Necromancer: Kingdom Building with My Legion of Undead Knights

Chapter 185: A Quiet Morning

Morning.

Darion woke to sunlight streaming through the narrow window of his room. For a moment, he simply lay there, staring at the cracked stone ceiling, letting his mind catch up with his body. Yesterday had been long.

He had been exhausted yesterday but now, waking up, he felt like his normal functioning self.

He got up, took his bath, dressed and made his way to the great hall.

The great hall was already alive with morning activity. The fire had been relit, flames dancing in the fire place. Maret was moving between the kitchen and the table, setting out plates and cups. And sitting at the table, already eating, were Garren and Seren.

Darion walked over and took his usual seat. Maret appeared beside him almost instantly, placing a plate of food in front of him: bread, cheese, and a thick stew that smelled like it still had some of yesterday’s Cteedle meat in it. Darion checked and found that truly, there was Cteedle meat in it. Well..., he wasn’t complaining.

Seren and Garren let out and Darion replied:

"Morning!"

They ate in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the clinking of spoons against bowls and the crackling of the fire. Then Seren spoke up.

"We had a large feast yesterday before you two came back," she explained to the men as she ate her food slowly. "Everyone gathered in the courtyard. The archers, the knights, the stable workers, even some of the people who heard about the hunt. Maret helped with the cooking, but most of it was done by us archers."

Darion smiled at that. "I guessed as much. When I said that you guys could have half the meat, I saw some of the archers already discussing how they would have a big feast or something like that. The way their eyes lit up, I knew there was no way that meat was going to sit in storage for long."

Seren laughed softly at that. "Yeah, they surely ate like mad men. I played a big part in the cooking but the way. I mean, I’m a good cook myself. Not to brag, but I know my way around a kitchen."

Darion raised an eyebrow. "That’s nice."

It was common knowledge that most women knows how to cook. Especially in a medieval world where it was compulsory a woman knew how to cook.

"I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much meat in my life," Seren continued, shaking her head at the memory. "Even though the knights and the stable workers and the castle servants joined in. Everyone was stuffed. I was bloated for hours afterward. Could barely move."

Darion and Garren laughed at that. The image of Seren, usually so composed, so serious, sitting around with a full belly, too stuffed to move, was funny in a way that words couldn’t quite capture.

"Sounds like a good time," Darion said.

Seren nodded. "It was. The archers deserved it. After everything they’ve been through, the training, the battles, the hunt, they needed something to celebrate. Something that reminded them why they were doing all of this."

Darion understood that. People didn’t just fight for duty. They fought for moments like that: the feast, the laughter, the feeling of being part of something that was working.

After breakfast, they heard footsteps approaching the castle entrance. Darion stood and walked to the door. Outside, the carpenters had arrived, the same men from yesterday, with their tool belts and their measuring sticks and their calm, professional demeanor.

They would be going to get the wood now. The plan was simple: Garren would accompany them to the market, handle the payment, arrange for transport, and make sure everything was loaded properly. The carpenters knew which timber yards to visit, which merchants to trust, and which prices were fair.

Seren surprised Darion by stepping forward.

"I’ll follow Garren and the carpenters," she said.

Darion looked at her. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I’m bored. Sitting around the castle all day while the farmland work is done and the archers are resting, there’s nothing for me to do. At least if I go with them, I’ll see something different. Maybe learn something about timber prices. Who knows?"

Darion considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But don’t slow them down."

Seren smiled at that. "Slow them down? I’m not a snail I’m I?"

After they left, Darion found himself alone in the castle. The great hall was quiet. The fire crackled. Maret had returned to the kitchen. The knights were training outside, but he could hear the distant sounds of their practice, the clang of swords, the shouted commands.

He went inside to read the history book he always picked up whenever he was bored. It was the same one Garren had recommended days ago, the one about neighboring territories and old alliances. The pages were yellowed, the binding cracked, but the words were still legible.

He passed the time with that. Because by his estimations, Garren and the carpenters wouldn’t be back until at least the afternoon. The market was a ride away, and the negotiations would take time, and the loading of the timber would take even longer. So it would be a long wait.

He read about trade disputes from fifty years ago. About a war that never happened because two Barons agreed to marry their children instead. About a famine that had killed hundreds before neighboring territories stepped in with grain.

The words blurred together after a while. His eyes grew heavy. He closed the book and set it aside.

After reading for over an hour, close to two hours, Darion decided to go see the knights train. He stood, stretched, and walked toward the door.

It would be a good time passer, y’know. Something to watch. Something to distract him from the waiting. And besides, he hadn’t checked on their progress in days. It would be good to see how they were improving.

He stepped outside into the morning light and headed toward the training grounds.