On the evening of the 19th of June, the captain of the Royal Guard and his three lieutenants stop to rest at the same roadside inn where The Lusty Fools, their quarry, stayed the night before....
They learn that the ones they seek were there the night before, and headed south the next day....
They recruit four unsavory mercenaries, members of one of France's several infamous Free Companies, ruthless swords-for-hire who kill for whomever will meet their price....
In French: You had better be worth the coin we're paying you.... These men we seek are no common soldiers of fortune.... They are heroes who slayed the sea drake Brinegullet, do you hear!?
Meanwhile, a day's ride behind The Lusty Fools on the road south of Calais:
The captain of the Royal Guard of Reims leads his three lieutenants on a hunt for The Lusty Fools!
Nous allons voir qui leur vient en aide ici sur le sol français!
Composing himself after Tyr's and Alphonse's appeals for civility, the captain appeals to the heroes' sense of duty and empathy....
I beg of you, brave champions, to consider the repercussions we honorable guardsmen will face if we fail in our duty to our Dauphin.... Is Paris, perchance, on the way to wherever your quest has bound your company?
Cochon Anglaise stupide!!
The French guard captain is red-faced and scowling, gripping the hilt of his sword, but not yet daring to draw....
We know, my lady, and we are as appreciative as you are for their bravery.... But our Dauphin would very much like to meet them....
The captain looks irritated....
Alphonse Veritus wrote: "With all due respect Captain, we decline. The Dauphin currently on the throne is an impostor, and means us nothing but harm. We're currently on our journey in part to aid the true Dauphin."
"Please do not attempt to hinder us on our way."
You say our Dauphin is an imposter!? Impossible, sir. If you will just agree to come with us to Paris, I am sure you will see for yourselves that the one who sits on the throne of France is indeed the one true Dauphin.... If you please....
In spite of the polite words, you cannot fail to notice that the French men-at-arms are unanimous in placing gauntleted hands on the hilts of their swords....
Iommi-Tyr Magnusson wrote: Have you a document with the Dauphin's seal, out of curiosity?
Yes, of course....
The captain reaches into his saddlebag and procures a scroll bearing the seal of The Dauphin of France and holds it out for all to see.
In the street outside The Boar's Head Inn, The Lusty Fools are confronted by a band of armed and armored riders bearing the arms of France....
In French-accented English: Salutations, Imbeciles Lusty! Tales of your deeds precede you.... His Majesty, The Dauphin of France requests your presence in his throne room, and we French cavaliers of the Royal Guard have been dispatched to escort you safely to His Majesty's presence....
With the captain are three other men.
At the same moment, the Royal Guards of Reims continue their hard ride to London....
In French: Take care, men.... We Frenchmen are not looked upon kindly here.... These English pig-dogs are likely to try to waylay or mislead us....
The others nod or reply "Oui, Capitan!"
The Royal Gaurdsmen of Reims close in on The Lusty Fools, having learnt through careful questioning and even resorting to consultation of a diviner in Folkestone, that their quarry has journeyed to London....
They spur their steeds, warhorses bought at a premium from Baron Folkestone's stables, up the road to London....
Waylaid by bandits on the road to Calais, Captain Roland and his four doughty lieutenants prove their mettle, fighting the dozen-some scoundrels off....
In French: Mon Dieu! Finding these Lusty Fools is proving to be a harrowing pain in the ass, non, my lieutenants!?
To which the four Frenchmen nod in bitter agreement....
Potions of cure light wounds later, the guardsmen resume their hunt for The Lusty Fools....
While back in Paris, the captain of the Royal Guard and his four most trusted lieutenants arrive after riding hard from Reims on the order of the (false) Dauphin to find The Lusty Fools reported to have slain the Necromancer Pierre and freed the Graveknight Sir Grimulf to wander the land, and return with them to the court in Reims....
First, the soldiers stop at Notre Dame Cathedral to inquire of Father Renaud about the whereabouts of these Lusty Fools.... But loyal to the heroes who saved his life and came to the aid of the church, and wary of these men who served a shapechanging monster masquerading as the Dauphin, the old priest intentionally sends the guardsmen on a "wild goose hunt", claiming The Lusty Fools were bound for the city-states of the Italian peninsula....
Unfortunately, soon hearing from other sources that The Lusty Fools were known to frequent The Inn of the Cave, the captain of the Royal Guard and his lieutenants are soon put back on the true trail after hearing a different story from the innkeeper and serving wenches at the inn, their tongues loosened by coins from the guardsmen's purses....
By dawn of the next day (June 10th), they would be riding hard on fresh horses for Calais, to take a ferry to Folkestone....
Captain Roland D'Orleans of the Royal Guard leads his four lieutenants west along the road from Reims to Paris. All are clad in shining full plate armor bearing the Royal coat of arms, and trail blue cloaks behind them as they ride on warhorses....
They ride throughout the day of June 4th, stopping just before nightfall at a roadside inn to dine and shelter for the night.... Captain Roland tosses a silver piece to the young stable hand outside the inn....
In French: See that our horses are fed, watered, groomed, and given dry stalls, boy!
The stable hand catches the silver piece and bows deeply, promising the best treatment for the riders' horses....
Come, men.... Let us eat well and rest up for tomorrow's ride.... We have a ways to go before we reach Paris and find these so-called Imbeciles Lusty....
The four lieutenants follow their captain into the inn's common room....
At once, Your Majesty!
The Captain of the Garde Royale bows before the Dauphin and hastily departs, followed by four of the dozen guardsmen in the throne room....
The captain and his four lieutenants begin their search for The Lusty Fools, mounting horses in the Royal stables and riding out of the Palace of Versailles toward Isle of the City in Paris....
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