Fenyn
A young man stood in the center of a dirt circle, long staff held in the guard position. Three men circled him, each carrying a broadsword. One of the swordsmen stepped in and quickly struck but the young man blocked it. Immediately the other two swordsmen attacked.
*clang* *clack* *clang* *thunk* *CRACK*
The young man blocked four quick strikes and then struck back with a quick, perfectly timed strike to the temple of one of the swordsmen. He dropped like stone. The other two swordsmen stepped back quickly as the young man knelt next to the fallen swordsman.
“He’ll be okay. He is simply unconscious. My strike did no permanent damage. Help me get him out of the circle.” said the young man.
“Yes, m’lord” said the two swordsmen. The three men picked up the unconscious man and gently laid him on one of the many benches that lined the walls of the exercise room. “That was a nice, clean strike, m’lord. Well played.” said one of the swordsmen.
“Thank you, Lirtim. You almost got me a couple of times.” said the young man. “Shall we continue?”
“Yes m’lord, certainly.”
The young man took his position in the center of the circle while Lirtim and the other swordsman took their position around the outer perimeter of the circle. They circled for a few minutes until the young man was flanked by the two swordsmen. Then, without warning both swordsmen struck at the same moment.
*thunk* *clack* *clack* *thunk* *thwack* *clang* *clunk*
The young man was now facing both of the swordsmen. Lirtim was limping a little. The other swordsman was shaking his offhand. The young man was unscathed. Lirtim lunged suddenly.
*clack* *clack* *clack* *THUD*
Lirtim looked up from the ground as the other swordsman attacked and was quickly upended.
The young man walked over and helped both men to their feet. “That was fun, Lirtim. I appreciate your willingness to spar with me.”
“Never a problem, m’lord. Extra practice is always welcome.” he said. “You get cleaned up, m’lord. Sondim and I will take care of Chanim.”
The young man bowed to both swordsmen and left the room.
—-
The Baron stood in the doorway. “Fenyn, what in the dragon-spawned hells were you doing this morning?” he demanded.
The young man looked up from the wash table where he was wiping himself with a wet cloth. “Father. How nice.”
“Fenyn. Answer me. Why do you insist on sparring with the common armsmen?”
“The armsmen are at least honest in their efforts. Those sad, pathetic men you hire as ‘tutors’ are no better than those sycophants that shower you and mother with ‘gifts’. Besides, the ‘tutors’ don’t have a single real thing to teach me. They simply tell me that everything I do is wrong. They even contradict each other in their ‘advice’. It is useless for me to go to them.”
The Baron grunted. “I’ll fire them then. What do they tell you?”
“You mean, other than that drivel about spears being useless? Let’s see. One of them advocates leading with the left foot. Another with the right. A third says to stand neutral. And the last one advocates not using a one sword, but two in combination.”
“And what do you think, my son? Do you think they lie?”
“No father. They don’t lie. But they don’t tell the whole truth either. How can it be ‘right’ to lead with the left foot and the right foot against the same attack?”
“Well, son, it depends on what you want to do after the attack. Do you want to remain on defense? Do you want to continue to press the attack? How you approach the attacker depends on what you want the attacker to do.”
“I understand that father. Really I do. But these tutors don’t. They are idiots. The armsmen are better instructors.”
“Very well, Fenyn. I will dismiss the tutors. But in return, you must do something for me. Give up that idiotic weapon and use a sword.”
“If it is your wish, father, that I use a sword, I will. But I will not give up using the spear. If the priests are correct and the dragons are returning, I would rather be ten feet away with a long spear than within arms reach with a sword.” Fenyn bowed to his father. “I need to get cleaned up for dinner, father. If you will excuse me.”
The Baron grumbled. “Very well. But if I hear from the armsmen that you are still using that spear, I swear I will make your life a living hell.”
Fenyn watched his father leave and kicked the wash table. His father would never understand the elegance of the spear. Without a doubt, there was elegance with the sword, but the spear had it’s own uniqueness that captured his imagination.
Fenyn finished getting cleaned up and dressed. Belting on his eating knife and slipping on the Alrarahur baronial signet that signified his rank as heir, Fenyn headed down to dinner.
