Measures

Ian left the firehall and stepped out into the courtyard. "Marcus!"

Blackthorn's second in command ran across to the Commander of the Black Guard and saluted. "Yes, Sir?"

"We move now."

A half hour later, half of Camelot's garrison moved off down the road to Blackhawke Castle, their numbers swollen with knights who had fled the chaos of the night before. As they approached the castle gate, Blackthorn frowned. Things had degenerated so low that there were not even sentinels at the drawbridge. His hand rose and fell, and a column of mounted knights thundered cross the bridge, Ian and Marcus in the lead.

The next few minutes were chaos as the factions inside the castle realized they were under attack. By the time they had, the archers Blackthorn had brought with him controlled the wall and easily picked off the rabble as they emerged from all three barracks. While there were more men in the castle than in Ian's force, they were in hopeless disarray. It was over quickly.

An eerie silence descended upon the courtyard as Blackthorn dismounted and walked across to where the squabbling leaders knelt in angry submission "You have no right!" spat the angry Petra. "We are the officers of the Black Watch!"

Ian nodded, "Aye, you are. And that is why what you have all done is unforgivable." He turned to Marcus, "Take the leaders and hang them from the castle walls. The rest are to be put to work putting out the fires and repairing the damage."

"Listen to me! You men say you are the Black Watch! Then act like it! Lord Blackhawke is barely a day gone and you fight over Blackhawke Castle like it is a carcass and you the hyenas! NO MORE!! This senseless arguing must end, and end now!"

Ian walked to his horse and removed a bundle from the saddle. He handed it to Marcus. "It's the battle flag. You know what to do with it. Set up guard details. We will keep the castle safe until he returns."

An hour later, Ian Blackthorn rode back to Camelot. Behind him, from the ramparts, dangled the bodies of the traitorous leaders. And over them flew the flag of Blackhawke.