Gnarl looked at Rand angrily for interrupting without even giving the door as much as a knock, thinking to himself of measures to discipline this young, reckless 'knight' through. [b]„My lady, your orders are orders truly, but you are placing all our faith in Rand succeeding in his mission. If he were to fail, well.. we'd be trapped in this god forsaken maze of walls, with no escape. We'd lose our lives if they do not answer your call to arms.”[/b] 

He looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke the following words, making it perfectly clear what he meant. [b]„Besides that.. you seem to be forgetting that you are no longer queen. You're appealing to the men that didn't step in to stop your brother to step in this time. King Godwin might even interfere. And I estimate that he won't interfere in your favor. That aside what's stopping them from building a few ladders while they wait for your 'future allies' armies' and attempting to enter by force? After all they have an army twice or thrice our size.”[/b]

Gnarls face furrowed into an angry look, not hiding what he was thinking very well, but he bowed lightly anyway. His words were spoken with a brutish undertone now, as if he were growling them -- he did [i]not[/i] like these orders what so ever. [b]„However your orders are your orders, and I am bound to follow suit. We will begin by sending out a regiment of the castle guard to the village to demand they pay us their last foodstuffs. Whatever is left after the fires is now ours in speculation of the coming attack. Anyone that is able to fight still is to also come with the regiment, to fill the roles of militia and man the walls. Following that the quivers are to be filled, and braziers will be put on the walls at your command my lady.”[/b]

Gnarl turned around and walked out the room, indifferent to the offering of knighthood to Rand -- regardless of whether he were a knight or not, he'd be under his command anyway and be a mere equal to the other boars. Fancy titles don't buy bread. Once he got into the courtyard he noticed Wren and Sikarthis standing together at the animal pens, and without even bothering to walk closer he opened his giant mouth. [b]„Wren, Sikarthis, get yer' asses over here and start filling those big woven baskets with arrows, to be put on the walls. After that get some braziers on the walls too.”[/b] He spat on the ground, his face still contorted in angriness at the idiotic orders. They were trapping themselves in this god forsaken castle, ready for death, and she knew it. But she gave the orders anyway. [b]„And start praying. I forgot that. Pray to god that you somehow escape this castle when lord Eowen arrives, because he won't spare ye' if he catches you. I know I wouldn't. And order Rand to execute that stupid fuckin' prisoner of his. Dismissed!”[/b] he yelled, already heading over to the castle guards' quarters, hailing the captain and his second in command, Varne. He started informing them about the attack that would come soon and then ordered them to go to the village with 8 other guards and bring back all the food and alcohol they could, as well as the men that could fight. He didn't speak a word of the men and women that were unfit for battle, let alone the children -- the queen had made no incentives to help them so they were to be treated like trash and abandoned in face of the warbands that would soon ravage through their lands. If these people were smart, they'd abandon their homes and head for the castle.. perhaps the queen would like some more servants to soil her hallways with dirty feet. The same hallways that would soon be filled with blood.

---

Joachim bowed before lady Isolde, slowly backing from the room before turning around in the doorway as a nobleman would, and quickly walking off following Gnarls' footsteps. When he arrived in the courtyard, things were already put into motion, much to Joachim's dissapointment. He looked around to find out if everyone was there and it seemed that everyone had indeed massed in the courtyard, as Joachim could see Gnarl, Wren and Sikarthis at the animal pens, Theodore barely walking out of the Queens' Guard barracks. But.. Astrid seemed to be missing. Thinking back however, Joachim realized that one set of hooves had ridden down the hill to the lightly forested area to the left of the castle, which was close to the river that ran past Stags' Rest. Deciding that he had nothing to really speak with Sikarthis, nor Wren about, he figured he'd go fetch Astrid and tell her the news. 

Walking out the opened portcullis and gates, he immediatly headed right, towards the left side of the castle from the viewpoint of the road. He inspected the sides of the walls, thinking that perhaps they should put wooden stakes at the bottom of the walls. They would somewhat stop people from scaling the walls as easily, though there was no real way to completely avoid that. He brushed his hand against the walls slightly, then let them run along the walls. It occupied his hands while he was thinking about the oncoming siege. If Rand failed.. there was no escape. They'd have to fight their way past, sally forth and ride. Force an exit through the enemy ranks, and flee. And knowing Gnarl.. he was one of the many in the Iron Company that would rather die than flee. Irrational, but fearless. Those words were at the same time incredibly well suited to Gnarl. 

His hand disconnected from the wall as he started going downhill into the light forest, beginning to sing, softly at first but louder and louder as he got further from the castle. The song was an old Arlonian song, sang by many a warband as they marched to war, a slight irony in the text usually sung to the sound of wardrums. Truly, the song did have a pretty tune, as the wardrums led it and the flags and banners waved in the air, the warband standing ready before the fight. 

[center][i]A recruiting sergeant came our way,
From an inn near town at the close of day,
He said my Johnny you're a fine young man,
Would you like to march along behind a warband,
With an iron coat and a fine plumed helm,
And a pike at your shoulder,
The coins he took and he kissed the book,
Oh poor Johnny what'll happen to ya?

The recruiting sergeant marched away
From the Inn near town at the break of day,
Johnny came too with half a ring
He was off to be a soldier to go fighting for the King
In a far off war in a far off land
To face the foreign soldier,
But how will you fare when there's arrows in the air,
Oh poor Johnny what'll happen to ya?

Well the sun rose high on a barren white land
Where the thin iron line made a military stand,
There was stones shot, arrows shot, bolts shot too,
Swords and lances thrusting through,
Poor Johnny fell but the day was won
And the King is grateful to ya
But your soldiering's done and they're sending you home,
Oh poor Johnny what'll happen to ya?

They said he was a hero and not to grieve
For the two ruined legs and the empty sleeves,
They took him home and they sat him down
With a military history and a medal from the crown.
But you haven't an arm, you haven't a leg,
The enemy nearly slew ya,
You'll have to go out on the streets to beg,
Oh poor Johnny what'll happen to ya?

A recruiting sergeant came our way,
From an inn near town at the close of day,
He said my Johnny you're a fine young man,
Would you like to march along behind a warband,
With an iron coat and a fine plumed helm,
And a pike at your shoulder,
The coins he took and he kissed the book,
Oh poor Johnny what'll happen to ya?[/i][/center]

Perhaps, unintentionally, he did this to warn Astrid of him arriving, but for all he knew she was simply relaxing in the forest, not bathing as she was. Or perhaps she would pay no mind to the song, and be caught in her naked appearance, something that would likely bring shame to the both of them. Regardless, he closed in on the stream, the sound of the water coming closer, ever closer.