My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts
8th of Winter, 514.
It was a daunting moment, to say the least. Not only were the Knights being massed, but the Sergeant Knights in an attempt to cope with the new regimes being set in place for the duration of the season. The whole city was feeling the pinch of the cold, and with tensions mounting inside the walls, more pressure was being shoveled onto the knights to maintain order among around 50,000 civilians. Tall order indeed, it was only a small wonder that the Tank hadn't been filled with potential criminals. He said potential because there really wasn't time to check for most of them. Too much manpower, too much time, too much energy. Outside the walls, patrols had lacked, and now they needed to try and switch the regime yet again and restore their control of the surrounding Bronze Woods and Kabrin Road. As much as he knew, there were plenty of squires being sent into work on the patrols and maintenance around the city as the 'reserves' for nearly everything.
Ser Iros had volunteered the squirrel for almost every patrol and piece of volunteering that he could get his colossal crimson hands on, and Archailist was really beginning to feel the effects kicking in. He'd started riding with whatever shoulders he could manage just to avoid the dread of trying to walk on foot around the city, and what little time he found for his little canine companion was not spent riding him - the snow and the effort was just not worth it, when he could hitch a piggyback with any number of other squires or knights on the backs of their horses. Perhaps acting as a stowaway wasn't the most knightly thing to be doing, but by Sylir, he just wanted the season to end and be done with - the sooner the better. Whatever he needed to do to make it a little more bearable, he'd do without a tick of hesitation.
At least this time, the red knight had been forced along with the squirrel into a patrol. Rather hilarious, especially when he saw the certain Sergeant Knight that'd be leading them. None other than Zulkar, the 'Red Rider' himself. Usually, as he understood it, Sergeants were responsible for up to five knights, a 'wing', but he could see plenty more than five of them milling about for their odd little patrol. Already, smaller groups were being sent on their way by the bellowing knight on the back of his warhorse. "You, Percival, you'll be riding down towards the south of the Kabrin Road, before heading towards the gap moving east. Take all your boys with you, and Mona will be joining you with a couple of hers. The rest of you squires, join up over there in the corner."
It seemed like it was going to be a busy day, indeed. Especially when Ser Iros was called out barely the moment that they'd entered the little crowding just to the side of the main gates. "Here, Ser Iros. I'll hope you won't mind getting a few extra squires with you today? Seems I've got a few left over from the other patrols." True enough, that some knights did end up taking a few more squires than others, and the patrols really needed to be spread out evenly to cover the most ground. By just a glance, it looked as though there were a fair few extra squires milling about though. A little handful at least, four or five. One knight alone, with six squires? Arch was about to voice a protest himself, when the larger Akalak cut in.
"Afraid I couldn't possibly take that many by myself, Ser." Perhaps one or two extra, but that was still pushing it a little far. Ser Zulkar seemed to mill over this for a few more moments, considering the options left open. Evidently, even the Sergeant had been struggling over the day, and the squirrel honestly couldn't blame him - it was always these days that just made the squirrel want to go back to bed, and by the looks of the faces of the fellow pages, and squires, and knights, and sergeants... they all felt exactly the same way.
"Tell you what. I'll find another knight to team you up with, together you can take an extra few squires and split them how you please." There wasn't really much room in his speech for an agreement or protest; his mind was made up on the matter and that was that. Still, Ser Iros nodded and the Inarta returned it swiftly before turning his attentions back to the rest of the groups, pointing off various knights in various directions with little room between orders for even a breath. Ser Iros just moved off to the far side, near the other squires, and remained quiet. Arch scanned over the squires and knights as they were ordered out towards different landmarks - some in groups of three or four, others by themselves. Let this day be over with already. Let it be done..
