XLVIII

I hate Bards. They spend their whole lives singing lies and planting ridiculous ideas in the minds of the innocent.

They should be considered criminals, because what they do is nothing more than to steal coherence and common sense from weak minds.

Artemisia Brown – Clothier – Matriarch of the Brown Family

I love Bards. My life has changed since I left my monotonous life, with its zeros and commas and decided to be guided by my dreams and to live for art.

Ferdinand – Bard Apprentice – Former patriarch of the Brown Family

*

A carriage is guided by a gentleman with small stature and a calm expression, who guides two horses along a stone road. Inside the carriage there are four travelers: An elf, two humans and a dryad, who talk casually.

-Help me understand the situation. – Vincent’s voice is no longer tainted by shame. Time was enough to make him stop feeling humiliated for the defeat in the fight against Dan. – Are you a Dryad from the Great Forest who volunteered to bring a message to two of the kingdoms in this continent?

-Yes.

-I thought dryads didn’t like to leave their homes. – Helena chooses the words carefully.

-I would not have made this trip if I had other options. – Ohana speaks quietly and calmly, without looking anywhere. – Otherwise, my sister would be the one making this trip.

-And such a thing would be that bad? – Vincent insists.

-Yes. I’ve seen enough to know that she probably would not survive. I cannot take that risk.

-So… This isn’t your first time in this continent.

Ohana is unable to completely suppress the smile awakened by the memory of past trips.

-No. I have come to this place a few times.

-Always trying to prevent your sister from coming? – Dan demonstrates interest for the first time. His tone is different and the dryad realizes that he wants to get somewhere with the question.

-No, there were other reasons for that.

-Oh, I understand.

-What is that supposed to mean?

The boy with a jovial smile and curly hair does not flinch.

-It means that, for someone who does not like to travel, you don’t seem to stay too much time near your home.

-Are you calling me a liar?

-No, I’m not. After all, you seem to believe the things you say.

She is about to reply when the vehicle stops moving. The dryad looks out the small window on her door.

She sighs.

-Thieves. And I still need to give the reason why I don’t like to make these trips.

-Thieves? – Helena immediately looks out the window and makes a move to get up. Ohana, however, puts her arm in the way.

-Don’t worry about this. You guys provided transportation. We will deal with the bad guys.

-We? Me too? – Dan looks surprised.

-Who would I be talking about? Let’s go. Are you ready?

Dan nods and, before any of the passengers can understand her intentions, the dryad kicks the carriage door and leaps out with a short sword in one hand and two daggers in the other.

*

Sitting on an iron chair is the plump body of a 40-year-old man. The human has very little hair and his yellow teeth form a crooked and poorly maintained dental arch. His body is half-naked, covered only in the private parts. His arms and legs are tied to the metal chair by ropes that cut the blood circulation and darkens the tip of his limbs after hours of confinement.

There are three individuals around him. One of them is Faern, a first-tier merchant and a first-rate sadist. The mere sight of the man in the metal chair is enough to make Faern’s face gain color. Beside him are Aetna and Orlov, kings of Vivre. While the king has a tired face, with expressive dark circles around his eyes, the queen carries nothing but a stoic expression, a straight posture and a confident walk around the chair.

-Don’t waste our time, Faern. – Orlov says in a tired voice.

-As you wish, your Majesty. – The skinny man, with a long mustache and features similar to that of a mouse, bows before the monarch, then, points to the prisoner. – According to the orders I received, I mobilized my spies to find one specific individual. Someone who had contact with that woman in the past. Of course, I could have done a better job if only I knew the ultimate goal-

-The plan is mine. – Aetna replies. – You will know what suits you and even that is more than what I would wish to expose.

-I am just saying… - He insists. – That I’ve been… Very active in the last few days. If I knew more about the plan, I-

-Shut up. – The queen waves, approaching the man in the chair. – You. – She slaps his face. – Come on, wake up. – Between one slap and another, she infuses magic into her hand.

