My Lord."

"I understand that you're resting today, but I need you to go with him."

It seemed he was prepared for such an order, as he saluted immediately. "I will put on my gear then."

When Lucien waved him off, he turned to leave.

Dorian looked upward to the sky briefly before meeting Lucien's eyes.

"My Lord. There are only a few hours of daylight left. Marcus may have some skill with tracking, but he is...not like the hunter."

"I know. But I have a theory on where Cora might have gone." Lucien looked between the remaining men. "I believe she has gone to the mana-infused area near the ridge outpost...but I don't know what she thinks she will find there."

"Aisha mentioned that she was interested in a particular character in a book...a mage, to be specific. Would any of you know anything about that?"

Both Dorian and Henric looked confused, but Merek had gone slightly pale.

Lucien couldn't help the sinking weight in his chest when he saw the grey-haired guard's reaction.

"Merek...you know something?"

The man composed himself quickly before he inclined his head. "Yes, My Lord. If it's a child's book...it would depend on what kind of story it is."

He raised a palm. "But I don't know for sure, My Lord. It's just...if the area we went to was steeped in mana, then..."

"The girl might be attempting the awakening ritual."

This time, Dorian and Henric looked startled, as though they both understood the implications behind the older guard's words.

Judging by their reactions, Lucien had to assume the danger of such a ritual wasn't an obscure sort of knowledge.

Keeping his expression carefully neutral, he inclined his head. "I see. Then we must make haste. Merek, I will need you to lead them there. If the lime cart left earlier in the afternoon, Cora is likely off the cart and searching in the forest alone by now."

He turned toward Henric, who was already straightening under his attention.

"Henric. You will assist Tomas in his search within the village. I can't afford to send too many household guards out...not now."

Both men saluted, though it was Henric who spoke.

"Yes, My Lord. If the girl is in the village, rest assured that we will find her."

At Lucien's gesture of dismissal, they turned to leave in different directions, one to prepare for the search outside while the other headed toward the courtyard entrance.

For a brief moment, Lucien remained where he was.

From the stables, he heard Will's voice, sharp with barely restrained urgency, followed by the answering call of a stablehand and the restless shift of horses.

Near the courtyard entrance, Henric was already speaking to one of the guards in a low voice before the man hurried off toward the village.

Finally, Dorian regarded him briefly before he spoke. "I had thought you would insist on going, My Lord."

Lucien considered whether to respond, but Dorian had already glanced toward the courtyard entrance.

"I will arrange for guards to take over the duties of Henric and Merek at the northern approach."

When he gave a nod, Dorian turned toward the northern gates.

"You made the right decision not to go, My Lord," he said, without looking back.

The captain didn't wait for an answer.

Lucien didn't know if Dorian's words made the choice feel any better.

He exhaled faintly, adjusting his cloak beneath the shoulder strap.

The bow felt heavier than usual.

It didn't take long for men to set out in search of Cora.

Lucien had seen them off at the southern gates, though before they left, he had spoken to Merek a short distance from the others and given him one quiet order.

If they could not find Cora at the mana-infused site, they were to search the surrounding area only briefly while Marcus checked to see if he could find any trace of her.

He also made it clear that they were to return and not stay out overnight.

The older man understood immediately, glancing toward Will, who was making his final preparations with barely contained haste.

As the men rode off, Lucien watched them leave for a long moment, until their backs could no longer be seen from the gate.

Instead of returning to the manor, he found himself walking along the southern palisade wall, toward a specific section.

It felt like a lifetime ago instead of what should have been mere months since then.

The small, newer section where the wall had once collapsed was already beginning to resemble the rest of the structure.

Even so, he could still see the seam in his mind as he stared up at it.

Slowly, Lucien climbed the steps to stand upon the wall once more.

Standing on the same stretch of wall where Dalen had died, Lucien let his gaze drift in the direction of the mana-infused area.

A short distance away, the middle-aged woman who had volunteered for militia duty alongside Sera stood watch near the tower, a windlass crossbow resting beside her.

For a moment, Lucien's gaze lingered on the weapon.

With more guards shifted toward the northern and eastern walls, the southern and western fronts had been left increasingly to the militia.

From up here, the forest in the distance looked almost peaceful in the late afternoon sun. It would have made for an idyllic scene if not for the fact that it bordered the Deep Woods.

The distant calls of laborers carried from the northwestern housing site, while birds chirped within the treeline that had been pushed back ever since the Tithe.

He didn't know how long he remained standing there, leaning against the wall as he watched the clouds drift past, but it must have been long enough that small traces of orange light began to filter through them.

Seeing that, Lucien couldn't help but be reminded of the horn from Cragwatch.

