Subj: [ffml] [MW] Tim's First Kegger Date: 99-12-27 22:55:06 EST From: skyhall@hotmail.com (Sky Hall) Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com To: ffml@onelist.com From: "Sky Hall" The night was clear, the stars shined brightly, and the mood was good. “This way men!” called Tim. He opened a tavern door, shedding light into the dim street. The eighteen men filed in. All were dressed in civilian attire and in jolly spirits. That afternoon, the division had returned from the field. After taking care of matters of army protocol and camp, Tim had instructed his men to meet at dusk in the barracks in street attire. Tim then had his company follow him to the outskirts of town. On one side street, Tim led his men to a large, wooden building. Inside, it was warm, compared to the coolness of the outside. A large hearth with a glowing fire was to one side of the room. To the other, a bar extended for that length of the room. The main floor was occupied with tables and chairs and benches. The tavern keeper and three of his barmaids stood to the far wall, smiling and looking congenial. “Alright, you men sit down on these tables,” instructed Tim. “I don’t care what squad, just sit down.” The men quickly responded, quietly assuming their positions. Tim stood to the head of both tables, looking serious. Unlike the men, he wore his dress uniform. “Now, you men have done well,” said Tim. He nodded at the barkeep, who began distributing mugs to the men. “You trained well, stuck to your discipline, fought hard, and showed yourself as true warriors and soldiers on the battlefield. For that, I am proud of you all. But we should remember that not all of us could be here today. We lost two good men. Two brave men. Two men who went into the heart of battle, full of glory and determination, and died with honor on the battlefield. They died as men. And now, we pay them honor.” Tim took a smaller mug of ale and raised it. The company stood and raised their mugs. “To Yush and Kyle,” said Tim. The men echoed him. All then drank. “Now, I brought you men here to follow a tradition that I learned as a mercenary. When a company did it’s job right, fought well, maintained order, and succeeded in it’s mission, the company commander would bring his men to a tavern, such as this, and do something.” Tim walked over to the outside wall of the room, where five large, wooden kegs were set up on jacks. “I purchased these five kegs of ale by accident,” said Tim. “And unfortunately, this ale will only be good for one night. So, rather then waste my hard earned pay, and good ale, I have decided to order you men to drink everything in these kegs till all of them are empty. Is that understood?” The soldiers chuckled. “Yes sir!” all shouted in unison. “Very good. And if you don’t drink it all by tonight, tomorrow it will turn into castor oil, and you will be forced to drink it then for disobeying my orders.” Some of the men laughed. “Now, the commander is supposed to join his men for this tradition, but I have to attend a dinner at the palace. I don’t know why, but I hope they give us a medal, or two. So drink up and enjoy men. You earned it.” The soldiers cheered and raised their mugs at Tim. Tim stood there and returned the look with a broad smile. Tim went over to the barkeep. “I trust you have enough money,” said Tim. The barkeep nodded with a smile. He patted the money pouch in his belt. “Aye sir. So well in fact that I had all my bar girls show up tonight.” Tim chuckled. “Good. And hopefully some more women will show up. If not, then you know where to get them. If any of the men get too rowdy, try to have the girls calm them. And if that doesn’t work, then throw them out. Or call the constable. I don’t want any of men permantley injured or dead after tonight. Have a good time.” Tim opened the door and stepped out. The night was cool and Tim almost caught his breath as he stepped outside. He quickly strode through the streets of Doma for the palace. The barkeep had been on hard times, having such a small tavern and being on a side road. Tim’s offer for a private party had rejoiced the man, since that cash would go to improve the tavern and hopefully attract more customers. Tim made his way to the palace, checking in on the guestlist, and being shown to the parlor. Tim wasn’t there for five minutes, when a servant announced that dinner was served. A page showed Tim to a table that was the furthest from the royal table, where the alliance counsel members sat. Sir Cyan, Princess Ladice, General Kat, Lance Henriksen, Gogo, Fonzy and the rest all were decked out in their finest attire. Immediately a toast was called for, and the general was honored for his victory against the moogles. “Now, is Sergeant Tim here?” asked the Chamberlain. Tim arose and stood attention. “I am, sir.” “Good, come forth, young man.” Tim