All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 247: Marching Orders

Bee walked toward the castle gate, its newly repaired form casting a long shadow across the castle courtyard. However, her eyes were not locked in front of her but instead roamed over the Nighty Knights. The youngsters stood along top the innermost wall, spaced evenly five paces apart. Most of them kept serious faces as they looked out, but a few of them instead leaned or sat against the crenulations, kicking their legs as they tossed rocks. A few of the younger ones were already bored after only a few minutes of sitting watch.

Internally, Bee couldn't help but thank Arthur. The man had stayed unwavering in his conviction about keeping the Nighty Knights away from combat, and now? She understood why. They were not ready.

She could only thank Void and the dragon he had sent to prevent the total fall of the valley. Given another day or even several hours, they would have been in real trouble. And then… the Nighty Knights might have been brought into the fight as a final, desperate defense to save their home and all the other children who hadn't learned how to fight.

***

It had been nearly a month, but Bee could still remember how she’d felt. The lump of emotions stuck in her throat as she had approached Arthur's door. The memory stood out strong in her mind.

It had been shortly after things had settled down enough that her presence wasn’t mandatory, where she didn’t need to be running around taking care of things on the battlefield. She had knocked on the commander’s door and received a brief "Come in."

The door's hinges squealed slightly, a small detail, but one that showed how much disrepair the city had fallen in. That something so simple was left unattended seemed incredible. Normally, everything was well maintained and in pristine condition, but things had started to fall through after the attack.

Arthur looked up and met her gaze. His face showed a slight hint of surprise to see the High Priestess.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, with a seated bow and a welcoming smile. "It's perhaps a bit morbid, but I'm celebrating a bit while I work," he said. Gesturing to a half-full glass of brandy. "I mean, you're a bit young, but a glass or two probably wouldn't hurt with your high levels. Would you like some?"

Bee shook her head. "Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll have time to stay. I just came to say something."

Arthur was able to read the seriousness in her tone as put aside his glass. His face sobered slightly as he looked up. Bee took in a deep breath and, in a rush, she got the words out. "I just wanted to say that you were right."

It took a little bit of effort to actually say it. It was never fun to admit when she was wrong, but she wasn't done yet. "You were right about… about the Nighty Knights."

Arthur raised an eyebrow when she didn't go on any further. "How so?"

"You were right about keeping them away from the fighting." Bee clenched her fists at her sides. She thought about all the people who had died, both on her side and on the enemy side. Killing demons was one thing, and if it was just demons, she probably would have insisted that the Nighty Knights were in fact able to fight. But these were humans. The ones that had attacked her on the wall, when she had to use her Scouring Strike to keep them back from the breach… Their faces still flashed up in her mind when she didn't keep her thoughts on a tight leash.

She realized she’d been quiet for a bit longer than intended. Taking another breath, she continued in a much softer tone. "I'm glad they didn't have to do that.."

She took another shakier breath and swallowed. Arthur slowly stood up and stepped around his desk before he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's something that no man wishes to ever have to experience. Truly, I can't imagine how you’re handling it so well. I've seen many men, older and more experienced than you, broken by the things you've endured.” His gaze met hers steadily. “Miss Bee. I can't help but stand in awe of your competence and steadfastness to do what you think is right."

Bee was having a little trouble speaking. Before she could get the words out, Arthur pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her head into his chest as she hugged him back tightly. She found herself wheezing a bit as his strength crushed her lungs just a little bit."Just... I can't imagine what would have happened if. Daedalus hadn't come in time."

Arthur didn't say anything, but she could feel him shaking his head. Just as suddenly as the weight of what she'd done poured on her shoulder, she found a way to get her feet under her and stood up, gently pushing Arthur back.

"I'm needed out there," she said simply. But as she turned to go, Arthur put a hand on her shoulder again.

"While I have you here, I just wanted to say. I've been a servant to the king in one way or another for as long as I can remember. But…” Arthur sighed. “Clearly, the man I served is long gone. Whatever we need to do, I'll be behind you. Just remember that."

Bee nodded gratefully with a somber smile. "I hope you are, Arthur. I hope you are."