-Ah! – The man in the chair wakes up and opens his eyes. His voice sounds like a trumpet. – Please, help me! I am just a small trader! I do nothing more than transport goods between the villages and the capital! Whatever happened, I’m sure it was nothing more than a misunderstanding!

Sweat bursts out of his forehead, running down his face, neck, belly and legs.

-Sam? Samuel Teharnova, is that it? – She calls in a low tone, and he immediately turns his eyes to the image of the woman with long, black hair. – I am sure this is just a misunderstanding. After all, there is no way that you would be an old contact of various mercenary groups within my kingdom, right?

His face, until then red from the pain, suddenly loses some color.

-Your-Your majesty, I... I...

-Do not dishonor my title. – She says, placing her hand on the arm of the chair. Under her palm, the metal gains a reddish color that spreads throughout the structure. – I don’t have the time or patience to waste on this conversation.

Samuel Teharnova howls with what little strength he has left when he feels his flesh burn with the heat of the metal, gradually melting over the structure.

Aetna releases the chair and stands in front of him, waiting until the heat dissipates and the screams turns into tears.

-Do not fool yourself. Just because we never met it does not mean that I don’t know who you are. After all, I am the one who has allowed you to exist for several years. I allow the bribes on the sly and the formation of militias on the borders. It is a way to outsource some crown services. When someone clandestinely controls the services of mercenaries, that person is doing me a favor by becoming the guardian of several secrets that, otherwise, I would be unable to access. See? That is why I have to torture you. Because I want access to those secrets.

-No, you don’t have to torture me. – he murmurs, shaking his head. – I am not who you think I am. I have nothing of value to offer. You can… - He feels his throat close and coughs compulsively. – You can take everything I have, but… Please… Stop. It hurts too much…

He looks like he is about to pass out.

-Oh, but you need to understand one more thing: - She smiles, crouching in front of him. – I can’t trust what you say right now. Only after torture I will believe your words. And don’t fool yourself: I will extract from you the things I need. One day I made the mistake of torturing someone and feeling sorry for the act. I ended up offering an easy way out and paying the price for it. Believe me: I will not make the same mistake again.

-Please… Don’t… - His head turns to the ground.

Aetna approaches him. Orlov looks at Faern, signaling that the approach was not a problem. The queen touches the man’s face and whispers in his ear:

-One day you will point out the direction of a person. Someone who should be dead. Someone I need to find. Before that, you will admit your real occupation in my kingdom. Until then, I will make sure that every day of your life is an absolute hell.

She gets up and, with a movement, runs her hand over his head, caressing him. Sitting on the chair, Samuel looks up and sees Faern’s smiling face as the door closes behind him.

Orlov accompanies his wife for a long time, both walking slowly and in silence, at only the sound of their footsteps.

-My queen, there is still a matter that we need to take care of. – He speaks carefully, trying to avoid getting her angry.

-And what would that be?

-The prisoners we made because of the list you gave us.

-Kill them. Away from here, of course. Take them into exile in the Red Desert, outside our borders and kill them in the territory of any group of bandits. We will use this as an excuse to reinforce our vigilance on the northern side of the Kingdom.

-My Queen, the prisoners are from noble families. I understand that none of them are high-ranked, but-

Aetna interrupts her walk. Both monarchs are behind the throne room, a place that can be accessed by any member of the castle. Recently the Queen did not seem to have a problem about dealing with sensible questions in the open.

-They are people with ties that will get in the way of my plan. I don’t want anybody to get in my way. Nobody can do that. I hope this is clear.

“Now go. We have a lot to do.”

*

The stones on Fiandel looks rustic. The fantasy that covered them when Arthur arrived in the city, little by little, seemed to fall apart.

This was a characteristic of this world that seemed to jump in his eyes more than ever. Before, this world was a place of secrets, with mysteries hidden in every corner. However, the longer he lived, the easier it became to see the outlines on the stone walls or the imperfections in the faces of passersby.

-It seems more mundane, right? – Gasser is amused by the ramblings of the young human as they walk along the edge of a stream that flows towards the nearest river. They have been walking slowly in that direction since the boy returned from his “hunt”. – You’ve been living here for some time. Your brain is getting used to things.

