Wednesday morning, June 11, was a sad day for all the subjects of Kircrington Village, Baron Walton's domain. At Sharif Hatton Castle, about 30 miles away from the Baron's domain, there was a cheerful laugh and greetings to celebrate the Duke of Richmond's return to the north.

Previously, the news of the lord's return to the castle was sent back from the first place by a saber guard. At this moment, the Duke of Richmond's procession was still marching between a field of farmland and fields, about three miles east of the castle. After receiving the news, Isabel immediately asked the butler of the Duke's Palace and various full-time servants to prepare for the return of the Duke of Richmond. In addition, he immediately sent someone to inform the village officials, tax collectors, and resident priests of Sharif Hatton to prepare to meet the duke.

In a short time, the village of Sharif Hatton, whose territory was much larger and inhabited than that of Kirklington, immediately boiled over, and almost all the village officials, priests, priests, and hundreds of villagers left their houses and churches to welcome the lord's return on either side of the only road connecting the east and west sides of the village.

When Isabel Walton, the privy counsellor of the Duke's Court, led the two captains of the guard, the butler, and dozens of servants to stand outside the castle gates, she was a little unhappy with the atmosphere of welcoming the Duke of Richmond back. Turning his head to look at the butler standing on the right side, "Butler, don't you think there are very few servants who welcome His Highness back today?" You know, His Highness is coming back from Scotland. ”

Butler Arthur Field stepped forward and whispered beside her, "Your Excellency, none of the members of the Council have come today, and the gentlemen and Yoman in the Richmondshire Territory will not come to the Territory Meeting until tomorrow. ”

The nobles, knights, gentlemen, and joman who could have come to welcome the Duke of Richmond were not present, and Isabel frowned and thought, "The only person who lives closest to His Highness is my father, Baron Walton. However, it was about an hour's ride from Kircrington to Sharif Hatton Castle, and it was too late. ”

"Sir William Ingleby, Lord of Ripley's Castle, south of his father's domain, is unlikely to have arrived here in time." Thinking of this, Isabel had a sense of disgust for Sir William, "Why didn't this bastard die in Edinburgh?" A knight who is greedy for life and afraid of death! ”

After scolding the young lord of Ripley Castle fiercely in his heart, he turned his head to look at the two captains of the guard standing on the left, and shouted, "Peter, come here!" ”

Vice Captain Peter hurriedly turned his head to look at her, and hurriedly ran to her and nodded, "Your Excellency, what do you command?" ”

"Gather all the musketeers at once, and stand on both sides of the road leading to the castle in full armor and wait for His Highness's return!"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

At this time, a procession of hundreds of armed guards and two wagons loaded with goods appeared on the east side of the village. A cuirassier on a war horse equipped with an ornate saddle and coat walked at the front of the procession, holding a banner embroidered with the Duke of Richmond's coat of arms (three silver, blue, and gold stripes, a walking lion on the front side, and a chain with the Duke's name written on its neck).

This was followed by 50 guards on horses with the same decoration, while a heraldic officer from the Heraldic Academy rode behind the 50 guards. It is curious that the officials of the heraldic court will appear in the ranks of the duke's victorious return. Traditionally, when the obituary of a nobleman's death was delivered to the heraldic court, the heraldic officer would immediately take office to preside over the nobleman's funeral. From this point of view, there must have been a very special reason for the appearance of this heraldic officer in the duke's ranks.

The queen of the heraldic officer is the master of today's grand procession—Prince Henry, the Duke of Richmond and Somerset, and the Earl of Nottingham. With a princely title, two dukedoms, and an earldom, Henry Fitzroy rode in high spirits on a horse of fine blood.

In addition to the ornate saddle and coat, his horse also had four silver horseshoes. Of course, the Duke of Richmond, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, the highest nobleman and recognized by the aristocracy, would not miss any opportunity to show his title, identity, status, authority and prestige. Of course, every time he went out on horseback to show off, he should also bring his gentlemen and his retainers with him. However, this trip is the Duke of Richmond's return from the war, so naturally it will not travel like a wedding or funeral procession like a luxurious public celebration.

Next to the Duke of Richmond were 10 guards on horseback, dressed in full-body plate armor, with swords hanging from their waists, and holding a large banner embroidered with the Duke of Richmond's coat of arms on the front. The horses and horses that the guards stepped on were also covered with horse coats with the duke's emblem that hung down to the ground. At the end of the procession were two four-wheeled wagons and the remaining would-be knights.

Soon, the procession of the Duke's return came to the fork in the road to the Duke's castle. After the guards in front drove the horses into the fork in the road, the musketeers of the Duke of Richmond standing on either side of the fork in the line on horseback became intrigued. It was not so much an interest in the musketeers as a strong curiosity about the arquebuses in the hands of the musketeers.

"Woo ......," the Duke of Richmond stopped and stepped off his horse, and then turned his head and ordered the flag guards beside him, "Let the people in front stop!" ”

Before the rest of the group could understand what was going on, the Duke of Richmond jumped off his horse, bypassed the five flag guards on his left and walked straight to a musketeer standing with his guns in his hands. His eyes were firmly fixed on the arquebus in the opponent's hand and the ammunition belt, gunpowder canisters, primer canisters and bullet bags and other ancillary equipment, and after looking at them for a long time, he asked curiously, "You... Which nobleman are you... Musketeers? ”

The musketeer still stood with his gun in hand, but nodded slightly at the Duke of Richmond, "Your Highness, I am one of your musketeers. Today, Your Excellency has ordered all of us to await your return here. ”

"What? What's going on? The Duke of Richmond muttered to himself questioningly. Suddenly he came to his senses and laughed with his hands on his hips, "My God, my Privy Counsellor would have brought such a good thing back from the South?!" ”

The heraldic officer in the procession also jumped off his horse and walked to the duke's side, and asked respectfully, "Your Highness, what makes you so happy?" ”

At this time, Isabel and the others, who were waiting at the gate of the castle, received a report from the servant: "Your Excellency, Your Highness's procession has stopped. ”

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