The King's Collie

Part II, Chapter 7: The Lusitanian Colony

"The land! I see it! We're nearly there!" an eagle assigned to the watch-post cawed the next early morning, much to the pleasure of the King who heard it. He was up a little earlier than what was normal on his marine trips, having anticipated landing.

Afon turned over in his bed, feeling the incoming sense dread. Something inside him told him that this would be one hell of a fight. He sat up, and felt his heart sink to his stomach. He hadn't done this in years. It seemed the world had finally found its natural, peaceful state. Until now.

Cameron watched him eat, as the collie himself had his complimentary share of the corgi's food, as was agreed. "What's bothering you?" he asked.

"Something's telling me I'm going to d— do my best," he described, stumbling on a choice of word.

"Oh, well, why's that bothering you?" the smaller dog asked.

"I'm afraid that my best might be my last," the knight replied.

"I surely hope it isn't," Cameron replied.

"Me too," Felix said considerately, gulping his own breakfast down. "You're a noble knight, Afon, one that not only will help force your way through a situation, but also think it over first," he explained.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the corgi was a little taken aback with the sudden compliment-laced description.

"A toast to thee, if thou shalt show us what being a Cambrian means," a Valentian knight suddenly roared out.

"To Afon, glory to Cambria!" came the louder response, and the gulping from goblets.

—

A small colony seemed to have already been established, with the way the shoreline looked. Tents and fences were set up, and people seemed to be walking around. The Lusitanian banner, in its green and red-striped prominence, flew high. A few ships bearing the same kind of flag were docked, supposedly the ones the Lusitanians arrived in.

"Christ, they've only been here a little more than a week," Felix remarked, seeing this.

"They sure got busy setting this up," Cameron nodded.

The ship was docked with little trouble. The knights were initially ordered to stay in, knowing that an immediate display of armed men would not at all be a wise move. What happened next, though, was a quite unexpected move: a warm welcome on behalf of what would assumedly have been the colonial governor, being a fox with a browner coat of fur.

"Well hello-hello, what might we have here?" he asked, as he walked up to the party that had gotten off the boat. "King Felix," he recognized, "of Valentina?"

"Indeed. And I assume you're the governor of this land?" the King asked.

"Correct as always, Your Highness!" the Governor replied, his eyes bright and wide. "What gave it away, the fancy clothes or the Lusitanian knights behind me?" he then playfully inquired, a few armored guards standing behind him.

"So long as you've got your men, we'll get ours," Afon barked, and made a motion for the knights to come out. They outnumbered the Lusitanians present, but what was still unclear was how many more Lusitanian knights there were in total.

"Grand," the vulpine governor said, clapping his hands. "Perhaps we could all discuss over lunch? You could maybe say what you're doing here in the first place?" he then proposed.

—

"See, Afon? This isn't an armed conflict at all," Cameron joyously barked. "We're having lunch, see!"

"Oh, shush," the corgi grunted as the party made way to the makeshift dining hall of sorts. It was with a table that must have been hefted off the ship, laying out in the open.

"Hope you don't mind outdoor dining," the fox chortled while he helped lay out the tablecloth. The trees swayed in the breeze as the silverware was laid out. Then, it came. A wide-eared dog, who must have been from this region, carried a domed plate, and set it down. Taking this cloche off, he revealed a cooked chicken. "Enjoy, sirs," he said politely, but also as if he was just fulfilling a minimum. Everyone took their seats, but the vulpine-in-charge soon noticed something.

"Excuse me, who is that, then?" the governor pointed to Cameron.

"That is my page," Felix answered.

After a bit of thought, the fox whisked his paw, in a shooing way. "Simply won't do. We're talking of more noble matters here, young man, would you mind having this lowly boy elsewhere for a bit?"

"Can't I just get something to eat, though?" the collie replied.

"Sure," the fox yipped, "if you go someplace else with it."

"To be honest," the King sighed, "I think that would be best, Cameron."

With that, the collie shrugged, and got up after getting a plate of poultry. He dug into it, carrying his plate as he walked away.

"I wonder why you did bring such a homely breed along," the fox stated, scratching at his ear as he bit into his leg of meat.

"Ask the knight in shining armor, over here," the lion chortled, pointing to the corgi.

"Aye, the lad wanted to come and travel," Afon replied, raising his hands in mock surrender, and laughing.

"And that reminds me," the governor then said after a little bit of thought, "I was going to say..."

"What was it, good sir?" the Cambrian knight dog perked an ear.

"You certainly didn't seem to have the breed to be a knight of such valor, by all means being respectful, Sir Afon," the fox answered, making the noble corgi furrow his brows in stern disbelief. "You see," he continued, "different sorts all have their places in the world. Lions and dragons as kings. Collies like— Cameron, was it?— in the farm. It's just what makes it all stay afloat, you do know. I'm glad you're an exception," he finished off what he thought was this enlightened conversation starter.

Felix hoped Afon wouldn't say anything about this explanation, and he thankfully kept quiet, continuing to eat.

It was soon discovered, though, what the fox, as well as the nation of Lusitania, meant by that.