—-
Fenyn stood at the gate of Alrarahur keep, looking out over the fields and river below. In the distance, he could see the smoke from the chimneys in the town. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him, he slipped around the outside edge of the gate. Looking back through the gate, he couldn’t see anyone looking in his direction as he edged along the road away from the keep. Within minutes, he was walking down the road towards the town.
—-
The town of Alrarahur took it’s name from the Baron’s family and it’s proximity to the Baron’s keep. It was a bustling town and trade port, as it was on a major river and only days from the sea. The Barondom of Alrarahur was small in terms of size, but because of the trade it controlled, it had power. Only the Baron of Relerin was more powerful. As such, the town of Alrarahur was very well off and the guards manning the road gate were well equipped. They cautiously eyed the young man that was walking up the road towards them. As he neared, one of the guards stepped forward and raised his hand for the young man to stop.
“Please state your business in Alrarahur, young sir?” said the guard.
The young man stood with his hands behind him and replied “I am here to see what goods have come in to the port. My mother wishes me to see if any spices have come from abroad recently.” He gave a friendly, if false, smile as he spoke the falsehood.
The guard nodded. “Welcome to Alrarahur, young sir. A ship has indeed docked. Rumor has it there were elves aboard it. But that’s just rumor.” The guard stepped aside to let the young man past.
As the young man walked through the gate, one of the other guards caught sight of his hands. The guards eyes widened, but the young man simply raised a finger to his lips as he walked by. When the young man was several blocks in, the guard stepped over to his captain. “Sir, that was the Baron’s son.”
The captain nodded. “I know. Let Berkus and Atheni know that he’s in town. They’ll keep track of him.” The guard nodded and headed down a side street.
—-
Fenyn smiled as he walked into town. He knew fully well that the guard captain and at least one of the other guards knew who he was, but they didn’t make a fuss about it and that was good. Now he just needed to figure out which of the four people following him were guards and which were not. He was pretty sure that the young woman was actually a guard, but he wasn’t sure about the three men. If they decided to make things difficult, he would be hard pressed to defend himself since he had chosen not to carry a weapon. Carrying a weapon through the gates was a hassle that he preferred to avoid when possible. Shrugging, he decided that the easiest way to figure out who was friend and who was not was simply to give them opportunity. Walking briskly towards the river port, he stopped several times at merchants and inquired about expensive items. At one shop, he bought an expensive silk belt, paying with two rare white gold draken rather than silver. Walking out of the shop, he scanned the street before heading down an alley that would avoid the main square while still bringing him closer to the port.
Exiting the alley, he turned towards the main square, but instead of continuing down the street, he stopped just around the corner and leaned against the building. He only had to wait a few minutes before one of the men that had been following him looked around the corner from the alley and then ducked back quickly upon seeing Fenyn. Fenyn took one step and grabbed the man by the collar, letting the man’s momentum carry both of them into the alley.
Fenyn pinned the man up against the wall. “You are no guard. Which begs the question, what do you want?”
The man stuttered and stammered as Fenyn bounced the man against the wall. Finally, Fenyn relented and let the man speak. “Nothing sir…I wanted nothing of yours. I was just paid to follow you. Nothing more.”
Fenyn glared at the man. “Who paid you?”
The man looked panicked for a moment and Fenyn slapped him across the cheek. “Who paid you?”
“Your father. Your father paid me. Not enough for this abuse though.” he said. Without warning, he yelled “Help! Help! Let me go!” and he started struggling. Fenyn let go and the man ran away down the alley. Fenyn slowly walked out of the alley and continued on his way to the docks, unaware that two new figures were following him.
At the docks, Fenyn watched the unloading of a ship before heading towards the dockside warehouses. At the factor’s entrance, Fenyn knocked on the door before entering. A portly man was sitting behind the desk riffling through papers. “Yes, yes. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Fenyn stood there for a moment, looking around at some of the goods that were stacked around the room. After a few minutes, Fenyn started impatiently tapping his foot. Finally, the warehouse manager looked up. “What can I help you with? You’re not a factor so I don’t know what you’re doing here.”