It had been around this time of day when it happened too.

Before he could spiral further, the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs to the wallwalk made him look over.

Talia approached him, a hand raised lightly. "Looks like you were here after all, just like he said you would be."

When he gave her a questioning look, she waved toward the northern gates.

"I was just coming back from the northwestern site when I bumped into your captain and heard the news." A small smile crossed her lips. "He said you'd be here when I asked him."

"...I see."

Lucien looked back toward the forest, and Talia joined him at the wall a moment later, a small space between them.

For a time, they simply stood there until a soft breath escaped Talia as she leaned back to look up at the fading orange sky, her hands braced against the wall.

"I guess it's just starting to sink in for me now. About things like beasts and orcs..."

She glanced at him. "I was lucky, being in Helvarn during winter and all. It's one thing to hear about it from people talking...but this morning..."

Lucien gave a slow nod. "I was much the same as well. The word beast didn't exactly mean goblins and kobolds to me. I had thought it meant things like wolves...or maybe I had just been fooling myself all along."

"Perhaps I am still doing that now..."

Talia's eyes snapped to him. "You can't blame yourself for Cora, Senior."

He shook his head. "It's not that...not really."

Resting his hands on the wooden stakes, his eyes fell on the wood grains. "This is where Dalen, a man I was responsible for died."

His junior fell silent, as her gaze lowered.

"You can barely see the part of the wall that had collapsed now." Lucien continued, his hands clenching into fists.

"I wonder if that is what would happen with me as well."

Lucien let out a slow breath. "More and more, I find myself having to choose what is best for Ashridge instead of my own principles."

"...The fact that you're questioning it means something, Senior," Talia replied softly.

"And yet, I just made a decision that may have made it harder for Cora to return safely...all because of the possibility that orcs might attack if I were away."

Talia's brow creased before she shook her head. "Why would that-"

"Cora went to the mana-infused area. And we both know that I didn't have any ill effects at all being near that place unlike the men I sent." Lucien cut in, his eyes moving to meet Talia's.

Her eyes widened briefly as understanding flickered across her expression. "I-I mean, that just means Cora herself wouldn't be able to get too close as well, right?"

"That is not the point, Talia."

Lucien averted his eyes from her. "I didn't hesitate back then when it came to rescuing the people of Cragwatch."

He looked toward the road. "Sure...I might've reasoned with myself that it was in order to ascertain that the kobold variant wasn't there."

Shaking his head, he let out a scoff. "But I could've just as easily told Dorian about it."

For a long moment, they stood there in silence as the evening light faded around them.

Talia sighed before she stretched her hands out, inhaling a big gulp of air before slumping over. "I guess we're both having issues adjusting to things too."

He turned slightly toward her, brow lifting.

Reaching into her satchel, she took out a small piece of rolled parchment. "Got this earlier in the afternoon. It's another letter from my family...I'd hoped they would've just forgotten about me."

At the mention of family, he gave a slow nod. "Do they even know you're in Ashridge now?"

When Talia's gaze slid away, Lucien couldn't help but exhale through his nose as he shot her a dry look. The look quickly faded when he remembered his own recent response to Elias.

"I suppose I am not one to talk, given that I just told Elias to respond as per usual...though that was apparently what the owner of this body did."

A groan left Talia's lips as she rubbed her temple. "All these problems, and now adding family issues into the mix? I don't know how to deal with family drama, Senior!"

"Whenever I had arguments with my parents, it usually passed over pretty quickly and we made up afterwards!"

She stared balefully at the letter in her hands. "Given that they sent the former Talia to Helvarn all alone? I bet there's some nasty story there too."

It was a welcome change of subject, even if it was another problem they were both facing. At least this one was still something far away.

"The fact that I have a stepmother...well, that carries certain implications in a noble family," Lucien replied, rubbing his chin.

Talia let out a sharp breath as she tucked the letter back into her satchel before glancing toward him.

"You want me to ask your steward for you? I could just...ya know, bring it up carefully. See if I can find out more about your family's situation and all."

He considered it before finally shaking his head. "Let's not for now. At least until the orc threat has come to pass. It's not like she would personally come down to a place like this to pay me a visit."

When Talia gave him a horrified look, Lucien paused, wondering what exactly he had said wrong.

"S-senior! You just jinxed yourself! In a world where a Goddess exists!"

He was about to deny it when the sound of footsteps approached from the stairs.

'Surely I didn't...right?'

They exchanged looks before turning toward the source.

Tomas was climbing toward them, his expression hesitant enough that Lucien felt his stomach tighten.

"My Lord, Sera has returned from her tracking."

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