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Swiss Arms

Chapter 20

Spring couldn\'t come quickly enough but it came, and we put ourselves to work.

The first thing I did was take off on a "patrol" around the entirety of the seven towns that was in our compact.

I traveled with a dozen volunteers from my fort in Fluela, and made my way to Travaos, where some of the villagers had returned to. We spent a day and night helping the returnees rebuild, and I personally spent a few hours of the evening roaming the valley and its forests, looking for any hidden hostiles.

From there, we moved north to Klosters. Klosters had been spared the entire war so far, and the people were wary of seeing us. I greeted them with a smile and told them that we were here to help, which we did by spending a day helping the locals sow their seeds.

From Klosters, we moved onto Castels, Schiers, and Maienfled before heading directly south. Now, it was spring, but to the Alps mountains, this didn\'t mean shit because they were still snow-capped. My men grumbled but I took them through the mountains, passing by the Cungels peak, before arriving at St. Peters and then Langweis.

They were too close to Chur, and had already suffered from the roaming bandits, armies, and local tax extortions by those uncaring of their plight.

They were the ones I fully intended to defend, so I stayed for a full week.

And I had my first rough encounter with the northern conflict makers.

I spotted them before they spotted the St. Peters village.

St. Peters, as in the center of the town, sat on the northern half of the valley and away from the bottom of the valley. There was a smaller offshoot of the village that sat at the bottom of the valley, but they too were part of St. Peters. This meant that I stationed myself further down the valley to look for peddlers and officials.

And the officials came.

Just like how it was when the Baron of Vaz\'s herald came to take levies from Travaos, I saw a herald and half a dozen armed men walking up the valley towards St. Peters.

I stood up from where I had been sitting next to a large tree and moved to stand before them.

As the noon sunlight bore down and the mountain breeze swayed the fresh spring grass, I stood there awaiting. No more than a minute later, they spotted me.

They froze at the sight of me and hesitated. The herald said something to the men-at-arms, and they rested their hands on their weapons.

I scoffed.

"Who goes there?!" I roared as neutrally as possible. I didn\'t scowl, growl, sneer, or anything else that had a hint of tone. I just … shouted very loudly.

"We are here by the order of the Prince-Bishop of Chur!" the herald yelled back at me. It was only now that I noticed that he was a monk?

Huh, why was a monk here?

I decided to walk towards them, and they froze as I grew closer and closer.

Because I had my longsword (sorry, slab of metal) with me. Carrying it over my shoulder as if it weighed nothing, I stopped myself some fifty yards in front of them, brought my sword around, spun it casually, and then planted it into the soft soil next to me.

All seven of them looked horrified by how easily I\'d handled my weapon.

"I am Hans of Fluela. I am the defender of the seven towns that have joined the Compact!"

The herald gulped. "I have never heard of this \'compact\' before."

"It has been established last fall," I replied. "It consists of St. Peters, Langweis, Maienfeld, Castels, Schiers, Klosters, and Travaos. In the wake of the turmoil that has taken over the Alps, we have banded together to defend ourselves from violent nobles and clergy!"

The herald sighed.

I didn\'t expect that kind of a reaction.

"I am Deacon Benjamin of Chur. The Prince-Bishop sent me to check up on the towns of the valley southeast of Chur. I am here to do my duty both as an official of the Prince-Bishopric of Chur and a deacon of the people."

I stared at him. They were tax collectors? Why else would someone come as "official" of any lord?

"I will permit you and your entourage\'s entry if you agree to enter only as a deacon of the people. Step further as the hand and voice of the Bishop of Chur in his capacity as the secular rule of the land, and I will stop you."

He stared at me. "You are not a normal knight. Your speech is too well-practiced."

"I am not a knight."

"And you proclaim to be the defender?" one of the men-at-arms demanded with a scoff. "What are you gonna do?"

Raising an eyebrow, I wiggled my sword, and the man looked a little abashed.

I spoke up anyway. "If you must have a title to defend the people, then what are all of the fathers and mothers who sacrifice their lives for their children? Why do not get a title? Is it because that\'s how things are?" I asked with a sneer of my own. "Does that mean you leave your children to fend for yourself? Am I so glad that I\'m not one of you!"

My words made them angry, but the herald-deacon stopped them with an outstretched hand.

"We have done nothing to you and you try to goad us. Do you not have manners?"

I paused.

You know what? He was right. I was being a dick.

"... I apologize, but you will have to excuse me, because the last time I met anyone affiliated with Chur, it was upon the battlefield. My role as the defender of the people remains. Chur is one of the belligerents of the conflicts all around us, so I cannot let you through if you are truly here as an agent of Chur. Step forward in such capacity, and I will be duty-bound to fight you."

"And if we observe the towns as a deacon of the people and my friends here as my guards?"

"I can allow that. I will even guide you."

"Then I am here as a deacon of the people. Please let me see how they are doing."

Compared to how I first interacted with Chur in that battle a year ago, this had gone far better.

"Would you mind telling me how this \'compact\' came to be?" Deacon Benjamin asked me, and he was polite enough about it.

"Sure, if you don\'t mind telling me about what\'s happening out there with Toggenburg, the bishop, and the other nobles squabbling over land," I replied casually as I took up strides next to him.