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.When he arrivedmany a soldier wondered what this handsome lad was doing at anarmy campsite.Some jumped to the wrong conclusion.The differentshades of gray of his clothing were only accentuated by two dashesof color: his long, golden hair, and the small badge he wore on hischest with the Amirathan colors, silver and purple.But when theofficers, who knew the lord governor by sight, flocked to him, theysoon made the connection between this blond boy and the warlord-prince who had brought proud Landemere to its knees and imposedhis will on the unruly Amirathan nobility.They suddenly looked athim with other eyes altogether.As he progressed through the camp, surrounded by officers intheir rich garments, it was clear to everybody that it was with theyoung man, simply dressed in subdued gray that somehow managedto outshine the colorful uniforms, that the real power lay.He mingled with the new recruits, listened to their worries aswell as to their boasting, and spoke encouraging words in a tone thatsounded more self assured than he felt.He ate and drank with themat midday and used the same cheap tin utensils they did.He cursed,just as they did, when he saw his meat was burned on one side, andhe drank his wine with as much gusto as them.After less than half anhour most of them would have sworn he had been born and raised a Bonds of Fear 127Northern.He was one of them.Sometimes he singled a particular soldier out and asked himabout his wife and children, his hopes and regrets.Was he afraid?Did he have confidence in his officers? Did he feel that he wasbeing prepared adequately for the coming confrontation? Was hisequipment to par?He also spoke with them in little groups.He asked where theycame from and if they were from the same village.Once, when oneof them passed along a beaker with warm, spicy wine, the man whostood next to him was embarrassed because they had no clean mugfor the lord governor.Anaxantis shrugged, smiled, and without theleast hesitation took a swig from the one out of which half a dozenmen had drunk before him.When he passed it on, wiping his mouthwith the back of his free hand, the next man almost dropped it.When one soldier timidly asked him if the north wasn t but a dulland miserable place for a royal prince to rule, he said that there werethree princes and a high king of Ximerion but only one warlord ofAmiratha and that he d rather be the first here than the fourth there.His answer went around the barracks and tents.Not only had theyadopted him, now they knew that he had adopted them as well.He took care that not only the officers, but as many men aspossible heard from his own lips that every precaution was beingtaken to minimalize casualties in the coming battle.The cornerstonewas good training and strict obedience, without panicking, to theorders of their officers.They were better equipped, he stated againand again, they would be better trained, and the leadership of thearmy would be better informed than the barbarians.He himself wouldreconnoiter the Renuvian Plains to seek out the most advantageousbattlefields.A famous doctor was organizing a whole group of hiscolleagues and women with medical experience to take care of the 128 Andrew Ashlingwounded.Nobody would be left behind.Nobody would go uncaredfor.As far as he was concerned his men were the most precious assetof the army, and he would be parsimonious, stingy with their lives.One militia man asked him what they would do if, despite all hisobvious preparation and precautions, the enemy would prove toostrong for them.He had looked the man in the eyes and had softlyanswered: Ha, that, my friend, is when we stand and die. When he was gone the men talked for hours about his visit.Theyconcluded that the king had been very generous to send the mostcapable of his sons to the northern frontier to lead the defense inperson.It must have been a hard decision, they agreed, because thesituation in the south was even more dangerous, and the king musthave been sorely tempted to keep the prince at his side. Bonds of Fear 129Late in the afternoon Anaxantis was back at Lorseth Castle.Whenhe entered the tower he saw Rahendo, seated at a little table nearthe door of the hallway to the war room, scribbling away on someparchments. Any messages, Radyamirodyahendo? he asked. No, my lord, but you had a visitor, Rahendo said, as if that werethe worst possible news and dire consequences were bound toensue. He went away when I told him you weren t here. He sighed. He will return though. Did he say his name? No, my lord, and he was so weird I forgot to ask.I m sorry, Rahendo said, as though the weight of his shortcomings would soonget the better of him
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