“I would like to make a direct purchase.” said Fenyn.
“Of what and from whom?” asked the manager. “I don’t perform any transactions with ‘customers’. I deal with factors and merchants. No one else. But I can direct you to the appropriate person.”
“Weapons, armor, and spices.” said Fenyn. “I assume the spices are the easiest to come by, though.” He smiled at the manager.
The manager coughed. “Well, the spices are easiest, as you say. You can find Iasurn off the main square. He’s the one that brings in most of the spices. Weapons and armor are more difficult, sir. You see, only licensed traders can bring in weapons and armor. And none have been in recently. I’m afraid that you would have to see the armorers and blacksmiths around town to see what they have.”
“I see. Iasurn has spices. I will have to remember that for my mother. Are you sure there have been no imports of weapons and armor lately?” Fenyn asked.
“No sir. Like I said, none of the traders that have been in port in the last month have been licensed for such goods.”
“So the smuggler that is unloading now didn’t have any weapons or armor aboard?” ask Fenyn.
The manager blanched. “Smuggler, sir? The ship that’s unloading now has a shipment of furs and timber.” Fenyn watched the manager start to perspire. “I can show you the inspection papers and cargo manifest here.” The manager extended a sheaf of papers to Fenyn.
Fenyn flipped through the papers before tossing them on the desk. “Very nice. But incomplete. For instance, there is no mention of the bundles of spear and bow staves being unloaded. Nor of the iron spear points that fell out of a bale of furs.”
The manager’s eyes were darting back and forth and was sweating profusely. “Sir, maybe we can reach some sort of agreement? A monetary one, perhaps?” he asked hopefully. “One that doesn’t involve the authorities.”
Fenyn smiled icily. “I’m sure we can do that. Perhaps, you can alert the guard captain of the smuggler and hand the goods over to them. You would most likely be rewarded for such action by the guards. And possibly recognized by the Baron for such loyalty. Of course, you would probably need to spend any rewards on additional security in case the smuggler’s customers find out.”
The manager’s eyes hardened as Fenyn said this. “And if I refuse?”
“Oh, that would be unwise. You see, there are already guards watching this building. And if there were any unpleasantries, they may feel obligated to search the premises. And arrest you for aiding and abetting smugglers.”
The manager swallowed. “So, I can lose the shipment or be arrested? And there’s no way I could convince you otherwise? Not even with, say, fifty golds?”
Fenyn laughed. “No. Not even with a hundred golds, you poor, simple fool.” He planted both hands on the desk, with the baronial signet ring showing on his hand.
The manager backed away from the desk, panic in his eyes. “My lord. I didn’t know it was you.”
“Yes. I know you didn’t realize who I was. That was the point, you idiot.” Fenyn said scornfully. “Unfortunately, the first offer is no longer available.” Fenyn stepped towards the door.
“M’lord! Please. I will gladly turn over the goods to the authorities. No reward necessary. It is an honor to serve the Baron and his family.” the manager stammered at Fenyn’s back.
Fenyn reached for the door when the hairs on his neck prickled. He lashed out behind him with his foot and caught the manager in the chest, knocking him across the desk. Fenyn walked around the desk and grabbed the manager by the wrist and the throat. Lifting the manager off the ground, Fenyn hurled him bodily through the office window. Walking through the door, Fenyn grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to a woman who was standing in the shadows.
“Pardon me, guardswoman. This is the warehouse manager. He is aiding and abetting smugglers, one of which is currently in the middle of unloading at the pier. There were weapons at the very least on that ship.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she straightened up. “Yes, m’lord.” She turned and motioned to a man standing nearby. “Berkus, get the dock guards. We have a loose one at the pier.” The man nodded and sprinted down the street. The guardswoman looked at Fenyn. “M’lord, can you show me? By the way, I am Atheni. The gate captain sent myself and Berkus to keep an eye on you, but you didn’t make it easy.”
Fenyn grinned and nodded. As he dragged the manager back into the factor’s office, “Guard Atheni, there is at least one bale of furs that is hiding spear points and a bundle of timbers that are concealing spear and bow staves.”
