John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

"I intend to; I'll use the Hostigi orphans like mortar for the building blocks of the new army. They can help teach the Ruthani our language and customs."

"I still believe it's a mistake to bring these nomads into Hostigos and attempt to teach them our ways. It won't work, darling!"

Kalvan knew arguing with Rylla was futile. He expected, knowing Rylla, that once she actually got to see the children and meet with them, her heart would soften as she realized they were only children who needed a home and some protection.

The royal procession passed a work gang, repairing one side of the Great King's Highway, which had been damaged during a recent thunderstorm. The work gang was shoring up the side of the road with boulders and then filling them in with smaller rocks. The men took time off from working to wave and cry, "Hail, King Kalvan!"

The party crossed a wooden bridge, took the left fork just after Sycamore Creek and followed a winding dirt road through some trees and into a wide pasture to the new Royal Academy. The older children were scampering over the roof helping to repair the old slate of the former baronial estate, while several other large bands were marching in ranks before the assembly grounds. Seeing the Royal Banner, the children were drawn up into files at parade rest. There was a minimal amount of confusion and the small boys looked properly military in their dark green woolen trousers, maroon pullover long sleeve shirts and dark red stocking caps. The officers wore small morion helmets with maroon and green plumes.

Even Rylla looked impressed.

Harmakros, who as head of the Royal Army had been overseeing their care, told them, "We've already laid the foundation for the new dormitories, and hope to have them built before the first snow."

"You'd better work quick, then," Rylla admonished.

Harmakros smiled. "We'll get it done in time if I have to impress half the Royal Army. I can do that too, since Kalvan has made the cadets probationary members of the Royal Army of Hos-Hostigos."

Rylla looked over at Kalvan and shook her head.

Kalvan shrugged his shoulders. "They're only kids. We're their parents, in loco parentis."

"What's that mean, Kalvan?"

"The throne has taken the place of their parents. And these children are happy to be here instead of working as slave labor in the Sastragath-most of them never living to their maturity, the rest haggard and crippled-old beyond their years. It's a rough life in the Sastragath and the slaves I saw looked badly used."

Since foundations for big buildings here-and-now were built using stone they didn't have to worry about setting concrete. Portland cement, put that on the to-do list, Kalvan thought, lots of local limestone.

"Until the dormitories are finished, most of the older children are living in army tents. We've counted over fifteen thousand children, with more wagons arriving every day." Harmakros paused to shake his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd suspect Sargos was transplanting every child in the Sea of Grass to Hos-Hostigos!"

"Can we feed all these children?" Rylla said, with a disapproving glance at Kalvan.

Kalvan nodded. "We had a record harvest this year; every granary in the kingdom is filled to bursting. If we didn't have all these extra mouths to feed, we'd have to burn some of it to keep the rats and mice out of the surplus."

Commandant Tyral introduced the king and queen to the small cadets, and they spontaneously burst into applause.

Kalvan looked out over the sea of faces, many dark-skinned, but including other hues as well. He said, "I welcome you all as future subjects of the Great Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos. You may consider Great Queen Rylla and myself as your new parents. And while We will not be able to speak to each of you, the staff of the Academy will take personal charge of your lives in Our behalf."

One of the smaller cadets, about seven or eight years old, came forward brushing the hair out of his big brown eyes. In halting and obviously memorized Zarthani, he said, "We children all want to thank the King and Queen Kalvan for give us… a home."

Rylla quickly dismounted and swept the boy up into her arms to the obvious delight of the watching children. She gave him a big hug and bussed him on the cheek. Some of the other children, ignoring their frantic commandant who was signaling them to remain in their ranks, rushed forward to touch and speak to their Queen.

Harmakros' head swiveled back and forth as he searched vainly for help, "What do we do, Your Majesty?"

Kalvan smiled smugly. "She'll be fine. It's only the little ones who are breaking ranks." Meanwhile Rylla was dispensing hugs and caresses to the smallest of their charges, some still stick-thin from illness and their lengthy journey. Kalvan was reminded of kittens around a bowl of cream. He could see from his saddle the tears on Rylla's face.

After a few more minutes, Kalvan allowed the commandant to reform ranks and return the children to their drills. Then he dismounted and toured the hastily-repaired manor, although to Kalvan it appeared to be more fortress than estate. The large rooms and great hall had been turned into dormitories, while the kitchen had been enlarged and was full of women and girls preparing barley and mutton stew. Rylla frowned about something, but the facility was surprisingly clean, and the odors wafting from the cooking stew had his stomach churning in hunger. He accepted a spoonful of the rich stew from a young girl and pantomimed 'yummy' to their cheers.

Behind the manor was a veritable tent city of displaced children, many of them dressed no better than beggars. Kalvan had just founded a uniform factory for the Royal Army when the children's army had arrived and had reassigned it to making small uniforms for the newly created cadets. His introduction of the spinning wheel for wool and cotton had vastly increased the factories' ability to manufacture clothing, but they were still lagging far behind the demand created by the necessity to immediately clothe thousands of children. Already the Council of Guilds was complaining about 'unfair competition' as the spinning wheels spread to residences, and housewives discovered they could spin much more of their own wool with the new spinning wheels than with a drop-spindle.

As they rode back to Tarr-Hostigos, Rylla turned to him and said, "I'm glad you convinced me to see the Academy. I was wrong and you were right about the children. Under their skin they are all Hostigi. They will be good subjects for Us and Our children."

Kalvan felt as though he were floating on air. But she quickly brought him down to earth with her addendum.

"I just want to know why there weren't any girls marching on the parade ground?"

Kalvan tried to signal Harmakros, but the Captain-General stepped into the breach by himself. "Girls don't soldier, Your Majesty!"

Rylla had her sword point at Harmakros' throat before Kalvan could blink. "What do you mean 'girls don't soldier,' Captain-General?"

Harmakros gulped. "Your Majesty is the exception, of course."

"No, I don't accept that. Girls don't fight because men won't allow them to. I was just lucky that my father had the good sense to give me my freedom."

Kalvan had to bite his tongue. Prince Ptosphes had spoiled Rylla to high heaven and back.

"I know that many girls would choose to be soldiers if they were allowed to make that decision by themselves, instead of by their fathers and brothers."

"Can you remove your rapier, Your Majesty?"

"Sorry, Harmakros. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, rubbing the red spot just below his Adam's apple where the point had rested.

"Then you'll agree that any of the nomad girls who wish to soldier should be given that freedom," Rylla announced.