Orn handed the bowl he had unconsciously emptied to the hunter next to him and made to follow his father. He had not taken more than a couple steps when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“One moment, Orn.” Orn turned to see Uncle with a concerned look on his face.

“Let him alone. He gets like this when he thinks about the war.” The older man smiled gently and gestured back to the fire with his head. “Give him get a chance to get some sleep. He will be back to normal tomorrow.”

“Besides,” he said smiling slightly, “it will let me add a few of the details he left out. “

Sitting back by the slowly, dying fire with the rest of the hunters, the man continued. “Your father left out a few important details from his story. The knight who survived that first battle was your father. The empire’s calvary somehow managed to get behind the old king’s army, and ran into a small group of knights. The old count was a leading the group, which included your father and grandfather. They engaged them thinking they could save the main army. It was a lost cause and they all must have known, since they sent your father to alert the army. Before they charged, they told him to take word, not bring help. He was too young to understand the difference until he reached the king’s camp. When he got there, it was clear even without the calvary behind them the main army was done for.”

Orn sat in silence as the old hunter told of the old king’s last stand, and his last-ditch effort to save his kingdom. “Knowing his force was lost, the old king sent a handful of young knights to carry the word of the defeat to the reserve forces. The king then rallied his men to meet the empire’s forces and make them pay dearly for them. The old king hoped to buy time so the reserves could fortify a position to hold the empire back.”

“Your father, exhausted as he was, was one of those knights. He was handed a message and given a fresh horse like the others. He does not talk about what happened after that,” The older man paused and looked quietly into the darkness toward where Orn’s father had walked. “But he made it to the prince’s army. The only one to make it.”

After a moment he continued, “No one is quite sure how that happened as the woods where crawling with the empire’s cavalry.” Uncle sighed and poked at the coals of the fire. “He will not talk about it, but we know he did more than just carry the message.”

“Apparently, your father was in rough shape when he got to the camp. He also did it with the body of his father draped over the saddle of his horse. The healers were only able to keep your father alive because a healer with an odd gift found him first. Somehow, she a managed to put him back together long enough to deliver the message.”

“Mother.” Orn said thinking back to the comments his mother would sometimes make when talking to his father.

The man nodded, “The other healers were shocked, and she put them all to shame. This was especially hard on the church healers, who did not take being overshadowed well.” The man started to laugh and winked at Orn “They demanded the prince do something, and he did. he ignored everything they ever said about paths and opened his army to anyone willing to fight. It really bit them in the rear.” The older man laughed, “The church has been weakened in the kingdom ever since.”

“Anyway, once he was back on his feet, he came home. He surprised us by coming back a fiancé. He was still hurt, but he was told to keep the fortress of Wall from getting flanked.” Uncle paused as if remembering something painful, “I think the young king did it to reward your father. He had done so much and wanted to keep him safe. He went the wrong way about it though.” The older man gestured to the dark trees around them, “Most do not know it, but the fighting in these woods was as bloody as it was in front of Wall. It was more one sided, that is true, but many a hunter lost kin in those early days. But it was a debt the empire paid for many, many, times over. Your father was young and thinks he could have done better, but I doubt anyone could have done more.”

Orn looked through the gloom where his father was surely lying under his blanket.

“Your father does not think of himself as a hero. He only thinks of the men who did not make it. Later, the prince made him a count. It is unheard-of, and most assume it was for surviving carrying the old king’s warning. Personally though, I think the prince was afraid. The forest has a history of being dangerous to outsiders, but he must know the number of men the empire lost here. Better to give it to a man who fought an enemy and not ask too many questions. The alternatives, risk handing the territory to a man who might have greater ambitions or an open rebellion.”

Several men around the fire nodded at the last words.

Orn considered everything he heard. His father’s background was surprise, but that rumor… That was very a dangerous rumor. He was pretty sure even saying something about the king like that could get you thrown in prison, or worse.

“I realize you need to get to sleep, but there is one more thing you should know. After things settled, some of the remaining nobles wanted the king to reconsider raising a knight to be a count. They had not wanted anything to do with this territory since it was on the border, but once the peace came…” he shook his head sighing, “they were falling all over themselves. The king let your father keep it, he knows those nobles are as ambitions as they are useless. I am only telling you his because you probably will not hear it from anyone else. When you met nobles, be careful. Many of them are waiting for a chance to take what they think they deserve.”

With that the old man patted Orn on the back and sent him to get some sleep.

Orn fell asleep thinking about what he learned. Orn woke up with everything he heard the night before still running through his mind.