Franz Van Burace
Finally reaching his destination, Franz pulled on the reigns of his horse, bringing the creature to a stop. Somewhat awkwardly, he dismounted and took a moment to stretch. The rocky, unpredictable terrain had proven to be quite hard on him. No doubt the other knights were just as sore and tired as he was. Unfortunately, there was little time for rest. Doing his best to mask the look of disgust on his face, Franz stoically approached the first tribesmen who came out to greet him.
"Quel amrun! You finally arrive. Allow me to welcome you all to Ata'hua."
The man's skin was tanned like leather, his white hair falling about his face in uneven braids. He walked with a staff made of gnarled wood that did little to aid his hobbling steps. Somehow, he was everything Franz had imagined.
"I am called Hallec, chieftain of the Kar'aye, the largest tribe in Ata'hua."
Franz placed a fist to his chest and bowed slightly, the formal sign of acknowledgement among the Knights.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. I am Franz Van Burace of the Knights of Valexia."
He could feel the heat of eyes upon him. The many people of the village had stopped their daily business to gawk unabashedly at the armor clad men. It made the young man's spine tingle.
'These savages could attack at any moment. This entire peace treaty could have merely been a plot to deal a blow to Valexia. I must be on guard at every moment.'
The rest of the knights anxiously stood behind Franz. It was obvious neither party was very comfortable in the company of the other. He wanted nothing more than to be done with this place and return to Valexia. Return to his normal life and never have to see nor hear about Ata'hua again. But Franz knew that was impossible right now. The thought was enough to make his chest sink with despair.
"So," the young knight spoke, "We are to agree on a truce then? Have all parties gathered?"
The one called Hallec reflected upon the boy's words for an agonizingly long moment. He spoke slowly, calmly. Simply...
"Ahh, yes. In my eighty-seven years of life I have done much and seen much more. Never did I imagine peace between Ata'hua and the Valexians to be among that."
He smiled at the knights, revealing what few twisted teeth remained in his mouth.
"Indeed. It is most fortunate that we meet here today." Franz remained cool. An emotional knight was a dead knight, as his commander had once told him. Indeed, he was acting as ambassador this day. There could be no room for his personal feelings.
"Now for the formal signing," Franz continued, "Shall we agree to the terms now?"
Hallec's face fell only slightly, traces of his smile still evident underneath deep wrinkles. Again, after a long pause, he spoke...
"The other tribes have not arrived to the summit yet. When the great sun lights the sky on fire, they shall arrive. Not a moment before."
With that, the chief smiled once more and turned his back on them, stumbling away on his staff. Meanwhile, the gazes of the tribespeople still lingered on him.
For a moment, Franz was dumbfounded. Was that supposed to mean sunset? The other tribe leaders would not arrive until this evening? Feeling the first traces of a headache assaulting his senses, he pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he kept his voice stern and cool...
"All right, men! The summit shall meet this evening! Set up camp for today. We set out for good Valexia at first light tomorrow!"
Franz pretended not to hear the groans and whispers of his fellow knights. In truth, he felt guilty for leading them all here. Turning his head up to the sky, he saw that the sun was not yet even overhead. It would be a long while before the summit. Clearing his dry throat, Franz decided he'd explore this sad excuse for a village in search of a water source for his men.