did so, and stood before the royal table. The general spoke up. “Sergeant Tim, we must honor you for your advice in the battle. It worked just as you had suggested, and proved that you are a worthy officer. You also proved yourself a good warrior, by leading your company into battle and taking advantage of the break in the moogle’s lines. For this, we honor you with a promotion to Sergeant Major.” Tim stood dumbfounded. “What do you have to say for yourself?” asked the general. “Sir,” Tim paused. “I don’t know what to say. In five weeks, I have received four promotions.” Everyone in the room chuckled. “Thank you sir. It is indeed an honor that you bestow unto me. And it has been an honor to serve Doma, and the Alliance.” The general nodded. “You will serve under leiutenant Hisel. And there is one other matter of accomodation.” The general picked up a small pouch from the table. “You and your company served admirably during the battle. As reward, I give to The Golden Feather.” The general reached in and pulled out a small item. It was a yellow thread knotted in such a way that it resembled a chocobo feather. It could easily be sewn into a jacket and remain there. “Thank you, sir. My men will be most honored by this.” The general nodded slightly. “Very well. Now…” and the general turned to other business. Tim took the pouch and returned to his seat. The meal was indeed a good one. Roast lamb, fine wine, sweet bread and potatoes made a delicious feast. Indeed, it was the best meal Tim had eaten in a long time. At Tim’s table, a man who sat next to him leaned over slightly during the meal and spoke. “So you will be my new Sergeant Major, eh?” Tim looked at the man, his brow furrowed. “Excuse me?” The man extended his hand. “I am Lt. Hisel.” Tim showed a surprised look. “Oh! Sir. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Tim shook hands. “Are you as surprised about this as I am?” Hisel gave Tim a warm look. “Not quite. The Doma army has been suffering some terrible losses lately and we have few officers who are experienced in combat, let alone soldiers and non-commissioned officers. “I heard you were once a mercenary. Why did you join the Doma Army?” “Oh, well at the time I had joined, I had no employer. And the only job I was doing was accompanying a young man on an impossible quest to defeat the Dark Lord. I needed a reason to travel, and had no real idea of where to go. We came to Doma, received an audience with the Chamberlain, and he allowed us to speak to Sir Cyan, and the rest of the alliance council. Sir Cyan offered me a position in the army, so I accepted. And I am glad I did. “Being a mercenary can be sorry work, I am afraid. During times of peace, a mercenary makes much money. Merchants and traders go everywhere and need good swordsmen. However, with the moogles starting this new great war, no one is hiring, no one is traveling. So, no one needs one such as me. Besides, I always wanted to be in an army and receive medals.” Hisel chuckled. “Well, then I hope that you will enjoy your service here. As for me, I am a good man, a good officer, and I only expect my orders to be carried out, as well as my subordinates to not embarrass the brigade and me.” Tim smiled. “I know that that will not happen with me, sir. I am like you. I train the men, expect the best from them, and reward them well. I also punish well for disobediance.” “Then you are just the right man for the position,” said Hisel. “Every brigade needs a father and a mother figure. And you sound like the perfect mother.” Tim grinned. “I’ve been called something similar, sir.” Hisel laughed. “Where are your men now?” “My company, or my old company, is currently at a tavern on my own expense. I was taught, while a mercenary, that a battle well fought deserves a celebration well drunk.” Hisel laughed again. “Aye. We shall get along great, you and I.” The dinner continued for an hour, and afterwards, everyone went to the parlor to talk. Tim found his way to a balcony overlooking a garden. He enjoyed the crowd, but needed time to himself to let the impact of his promotion sink in. Looking into the darkness of the garden, Tim studied the curves of the branches, the shape of the leaves, and the reflections in the small pools of water. “It must be nice to be royalty,” said Tim softly. “Only occasionally,” said a voice. Tim spun around, surprised, and saw Prince Ladice standing a few feet away. Tim wasn’t sure if she had followed him out, or had been standing the dark all this time. “Excuse me, your highness,” said Tim, bowing. “I did not mean to speak ill.” “You did not, Sergeant Major Tim, is it?” “Yes, your highness,” said Tim. He felt embarrassed. “I will take my leave.” Tim turned and walked to the open door. “No, don’t go,” said Ladice. Tim stopped in mid-step and turned to face Ladice. “I do not want