Read Online Noble Beginnings by D.W. Jackson - Free Book Online

the
children he had growing up down south...both of which, he noted
quickly, were daughters.
    Then he got down to business, and his
expression became grimmer as Dorran reviewed the muster and the
King's expectations. Finally, he set aside his notes and rested his
chin on his hands. "What news can you give me, sir?"
    "I..." the man looked at the list in his
hands, shaking his head slowly "I don't think we have this many men
in the south by any count, let alone accounting for age and
fitness."
    Dorran blinked. "Really?"
    "I'll have to look into it, but unless we've
underestimated the number of new families in the past six months,
this request would be literally impossible to meet, even if we
include newborns and great-grandfathers."
    Dorran frowned, wondering if the man was
bluffing. He could understand why he might men were valuable
workers, and enough of them drained from a region could spell out a
future of poverty and famine for a full generation but he didn't
know how he was supposed to respond if that was what the man was
doing. Actually, he didn't quite know how to respond to a negative
assessment at all. What am I supposed to do? He wondered.
    "I...don't suppose you have any formal
records that you could give me to back up your figures?" he asked
weakly.
    The man nodded. "I do, actually.” Grayson
said as he pulled a handful of rolled parchment from a brown
satchel that had been under the table. “Please deliver these to the
queen."
    Dorran wondered whether or not it was
suspicious that he was so well-prepared. "This war has been hard on
all the regions," he offered finally. "I suspect that your answer
has been anticipated by the Duchess."
    The man nodded, then bowed deeply at the
waist. "Thank you for your understanding, my lord."
    Dorran smiled ruefully. "'Understanding' is
not a virtue that I deserve to be praised for at this point,
sir."
    The man smiled again, for the first time
since the muster had been directly mentioned. "If you'll forgive my
temerity, my lord...you do have the look of a hard-working young
man who's feeling a little out of his depth."
    "It's more than a little," Dorran admitted.
"If I may ask….I'd understand if your figures were… exaggerated a
little..."
    He shook his head solemnly. "I wish they
were. They're not perfect but they’re close, but...by our best
estimates, a muster of this size is literally impossible. If the
numbers asked of each area were adjusted by the actual male
population, it might be possible to meet the King's request, last I
heard, but...well, I suppose we'll see how that goes."
    "I see." On impulse, Dorran bowed lightly to
the man, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Thank you for your
insights. They are much appreciated."
    He was taken aback for a minute, but then
bowed in return, expression apologetic. "The honor is mine, my
lord. I wish my news could have been more agreeable. Honestly I
don’t envy you the duty you have been given."
    So do I, Dorran thought, but left unsaid he
simply gave the man a final, tight smile and left.
    Over the next few days, Dorran met the rest
of the leaders. Most of them had similar news. A few thought they
could meet the muster, so long as recent immigrants and refugees to
the area were recruited in sufficient numbers and the King's
officials were willing to overlook traditional age restrictions, as
they had been more than happy to do in the past. Most, however,
were not so hopeful. Dorran met with men whose friends and families
were frantically planning to survive on the brink of starvation,
leaders of communities where men were so scarce that women had
almost exclusive ownership of property and marriage was considered
a luxury to be practiced only by the most fortunate, and
representatives of areas where mothers of young boys had begun to
discuss fleeing Farlan with them before they could be taken.
    It had been anything but an easy task. He had
never been met with so much distaste and hate in his life. When he
arrived in town everyone