Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Markgraaf Goes Hunting

Day after wearisome day had passed with no news of the Markgrafin, her brother David von Kerns, Col. Somerussian Guyovich, Agent von Mack, or the troop of guard cavalry and company of guard infantry that had escorted them to Frankzonia. It was as if they all had fallen off the face of the Earth, leaving no trace behind. Diplomatic inquiries were blandly deflected by the Frankzonian Court. Covert attempts had yielded nothing. Limited cavalry scouting of the common border was done to no avail. The Markgraaf considered himself to be a patient man, but at last he could stand the inaction no longer. He summoned Wilhelm, his oldest son, and Otto von Weisenheimer, the Chancellor of Raubenstadt to the Palace...

"Son, I'm going after your Mother to bring her home from wherever she's gotten off to. I'm leaving you in charge until my return." Startled by the announcement, the Chancellor started to protest, but was waved to silence by the Markgraaf. "NO!
Otto, my old friend! My mind is made up and nothing you were going to say can change it. As a young man I rode into their Court and swept the Baroness von Kerns off her feet in a whirlwind courtship that they still talk about! Thirty years have passed me quicker than the image of the first time I saw her. The Old Duchess disapproved of one of her ladies-in-waiting marrying beneath her and opposed our union."

He reached out and gently shook his son's shoulder and laughed, "Luckily for you, your brothers, and sister we ignored her. I will not go another day doing nothing!"

"But Father", Wilhelm said, "I want her back as much as you. Uncle Ernst and Uncle Johan have been frantically trying to move Heaven and Earth trying to find her! Let me go in your stead."

"Ah? You think I'm too old to play the role of the questing Gallant Knight coming to the aid of his Lady Fair?! Bless you boy for the thought, but there's life in the old dog yet. What was done once, can be done again!"

Leaning in close so he could see his son's eyes, the Markgraaf whispered, "The greatest thing about being the one in charge is that you can have things done the way you want them. Mostly it is a great burden, but there are times when it's very useful. This is one of those times. You will discover this for yourself when you rule this place and have a wife of your own, my son."

With that, the Markgraaf gathered his hat, cloak, sword, and pistols from a series of servants as he headed for the Great Hall. He left the Palace, mounted his horse, and left Heidlebeerenburg behind him. He hadn't felt so alive in a long time. If there was even a hint of a trace of Mad Ludwig's involvement in this affair, the Markgraaf was determined to quickly finish up the business with the Prince-Bishop of Spires and turn his eyes toward Stagonia. Colonel Schieber was going to be very surprised.

9 comments:

abdul666 said...

A true Raubenstadt Lord of Legend!

Martin said...

Hi Jean-Louis,

I decided you were right, and I couldn't just leave the Markgraaf and Co. dangling at such a junction. As a kid, I always hated "cliff hangers".

So...our hero is off on an adventure that promises to be full of derring-do and swash buckling. Of course, since its been a while since he did any derring and buckled his swash, it may be amusing to watch him knock all the rust off.

A J said...

An epic adventure in the making! Here's to the Margraaf's success!

Capt Bill said...

Clearly a man of action, off on a mission...

Bluebear Jeff said...

Allow us to remind you that the proper term is not merely "Stagonia", but "vile Stagonia" . . . because they and their ruler are truly VILE!


-- Jeff of Saxe-Bearstein
(for Furst Bruno von Ursa)

abdul666 said...

Well, Conan once king of Aquilonia came adventuring again, and as a true Raubenstadter the Margraaf is certainly closer to the Cimmerian than to Don Quixote...

Will he seduce the Duchess of Saschen-Vindow?

Frankfurter said...

Alas, the whole court at Frankszonia has been thrown into confusion by the injury to the Hurtshog ....
The Margrafin is safe, Mack is all right, the injured brother has suffered a serious infection and is delirious.
---
PS in real life, the blood clots seem under control, but the sciatica is horrid. I'm regaining strength, but dare not use it yet for fear of bringing on waves of pain.
---
Item, may I use Sumrussian Guyovitch in a Hussar unit in a wild rescue scenario? I've got a small scenario the wife wants to game.
:)
A

Martin said...

Hi Arthur!

Please...by all means feel free to use Somerussian Guyovich as you see fit. I hope you and your better half enjoy the game and it helps pass the time as you recover.

Having had a touch of sciatica myself years ago, I sympathize. Besides, I owe you big time because you asked about the outhouses at Fort Five Sides over on Daisy. (Wait till I tell Otto about Schmit Creek - No Paddles Allowed!)

When you're feeling up to it, please continue the storyline. In the meantime, the Markgraaf will be tottering around Frankzonia with Schrieber's Frei Corps in tow. He'll be looking (and feeling) like 40 miles of bad road by the time he catches up with the Markgrafin, but it ought to be a hoot to write up. Here she is being wined and dined by the elite, while the spouse is toiling along in the wilderness!

God Bless Ya,

Martin

Frankfurter said...

Martin, my envisioned story line has the Margrafin et al being maintained quietly just out of town ... but are the bait in a trap for a big conspiracy (is Stagonia involved? What did the Stagonian agent have inside those fancy Parisian dols?). Unfortunately, the security detail is under the command of Big Moose (an American Indian guy) who can't grasp the concept of deliberately letting some of the hostile scouts reporting back to base!
LOL