Atheni’s face hardened as she took a coil of rope and bound the manager into a chair. “Do you know where the goods are, m’lord?”
Fenyn shook his head. “No. I simply saw them unloading from the ship and going into the warehouse. I didn’t see where they were in the warehouse.” Glaring at the manager, he continued. “I had hoped to convince him to cooperate, but he had other ideas.”
The noise outside grew as three squads of guards ran to the docks. One squad waited outside the office, while the other two squads ran down the pier and immediately boarded the ship, taking the crew into custody. The captain walked into the office. “My lord. Thank you for the assistance. We’ve been trying to figure out how the weapons were flooding in. We never suspected Nalo was involved since he had informed us of smugglers in the past.”
Fenyn nodded. “Captain, there are several bundles of smuggled goods in the warehouse already. It is unfortunate that Nalo here didn’t want to cooperate given his past actions. Do you know where these weapons would be heading?”
The captain shook his head. “No, my lord. We knew they passed through, but we didn’t know who was shipping them or where they were headed.”
“That’s too bad,” said Fenyn. “I’m sure the Baron would welcome that information.”
The captain nodded. “Yes m’lord. I understand that. We share all the information we have with Hidai, the Baron’s representative here in town.”
Fenyn walked over to the manager and shook his shoulder. “Wake up, Nalo.”
Nalo opened his eyes, groggily, and moaned. Fenyn shook him again. “It’s time for you to talk, Nalo. Tell us where the weapons were headed and you might live longer.”
Nalo shook his head. “I can’t, m’lord. If I did, they’ll kill my family. At least if I die at the hands of ‘justice’, they’ll know I didn’t say anything and my family will be free.”
The captain stared at Nalo. “Nalo, are you sure? We could protect you. This isn’t like you, man!”
Nalo smiled weakly. “You’re a good man, Aedam, but you can’t protect me against these people.” Nalo looked out the ruins of the window and his eyes went wide. “Oh no.”
Fenyn and Aedam turned in time to see a quartet of crossbow bolts fly through the window and transfix Nalo’s chest and throat. The squad of guards outside split up and chased the attackers just as another squad of guards arrived with the smugglers in tow.
Aedam looked at Fenyn. “M’lord, I think this is getting too serious of a situation for you to be here. Would you take offense if I requested that you head back to the keep on horseback with a squad of guards as an escort?”
Fenyn hesitated for a moment before sighing. “No, captain. Thank you for your concern. I accept your offer.”
Aedam nodded. “Thank you for understanding the situation. Atheni, Berkus. Take a squad of cavalry and escort the baron’s son back to the keep.”
Atheni bowed as Berkus opened the door. Together, they escorted Fenyn to the guard stables where they gathered a squad of cavalry and mounted up.
—-
The Baron paced up and down the courtyard. A group of riders had been spotted on the road to the keep and he was hoping that it was someone with his son, or at least news of where Fenyn was for the past eight hours.
As the riders entered the courtyard, the Baron was momentarily relieved to see that Fenyn was among them. Then his anger took over and he stormed up to him. “By all the dragonspawned demons in hell! Where have you been?!?”
Fenyn smiled at his father. “It is nice to see you too, Father. I’m fine. I appreciate your concern.”
Raw fury replaced anger in the Baron’s eyes. “You insufferable, inconsiderate whelp! I should have beaten you more as a child instead of letting your mother coddle you.”
One of the other riders coughed. “M’lord. Captain Aedam thought it prudent for us to escort your son back to the keep after the events of today.”
The Baron turned his glare on the woman who had spoken. “Events? What events? And who are you?” he growled.
“Guardswoman Atheni, m’lord. Your son uncovered a smuggler at the docks. Somehow, they had leverage over the warehouse manager and convinced him to aid them. Unfortunately, they killed him before we could determine the destination of the weapons that were being smuggled in.”
“Smugglers? In my port? How have the guards let that happen?” he roared.