to be alone, but I do not want to be in such a crowd as that inside.” Tim nodded. “Very well, your highness.” Tim awkwardly walked backed to the balcony and stood there, as he had before. He looked over the garden again, then cast a nervous glance at Ladice. Ladice smiled to herself. “Do not be nervous, Tim.” He relaxed. “I was curious, how difficult was the battle?” “As your highness heard from the general within,” began Tim, “the moogles outnumbered us slightly, but we were able to make use of superior tactics and better training.” “Bah, I don’t want the same story told to me the same way, I want you to tell me, in your own words, Tim.” “Oh,” said Tim. He paused in thought. “I was worried that my men would cut and run as the moogle horde came charging at us. But my men stayed true and did not flinch as the enemy came unto our spears.” “The General spoke of a strategy that you came up with?” “Oh yes. I had thought that since we were using the phalanx, archers would help to give courage to our men, and weaken any enemy advance. Since our bowmen were not that well trained, many stood atop of wagons and men on all fours to pick off the moogles as they came at us.” “My,” said Ladice in wonder. “Then what?” “After we had stood up to the moogles first assualt, they retreated to regroup. The order was given and we marched forward. Our forces met again, and my company was able to break through the enemy lines. Our swordsmen then went through and began attacking the enemy from behind. My company joined them.” “Did you get injured?” “A little,” said Tim. “How? Where?” Ladice asked interested. Tim was a taken aback. “Well, a moogle spear sliced my arm,” Tim indicated on his arm. “And a moogleboar struck me with a club to my ribs.” Ladice stared in amazement. “My goodness,” she said in awe. “You are indeed brave. I am surprised you survived.” “It takes more then a moogleboar with a bad attitude to take me down, your highness,” said Tim with a grin. “Besides, the other soldiers of Doma were there, and they fought as hard as myself.” “How many moogles did you slay?” “You speak as if they were dragons, your highness.” Tim smiled warmly at her. “A moogle is only three feet high, your highness. Any soldier good with a shield and a weapon can defeat one easily. It is when they are in a horde that they present a danger. As for myself, I killed, I think, ten moogles, and three moogleboars. That I know for sure. I injured several others, though.” Tim looked back at the garden, introspective. “Bloody business,” Tim muttered. Ladice followed his gaze. “I have often heard that of war and fighting. But it must be done, to protect one’s country, one’s land, one’s soveriegn.” Tim grudingly nodded. “If you will excuse me, Tim, I must return to my guests.” Ladice nodded her head slightly to Tim, and then turned and walked away. Tim breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his face in amazement. “What a night,” he said to himself. He waited a while, then went back to the parlor himself, saying his goodbyes, then going to his quarters to rest. --Sky From: RaumKatze2@aol.com "I think I've lost my appitite," Kat mumbled to herself, after watching Tim and Ladice from the hors do'vres table. "Huh? Didst thou say something," said Cyan. "No, It's nothing," said Kat, "I think I'll go to bed now." Several members of the War Council wished her a good night as she went off to her bedroom. -------------- Just who the hell did this Tim fellow think he was, just coming to Doma, acting like he's the one in charge. And why does everything think he's such so fucking great as a military leader? Any fool could have lead the army victoriously in that Battle, since the Domans had the proverbial home court advantage. If that hotshot Tim had been in Vector, he would have faired even worse than Kat had, but still Ladice is fawning over him like he's such hot shit. That insipid Ladice was really getting on Kat's nerves. Kat promised herself she would never resort to such airheaded posturing to attract a man like that. Why was it that giggly, shallow, superficial women got all the men, while strong, independant women such as herself remained eternally lonely? She lay down, putting her hands behind her head, eyes open, not attempting to sleep, as if waiting for an answer to her rhetorical question. But all she heard was the jovial talking and laughing from the party in the parlor. She rolled onto her side and put the pillow over her ear. But she could still hear the sounds that reminded her that now, more than ever, she was far away. Far away from everyone else, far away from ever accomplishing her dreams. If only sleep could help her escape this feeling, but sleep was a long time coming. Not until long after the party had ended and everyone else retired to their quarters, did sleep carress Kat with its gentile hands.