***

Almost a month later, they were ready to march on the Capitol. And Bee found herself having yet another difficult conversation.

Everyone is out helping Void replant the forest, as most of the city had been rebuilt and organized in such a way that they would be able to complete it with the people they left behind. She took all of the Nighty Knights aside for a meeting. Someone had to break the news that they weren't coming with the army’s forces. The Nighty Knights had fallen into formation and listened to her address, but her main focus with on Felix. As the commander of the group, he would be more than capable of convincing the rest of them.

"So the Nighty Knights are going to be left behind?" Felix asked, clearly bewildered by the news she had just delivered.

Bee shook her head. "Not left behind. We're leaving you as our last line of defense."

Felix gave her a flat look. He clearly understood the meaning behind those words, but she still went forward. "Your mothers and families are not coming with us, either. Do you want to leave them alone? Someone we trust needs to be here to defend them. Someone Void trusts."

Invoking Void's name seemed to be enough to get their attention and get them listening, so Bee continued. "Our forces will be away for a while. We’re going to talk to the king. And while we hope it won’t end in battle, we worry about our home. If they come in and attack our home again when we aren’t there. What will be the point of even having that conversation?"

Felix frowned and nodded in understanding. her explanation seemed to mollify some of the other members, as well. She suspected that they thought they were being left behind because they weren't ready to fight. However, Felix had seen a lot more than the rest of them as Arthur's main relay. Even being that close to battle had changed him. But Bee could only imagine it would have been worse if they had actively fought.

One of the younger ones that couldn't have been more than five called out. "You're just going to talk? That's boring. You should go beat them up for what they did.”

The rest of the Nighty Knights agreed wholeheartedly. Bee sighed. "Well, we hope it doesn't come to it. But we want to work things out in an orderly manner. Remember what Void taught you about fighting?"

They all looked at each other in confusion.

"Keep good posture?"

"Use your hips?"

"Don't get hit?"

They all started throwing out random sword tips, and Felix eventually cut them off with a quick order across his mental link. "Yes, we remember. Miss Bee. Only fight when necessary to maintain order."

"Good," she said. "And Void calls on you to maintain order here while we are away."

Felix snapped a salute before giving her a formal bow that he was pretty sure she had seen a lot of the military scouts giving Arthur. "If it is Lord Void's command, so it shall be."

The words were formal, as if he had practiced that line many times. The rest of the Nighty Knights looked confused, but many of them tried to emulate Felix's bow much less successfully, and a scattering of echoes of 'so shall it be' came.

***

That wasn't the end of the issue through. Over the next couple of days, Bee had to stop several of the Nighty Knights from sneaking into the caravan despite their agreement. But after Void had spent some time with them, making sure they understood what their responsibilities were, she doubted that they would have an issue again. At least, not soon enough that they would be involved in any of the fighting. Of course, she couldn't really guarantee that they wouldn't be able to sneak away from their families, but she hoped that they’d be ok.

Bee turned around and waved goodbye as she crested the first rise away from the castle. A whole host of little hands shot up over the castle wall and waved back. She was going to miss them, but hopefully, she wouldn't be gone for that long. Once they figured out what was happening at the Capitol, they’d be back. Hopefully they could even take care of the Lieutenant if they could find it.

More than that, Bee hoped that this would help some of Arthur's army and Caleb's refugees return home. With the suspicion currently cast on them, many of them had been displaced for longer than she'd have liked. They'd taken up new lives at the castle with the Church of the Cleansing Void, but for those who wanted a return to normalcy, she hoped they could help find that.

Once it was under more stable leadership, of course. If the king did have to be overthrown, she wasn’t sure who would take his place. Arthur had a few suggestions from the nobility about who might make a decent leader and also had a good claim to the throne. But honestly, those kinds of politics were beyond her at this point.

For a moment, she almost chuckled. The idea of considering who she and Void should make king after they deposed the old one just seemed surreal. Not so long ago, she'd been a glorified janitor at the mage's college, and now? She was high priestess for a new god. It made Bee realize how strange life could be sometimes. So she just turned around and continued leading the host out of the valley to go make things right.