Atheni blanched. “M’lord, we knew there were smugglers but we couldn’t figure out how they were bringing goods in and out. Nalo, the warehouse manager, had alerted us to other smugglers, but somehow these particular ones were able to ‘convince’ him to work for them but threatening his family. As a result, we never suspected that he was involved. What we did know, we passed on the your representative, Hidai.”
The Baron nodded. “Yes, my advisors told me that there were smugglers, but not much else. I assume that you have more information now?”
Atheni looked down. “No, m’lord. Maybe, m’lord. Captain Aedam had us escort your son back here immediately after Nalo was murdered. A squad of guard was in pursuit of the murderers at the time.”
The Baron glared at Atheni. “I see. You,” he pointed at Atheni,” will keep me personally informed of the progress of this investigation.”
Atheni gulped and nodded. “Yes, m’lord. I’ll let the Captain know of your request.”
The Baron nodded. “See that you do. Fenyn, you will go to your suite and I will deal with you later.”
Fenyn dismounted and nodded. “Yes Father.” Looking at Atheni, he said “My thanks, guardswoman. I hope that I will be able to repay you soon.” His eyes sparkled at her. Atheni blushed. “There is no need m’lord. I was just doing my duty.”
The Baron coughed. “At least one of you knows your duty. Fenyn, go. Now!” Fenyn turned and sauntered into the keep. The Baron clenched his fists at the insubordinate behavior of his son.
“Thank you, guardswoman. I have familial business to attend to now. You may go.”
The guards bowed from their saddles as one and turned the horses around to leave. As they left, the Baron stalked back into the keep.
—-
The doors to Fenyn’s suite burst open. “Fenyn!” shouted the Baron.
Fenyn lay on his bed, completely relaxed. “Father, there is no need to shout. You should thank me, in fact.”
The Baron sputtered. “Thank you?! For disobeying me? For getting one of my most loyal people killed? What, exactly, should I thank you, you idiot?”
Fenyn looked up, surprised. “I found the smugglers’ while they were unloading, father. The guards arrested the sailors on the ship and confiscated the weapons they were smuggling in. I did that. Not your precious guards.”
The Baron rubbed his forehead. “You insufferable idiot. Your mother had the brains of wet oatmeal and she even understood what I was doing. You are far smarter and, even though you attend my council sessions, you still have no idea what was going on.”
Fenyn stared at his father, confused. “I…”
“Yes. You. Thanks to you, Nalo is dead. Because you can’t string two thoughts to together, Nalo is dead and the city guards are going to require me to completely restructure the operations I have going on. You truly are your mother’s son. Too bad she died before she could see you completely follow in her footsteps of idiocy.”
Fenyn continued staring at his father, aghast.
“Now I will have to ship my weapons in some other way and get them to my mercenaries in Relerin through new channels. And thanks to you, I have to explain to Nalo’s wife that her husband died because my son is a dragon-borne moron.”
Fenyn stammered. “But…but Nalo said someone would kill his family if he told us where the weapons were going. He said he was protecting them by not saying anything!”
The Baron sighed. “Yes. He was protecting them. From my suppliers. They would take it unkindly if they identities were revealed. And they have considerably more resources that I do, so I wouldn’t be able to protect Nalo or his family. He understood that.” The Baron glared at his son again. “Now I have to cover things up, pay off people, and otherwise waste resources getting my supply lines re-established. And for what? I avenge you, you ungrateful ass. Because of Relerin’s deception, I lost face in the negotiations. I looked like a moron for even considering the union of our domains by marrying you to that whore of Relerin’s, Ellaia. Now, of course, she’s dead, my supply lines are all screwed up, and you still have no clue what’s going on in the world.”
The Baron looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe it’s not worth it, though. You obviously didn’t understand that I was setting you up to inherit a larger domain, so you can’t be offended by the negotiations falling through. I doubt you would’ve been able to follow the long term plans anyway, but you would’ve been a useful conduit for funneling troops in to eventually take over all of Relerin’s lands. Since marriage is no longer an option though, maybe I don’t have to do anything.”
Fenyn looked on in horror. His father was absolutely insane, he thought. Marry him off to Relerin? To funnel troops in and conquer Relerin from the inside? “That’s insane, father” he said aloud.