-That’s not all. – He shakes his head. – If I had to say a reason, I think… I think the creatures here are looking more human.

-Is that a good thing?

The question earns a quick laugh from the boy.

-Maybe not a good thing, but at least it is familiar. To make mistakes, to learn, to have hope and ambitions are feelings that I know how to deal with. You know… My father was always a very reserved man and we almost did not talk about sentimental things, but…

-What?

-He was much smarter than me. And he used to say that the world doesn’t survive only on good things.

-And what is that supposed to mean?

-That there is hidden value in things that, initially, does not seem to be good.

-Are you implying that, now, you see value in this world?

-Let’s not get too excited, okay?

Arthur and the wolf Galaaz walk to Rinlia’s residence. Once again, he needs to continue his training with the elf, who does not give him even one entire day to rest.

He feels uneasy, since there is not a word of satisfaction from the king after the mission is supposed to have been successfully completed.

Instead, the king leaves Arthur alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that get to the conclusion that he is more than just a human in a fantasy world. He knows that he is more than a human sitting at a table, resting after training.

-I can’t sit down and do nothing, Rinlia. - He says, with all the sincerity of his heart, to the elf sitting in front of him.

-And I can’t allow you to make a stupid mistake because you didn’t know how to be patient.

-I am not making any stupid mistakes. – He answers with his pride hurt. To try and prove his point, the young man grabs the mug filled with Fiandel’s beer, turning it over his mouth and trying to withstand the feeling of drinking so much at once, but then coughing compulsively. Rinlia smiles with some affection. He notices her laugh and continues: - I am serious, Rinlia. I need to be aware of the consequences of my actions, but I also need to impose limits when necessary.

-You are talking about pressuring the king of the greatest kingdom in this planet, Arthur. It is a little different from setting boundaries with some friends.

-Whatever… - He says, feeling his brain numb from the beer he has been consuming since the end of the training session. The elf had allowed the wolf to go to his own room, but Arthur had to remain in the living room, for no reason other than the beer he had been served (he did not ask for more reasons).

He wondered why this conversation had been going on for more than thirty minutes. Not out of boredom – after all, his conversations with Rinlia became more and more frequent and, until then, he had no means to demonstrate more clearly how such conversations pleased him. Spending hours arguing with the elf was amusing, regardless of the subject, but despite such predisposition, he knew she had something else to say.

He had been preparing himself psychologically to demand an explanation when someone knocked on the door. It did not take long for Rinlia to react and, despite having a servant who could have received the guest, she insisted on getting up and going to the door.

Arthur, at first, avoided reacting to the guest in any way. He did not know how to react, after all, it is his first time receiving a guest since he came to this world. Mundane things seem so distorted and useless that he found himself sitting on the sofa until the moment the newcomer stood next to Rinlia in the living room, staring at him while the boy stared back, with a mug in his hand and an empty expression on his face.

-Weird. – The newcomer says, with curiosity in the eyes. – At the castle, they told me he stood out.

That person was a warrior with expressive dragon tattoos on both arms and across the shoulders. Her hair was composed of a bright, warm blue. Her sculptural body is covered by leather garments and silver plates carefully placed on the joints. Although her face is bare, it is evident that her clothing is not complete without the helmet that should cover her face.

-I was resting. – Arthur replies. – I’m not used to stand out on my free time.

-I hope you can bring some enthusiasm to our classes, then.

-What?

Rinlia seems disconcerted by the accelerated way in which the conversation took place. She seems uncomfortable when getting between the two.

-Arthur, this is Guinevere. The king has appointed her to be your instructor now that you have proved that you can help the kingdom.

Confused, the boy looks to the blue-haired warrior and then to the elf he was having a beer a while ago.

-What…? You mean-

-She means that Fiandel is offering its support to you. – The blue-haired woman answers, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling. – Congratulations. Starting today, I will teach you what it is like to be a true citizen of the proud kingdom of Fiandel.

Arthur turns to the elf, who smiles shyly.

-Everything will be fine.

*

*