The villagers of Pietra Secca watched the approach of the armed men with a mixture of terror and desperate hope. They saw the banner of the black falcon, an unknown sigil, and their hearts sank, fearing these were new tormentors. Then, a collective gasp went through the crowd. At the head of the column, walking beside the young lord, was Giacomo, the man they had sent on his fool's errand. Behind the soldiers, they saw two of their own women, weeping with relief, and a mule laden with their stolen property.
The fear shattered, replaced by a tidal wave of overwhelming joy.
As Alessandro led the Falcon Guard into the small, dusty piazza, the villagers swarmed them. They were not a conquering army, but liberators. Cries of thanks and blessings rained down upon the blood-spattered soldiers. Women pressed rough-spun bread and cups of wine into their hands. Old men wept openly, thanking them for delivering them from the nightmare.
Alessandro accepted their gratitude with a dignified grace, allowing his weary men to rest and eat. He sat with the village elders, a council of three weathered men whose faces were maps of hardship.
"Your own lord… Baron Valli… he did nothing?" Alessandro asked, his voice quiet.
The head elder spat on the ground. "Baron Valli is old, his sons are weak, and his coffers are empty," he said with the bitterness of a man long betrayed. "He has not left his crumbling keep in a year. He taxes us, but he offers no protection. We were abandoned, my lord. Left to the wolves."
The stories poured out—of stolen grain, of livestock driven off, of living in constant fear. As they spoke, Alessandro understood the full scope of the power vacuum. This was not just a village; it was an orphaned territory, ripe for the claiming.
After his men had rested and eaten their fill, Alessandro gave the order to re-assemble. A wave of renewed panic went through the villagers as they saw the soldiers forming up to leave.
"You are leaving, my lord?" the head elder asked, his voice trembling.
"We have done what we came to do," Alessandro replied, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The bandits are gone. Now we must return to our own lands."
His words struck the villagers with the force of a physical blow. The bandits he had destroyed were just one pack of wolves. Without a protector, another would surely come. He had shown them what true leadership looked like, what security felt like, only to snatch it away.
As Alessandro prepared to mount his horse, the three elders approached him. They bowed deeply, a formal gesture of respect. "Lord Alessandro," the head elder began, his voice earnest. "Please do not leave us unprotected. Our arrangement with Baron Valli no longer serves us, as he cannot provide the safety required by his station. We wish to sever that tie. We humbly ask you to be our new lord and protector."
This was the opportunity. The request he had hoped for had been offered. He saw a path forward. "A community without protection is vulnerable," he stated, his voice clear and firm. "Given the circumstances, I cannot refuse your request. I accept your pledge of loyalty. From this day forward, the people and lands of Pietra Secca are under my protection. Your troubles are my troubles. Your future is my future."
He dismounted and helped the old man to his feet, a symbolic act that sealed the pact. A roar of joyous celebration, far louder than before, erupted from the crowd.
Alessandro immediately put his new lordship into practice. He turned to his young Decanus. "Marco. You and your ten men will remain here. You are the new garrison of Pietra Se-cca. Establish a proper watch. Train the village men. You will be my eyes and my shield in this valley."
Marco, his chest swelling with pride, slammed a fist to his heart. "Yes, my lord!"
Leaving half his army behind, Alessandro and the remaining ten soldiers began the journey home. He had taken responsibility for the territory of another noble, an act that changed his political standing in the region. He was no longer just a lord known for unusual ideas. His role had now expanded, and the other powers of the region would take notice.