Osanne would have stepped between the bard and the Emperor before he'd gotten so close, her hand on her sword to hint at striking him down if he came a step closer. 

"Let me be the one to be abundantly clear," It was the Empress who spoke up after everyone had had their chance at a say, "Your Emperor is giving you the chance at glory, aye, but you will not be the only ones accompanying him. Outside the city, a day's ride ahead, is the first garrison of his army that awaits you. There are many more along the way, lining the route from here to your destination. They have express orders of how to act should anything happen along the way and the Emperor not make it to the different destinations," she said. She also made a show of looking to the far edges of the garden, where there were indeed soldiers waiting on standby, their armor causing them to practically blend in with the walls. 

"As far as I'm concerned, my lord, these bards ought to be left behind. They'll merely be in the way," Osanne spoke up, "They can't seem to contribute beyond obnoxious music, and they'll be eating food best saved for the soldiers and those actually pulling their weight."

"Never discount the morale of men, Knight-Captain," Balan said simply, "Especially those who are further away from the capital as the fair Empress just said. Mayhaps their songs are obnoxious to you now, but let's see if your tune remains the same when their music is the only thing to remind you of home," he added. He noted all the little nuances about those standing before him, seeming in thought a moment before speaking, "A smaller group of soldiers is going to be with us as we ride to meet the first garrison. We have a supply carriage being put together, and those of you who cannot ride a horse for whatever various reasons that may be, you will ride in that carriage. The rest of you who can manage to ride," he looked over his shoulder as a different knight rounded the corner. He waved him over before addressing the group again, "Those who can ride, this knight here will guide you to the stables to pick a horse. If you already have a horse, you are free to ride them. We've a long way to go and it wouldn't do to walk the whole way," he said.

Osanne and the Empress still weren't entirely sold on the lot before them, clearly, but Balan knew what he was doing. He didn't [i]really[/i] need a bunch of random vagabonds that knew either little or none in the means of combat, though those that showed up knowing how to fight would certainly be useful. He needed their perspectives, their view on the situations at hand. When you go so long seeing the world only one way, it became difficult to remind yourself that other perspectives were viable too. Sometimes they saw the moves that soldiers didn't.