Quoted By:
"Well...Don Carles said he would handle the payment and supplies; the more men, the better, no?"
You decide you will hire all of the mercenary companies, bringing you to an astounding <span class="mu-s">3,833</span> soldiers, divided within eleven companies of foot and seven companies of horse (as well as your personal retinue) and, of course, one gun. It is an impressing number; indeed, your infantry alone stands bigger than the average imperial tercio regiment. <span class="mu-i">Such force will allow you to act as an army of your own within the field of war.</span> You do feel a sting after looking at the wages, however - had your prince not taken it to foot the bill, you would be forced to pay a grand total of <span class="mu-s">9,050 Imperii every single month.</span> And that is merely wages, not taking into account the supplies and munitions required for such a force...
The time for your departure to Straccia approaches ever more.
In the following days, there is a sense of hurry, perhaps - to squeeze out the last drilling, the last tutoring, whatever it may be, until the time to depart arrives. You've already finished settling any matters left with your departure from Portblanc, and your brother has taken on the duty of regent, with August advising him on what to do.
It is one such morning when you stroll yet again to your castle chapel for morning mass, a bit early this time around, and see your mother, sitting by your family seats. You approach her, greeting her as you commonly do.
"Good morning be to you, mother.
Rather than respond, the old woman turns away with a 'humph'. This is...new to you. Even when your mother is in one of her bad moods, she always greets you, if only to begin complainin about whatever it is that is annoying her.
"...What is it, mother? Does something trouble you?"
She turns to you, with a wide frown on her face.
"Yes, Alessandro, something is troubling me. My son is going to go off gallivanting to a useless war and get himself killed!"
It takes you some effort not to huff in fatigue. For the better part of the past two months, your mother had tried to convince you to give up on participating in this campaign, repeatedly telling you to relinquish control of the army to Hugues and to send him in your place instead, asking you to send an apology bribe if you had to. You had told her many things: that to do so could have been taken as an insult by the prince, that such a large investment could not just be handed to another man, that you would be perfectly safe within the backlines of any battle...though it seemed to be of no use.
"Mother, I-"
<span class="mu-s">"I don't want to hear it!</span> You men always do this, going off to die as though you've nothing better to do..! Leaving your women alone to grieve..."
You dare not interrupt her. In truth, you even understand: apparently, your late uncle from your mother's side was lost this very way. With your late father gone, the only family she had left was you and your brother.
