Book 4: Chapter 40: Hard Travelling Heroes

Penitent

“You’re leaving today?” Mikhail asked both Michael and Gabriel.

“Yes son. I need to ride and negotiate an alternative route to Old Hume with the dwarves,” he carefully cut a thick piece of ham as he spoke. They were all seated at the breakfast table.

“How long will you be gone?” he asked.

“Hopefully only for a week. We’ll be riding the titled horses there and I’ll need to return once the negotiations are completed or determined impossible.”

“Will grandpa come back too?”

Gabriel looked to Michael.

“I’ll have to continue south to Old Hume either way. The gods need me there, and the rift is growing every day.”

“Oh…” replied Mikhail, the disappointment in his voice clear.

“I’ll be back eventually. Maybe all of you could even visit me in Hume someday.”

“No. My lands are all close to the rift so I don’t believe I have much there at all.”

“Then where would we stay? You need a castle or a palace.”

“Could you settle for a house?”

She frowned. “Like a manor?”

He chuckled, looking at Gabriel. “Do they know you used to share a room with your brother?”

“It’s hard to explain to them. We only just started having a middle class here, the housing mostly amounts to a shack that has one big room, or a mansion.”

Yuna took a sip of some kind of juice and looked at Michael. “Gabriel showed me the drawings of your family… did you have any of him?”

Gabriel frowned.

“I do,” replied Michael. He reached for his pack, pulling out the carefully folded sheet of paper and handing it to her.

She looked at it and chuckled a bit.

“You were cute, I don’t know why you act like you were some kind of troglodyte. I mean, it makes sense you didn’t have the arrogance a man of your looks would normally have, but you were perfectly nice to look at there.”

“Thank you oh so much, dear.”

She patted his face gently. “I would’ve married you anyway.”

He turned to kiss her hand lightly.

Alyssa reached across the table and grabbed the picture of Gabriel. She frowned. “You were homely.”

Gabriel let out an exaggerated sigh. “Please eat your fruit dear.”

She nodded and returned her attention to the slices of some pear-like fruit in front of her. They all took their time finishing breakfast, and Michael savored every second, firmly pressing each and every moment into his mind.

When they were done Michael watched as Gabriel kissed his wife and held his children, pride swelling in his chest. When he was done, Yuna and the children approached him. Yuna gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Mikhail and Alyssa each gave him a hug. He was barely keeping it together when Alyssa handed him a small purple flower she must’ve plucked somewhere on the grounds. He gave her another hug and held that flower carefully in his hand as he walked toward the stable.

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He carefully tucked a small purple flower into his chest pocket as he walked back to his temporary quarters to gather the rest of his things. He filled his pack, checked his rations, and made sure he had everything before he put on his armor and began making his way to the stable. He exchanged nods with a number of men and women who he’d healed of small injuries or had words with during his short time there. Even as far as Burndan many men and women had questions about the gods and he was the one most capable of answering them.

He could hear the gods constantly now that he’d opened himself to them again, and he was still adjusting to the strength of their voices. The faith in them was greater than it had been in centuries and they were growing accordingly. He just hoped it would be enough. No, he had faith that it would be.

“How was the family breakfast?” asked Ollie as he approached.

“Wonderful. How was the friends’ breakfast?”

“Less wholesome I imagine, but much funnier.”

“I’d believe that,” said Michael as he went to greet his stallion. It bowed to him and he acknowledged it with a nod. He affixed his pack to its saddle and made sure everything was secure before giving it a firm pat on its neck that was acknowledged with a loud snort.

“They’re really great kids,” said Ollie. “I swear the little one knows how cute she is. Had me make fireworks for her a half-dozen times with nothing, but a dimpled smile.”

Pyotr popped out from deeper in the stable. “She had me showing her dance steps until my legs were tired… and I’d do it again for her too.”

“I like Mikhail a bit more. Kid was a great shot,” said Marcus.

“Yeah… I’m not thrilled about that happening,” responded Michael.

“Well, when will he ever get a chance to shoot again? He’s got a mage's magicka. A titled rifle is the only way. Besides, I’m only a baron, how could I refuse a royal request?”

Michael raised an eyebrow at him.

“Would you prefer I cause an international incident?”

“The boy is only once removed from being American. I don’t think it would be right to deny him his god given right to shoot a gun,” added Ollie.

“I think the bows, spears, and swords are enough, myself,” offered Pyotr.

“Thank you,” responded Michael. His friends hadn’t spent too much time with his family, but they’d all been taking their roles as uncles very seriously. Even Marcus, which had surprised him, but he’d mentioned having a large extended family in the past.

Gabriel approached, giving one more quiet not to a knight following closely behind him before he turned his attention to them.

“Ready to ride?” he asked.

“Well I aint here to fuck spiders,” replied Ollie.

Gabriel looked at Michael in confusion.

“Australian slang. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Well, I don’t want to fuck a spider, so let’s get a move on. It’s largely the same route we took for the first half, then we divert toward the mountains.”

Marcus gave an exaggerated gasp. “You raised a real foulmouthed kid, Mike.”

“He got that from his mother I think,” replied Michael with a smile as they all mounted their titled steeds. Even though he’d now ridden his for days at a time, the experience of being on one of these stallions still surprised him. He could feel the power coiled beneath him. They started moving at a trot toward the gate and once it was up they exploded out of itlike a gun had just gone off at the racetrack. He’d already been leaning forward in anticipation, but even so he was pushed back a bit.

The mountainous landscape that surrounded them became a blur as they moved. They didn’t have to go at the same pace as they had to get there, but their steeds didn’t seem to want to go any slower. They’d liked the pace that had been set last time. They rode past confused merchants, soldiers, and knights all through Burndan with Gabriel stopping to acknowledge those who he recognized or needed to give orders to. They rode for several hours straight, covering a lot of ground, then stopped to water their horses and rest themselves.

“Could you imagine if we’d tried to ride them a couple of years ago? I think I’d’ve lost my jewels,” said Ollie.

“Wasn’t aware you had any,” replied Marcus.

“Says the guy riding behind me on the horse.”

Gabriel hid a smirk. “Not the friends I would’ve expected you to have, Dad,” he said quietly enough that the others couldn’t hear.

“Probably the ones I deserve though.”

“Considering how much they’ve come through for you and I, I’d say that’s a backhanded way to compliment yourself.”

“I’m a humble holy man now, I have to get it where I can.”

Gabriel frowned a bit.

“You okay?” asked Michael.

“Just you being a ‘holy man’ as you said. It’s going to take some getting used to. You weren’t religious when I was a kid. I mean, you would tell mormons at the door that you were Catholic to get them to leave us alone, but you never went to church or took us.”

“It’s been a gradual thing for me. The gods have been generous. Given me a lot of benefits and opportunities as a reward for my worship, not to mention the kindness I’ve been shown or seen them show others.” He smiled. “I won't ask you to convert or anything son, but I will say they’ve been good to me and even many of your people.”

“For now I’ll be a rebellious kid and stick to being irreligious I think.”

“Fair enough,” replied Michael, patting him on the pauldron.

They finished watering their horses and started back on the road with hoofbeats that sounded like thunder.