The Baron turned and backhanded Fenyn. “No, you idiot. Now it’s insane. Before, it was brilliant. Conquering a dukedom from the inside, using Relerin’s weak daughters as leverage, it was brilliant. But Relerin couldn’t keep his daughter in check and the youngest got pregnant without getting married and he just had to have her killed. And at the same time offering her to me and then withdrawing the offer. If anything happens to Relerin now, everyone will look at me. No. It would be ridiculous now. But I still have to do something for Nalo.” The Baron glared at Fenyn before stalking out of the suite and closing the doors behind him.
Fenyn picked himself up from the ground and opened the door. Four guards turned and looked at him. “We’re sorry, m’lord. Your father has instructed us to not let you out of your suite.” Two of the guards walked into the suite. They closed and locked the door before turning to Fenyn. “The Baron has ordered us to not let you out of sight, m’lord.”
Fenyn sighed and sat in a chair so he could look out of the large window in his suite. He thought of all the council meetings that he attended, all the messages that passed between the Relerin envoys and the council. He remembered an offer of marriage followed quickly by a retraction of the offer due to unexplained complications, but his father had barely blinked at the time. He couldn’t recall the substance of the last message from his father to Relerin, but it wasn’t overtly hostile. He fell asleep thinking about the content of the council meetings.
Some time later, he awoke in the dark with three people holding him down. He started struggling and crying out for the guards, but the three men silently bound and gagged him. The largest of them picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. “Don’t struggle now or you’ll just hurt yourself,” whispered one of them.
They carried him through the deserted halls of the keep to his father’s suite. Once there, they waited silently. Groans and grunts could be heard coming from the other side of the door. After several minutes, the noises stopped and one of the men knocked on the door.
The Baron opened the door, wearing a loose robe. “Ah. Good. I trust he didn’t put up too much of a fight?” he asked. The large man carrying Fenyn laughed. “No, m’lord. He didn’t have the chance.”
The Baron nodded. “Good. Well, let’s get this over with. I have other things to get back to.” As the men turned, Fenyn got a glance into his father’s suite and saw one of the female guards with the sheets pulled around her. The Baron followed them. “Get a good look at the mother of my future heir, Fenyn. Let that burn in your mind for the few minutes you have left.” Fenyn’s eyes widened in horror. “Yes, Fenyn. That’s right. You are expendable now.” They walked silently for several minutes, through the keep and out through the kitchen. Quickly crossing the darkened courtyard, they left through the river gate and followed the wall that joined the outer wall of the keep to the walled dock at the river. On reaching the pier, Fenyn was dumped unceremoniously onto the wooden planks. The Baron crouched next to him. “Good bye Fenyn. It’s too bad that you were kidnapped from the keep and murdered. I’ll try to find your murderers, I swear it.” With that, he nodded at the three men. They tied several bags of sand to Fenyn’s ropes and then tossed him into the river.
The Baron nodded as Fenyn sank beneath the water. “Thank you gentlemen. I believe it’s time for your payment” he said as they walked back towards the keep. Upon nearing the walls, the Baron raised both his arms and said loudly, “I’m unarmed I tell you. If you want money, I’ll pay you!” Several guards on the walls looked over and with wide eyes, raised the alarm. The three men looked at each other and then at the Baron. “What are you talking about Alrarahur!? What are you doing?”
The Baron took their momentary surprise to run a short distance away. The guards on the walls leaned over and half a dozen crossbow bolts flew through the air, killing the three men. The Baron breathlessly praised the guards. “Those three men ambushed me and my son. They threw Fenyn into the river!” he cried. He forced tears from his eyes as the guards looked on in astonishment.
—-
As the pressure increased, Fenyn felt his chest compress. Just as he thought he would faint, he felt the sand bags hit the bottom of the river and the ropes holding his arms slid off. Madly flailing, he forced his way up to the surface and gasped for air. Before he could get his bearings, he saw the lights of the town port slide by in the darkness. Using the last of his strength, he swam for the opposite shore and pulled himself onto the shrub-covered ground. Panting, he rolled himself under some large bushes and passed out.
