An interview with Intendant Bastille

Once again, the enigmatic Master Peter has come to see the Intendant. This time, he is accompanied by a tall, grey haired man with obvious military bearing and a pretty young woman with red-gold hair. Even though the spring thaw has turned the roads into muddy streams, their clean clothing speaks of traveling in a closed coach.

The Intendant examines them curiously. All Master Peter had told him was that these people had requested a private meeting to occur before the Hurtshog returned from the conflict with St. Maurice.
M. Peter: M'Lord, may a I present to you the Baron Grey and the Lady Rose?
Bastille: Nommes d'guerre?
Grey: (with a wry smile) sort of, my Lord. Sort of.
Bastille: (irritated grunt) Very well, if it must be so. What is it that you wish to speak about?
Rose: Your captives.
Bastille: My captives?
Grey: Yes, my lord. We wish to negotiate a prisoner exchange for our heroes in your dungeon.
Bastille: Prisoner exchange? (angrily) that's for soldiers, not treacherous plotters!
Rose: (angrily) Treacherous to who? We are not Gallians!! You ...
Grey: (Interrupting and placing a hand on Roses' shoulder) These people are captives taken because they've resisted an alien occupation of their homeland. They are not thieves, they did not try to overthrow your king. They thus share the same status as the musketeers in Hesse Seewald's line.
Bastille: (sardonic) I doubt that the Hurtshog would take such a view.
Rose: Then let them be held in a Frankfurter house and tried by a Frankfurter court, not immured in a Gallian cell.
Bastille: These people were found to be a threat to our lines and to our troops. We can't just let them go.
Grey: But what did any of them actually do? Not as much as a single battalion of Grenz or a squadron Hussars! And those men would be eligible for prisoner exchange.
Bastille: I do not have the authority to actually conduct such negotiation. I will however speak with Gen. Broglie concerning this, and I'm sure M. Peter will be glad to communicate anything further to you.
Rose: May we at least see the prisoners and do what we can to comfort them?
Bastille: A natural request (assumes stern stance) but at the present moment, out of the question.
Grey: We may not even see them?
Bastille: M. Peter will communicate with you. The question is not closed, I assure you; but at this time I cannot continue this conversation.
Rose: But ...
Bastille: You are dismissed, my lady!
Bastille rings a bell and guards enter the room, they escort M. Peter and his party out.
Bastille: (pacing) now here's a pretty kettle of fish. I wonder how the Hurtshog's court will take this complication. His spies are as pernicious as fleas!