Kaewyn felt particularly pleased with himself today. He had managed to slip away completely unnoticed from his responsibilities and escape into the bustling town of Oakerton. With how busy the town had become of late; he was certain he could disappear for as long as he wanted and no one would be able to find him. He was glad to be out in the warm sun and fresh air, he always loved being outside and on the move. Having been trapped up inside for so long had made him want nothing more than a chance to stretch his legs.

He wandered down several streets with a smile on his face as he saw packs of children chasing each other as they laughed and played. He found himself not only envious of the children’s innocence, but also of their ignorance. He doubted they were aware of just how dangerous and turbulent the Revaryn Empire had become in the past few years. Kaewyn, like all who lived in Oakerton, considered themselves the people of Greystone Province, which was a relatively small province in the south western corner of the once great Revaryn Empire. He shook his head dismissively, he had fled his duties for the sole purpose of escaping such thoughts, today was going to be the one day this month that he put his own enjoyment first. With that in mind, he turned a street corner and headed straight for the local tavern.

During his walk, Kaewyn was accosted by several merchants who blocked his path and insisted he browse their goods. Normally he would ignore such people, but as his spirits were high, he decided to humour them and stopped to have a quick look. They were selling wine, primarily Vinum Province stock, which was renowned throughout the whole Empire as a quality vintage, however, once Kaewyn saw the price, he scoffed aloud.

“I’ll not be fooled into buying at such high prices my friends, I can get the same quality direct from the source for nearly a third of what you’re asking for.” Kaewyn explained with a knowing smirk.

“Ahhh, but that journey would take you nearly three days and even then, there’s no guarantee the winemakers would sell to you. We have connections and agreements so we always get the best prices. Trust in my words, you won’t find it cheaper!” The wine merchant insisted.

Kaewyn smiled. He had to give the man credit, for he did not give up easily, “When I mentioned going to the source, I did not mean the winemakers per se, I meant the lords of Vinum Province.”

“Wait a moment, you know a member of the Callidus family?” The stunned merchant asked with raised eyebrows.

“I do indeed, but it would be wrong of me to reveal the identity of my private supplier, don’t you think?” Kaewyn replied cheekily, knowing he had flustered the man.

“In that case, let me sell to you at half the price.” Retorted the wine merchant almost immediately, “An extra special discount for a friend of the Callidus family!”

“My thanks, but I must apologise, I’ll not be buying from you today.”

The merchant looked genuinely saddened at his words, but then nodded respectfully and moved out of the way to let him pass, already on the lookout for other potential customers. Kaewyn smiled and continued on his way.

After he turned off of the street with the enthusiastic wine merchants, Kaewyn passed by leather tanner who out the front of their spacious shop, had a number of well-made leather items on display. Several interested people were browsing the leatherwork goods and a few others looked like they were haggling with the owner rather vehemently over a small item he could not distinguish.

On the other side of the street Kaewyn saw the Oakerton blacksmith, hard at work on his newest piece, as he always seemed to be. Kaewyn recalled that his own father had several swords made by the very same smith and swore by the quality of his steel and his work. In fact, Kaewyn looked down at his hip at his own blade and remembered that it too, bore the maker’s mark of Oakerton smithy. His blade was considered a longsword, though in truth it was a little shorter in length than most others of its type. The pommel, hilt and guard of the sword were all expertly made and looked as good as it felt to grasp. The grip was comfortable and the blade weighted just right so that it was light enough to swing but heavy enough to have some force behind the blade. It was truly a fine piece of work, and every expensive. Most people would not be able to afford such an item, but luckily for Kaewyn, his father was a good friend of the smith. His father had even told him about rumours of the smith’s past, and Kaewyn had eagerly listened to the story as a youth.

His father had explained that the Oakerton smith wasn’t always a black smith. Apparently, the aging man was an adventurous type in his youth and possessed skill with a blade equivalent to that of seasoned knight, even winning several duels of honour in the imperial capital. Another story his father had told him placed the old smith in the middle of a famous battle in which he was reputed to have slain a knight who was thought to be undefeatable, until the day he was. Kaewyn smiled and placed his hand on the pommel of his blade as he walked on by, enjoying the texture of the expertly crafted item, and knowing that it was made by someone who knew how to use it properly somehow made it feel more special to him.

Kaewyn walked on and left the smithy behind him and quickly found himself by the edge of Oakerton. From here he could see several large logging camps hard at work both close by and off in the distance. Kaewyn recalled from his studies that the town was named Oakerton as it was originally founded as a logging camp settlement, set up to take advantage of the heavily forested Greystone Province. Soon after the settlement was erected, an abundant source of high-quality greyish stone was also found which prompted even more settlers to come to work the new quarry and logging camps, hence the name of the province came to be known as Greystone Province.

Kaewyn turned his head backwards toward the centre of town briefly, and saw the small but formidable Xu Castle which seemed to loom over the town protectively from upon the hill that overlooked Oakerton. The castle itself was built upon the hill almost entirely using the greyish stone from the local quarry and took nearly ten years to build. Kaewyn’s family proudly traced its lineage back to those original settlers, quarry and timber workers and they had lived here ever since, calling the region their home.

The timber workers and the oak of Greystone was so highly renowned that it was a common saying within the Revaryn Empire that, when a cart of Greystone Oak had arrived to a building site, local masons and architects trusted the quality to such an extent, they rarely had to check or even measure the timber before putting it to use in their building projects. The grey stone from the quarries was also heavily lauded, however it was the oaken wood that the region was better known for, despite the province being named after the stone. The imperial fleet itself was nearly solely constructed from the famous Greystone Oak, as was many of the Empire’s major works, some castles were even constructed with it, due to the reliability and strength of the wood.

Kaewyn observed the timber workers for a little longer, seeing them measure, cut, stack and load the finished pieces into different piles and carts, ready to be shipped across the land. Seeing them hard at work, Kaewyn became suddenly aware of his growing thirst. Perhaps I should have purchased a bottle or two from that insistent wine merchant, the tavern isn’t likely to have any of such a quality, he mused, but shrugged his shoulders and went on his way.

The final establishment he passed on his way to the tavern was the local brothel. His father had also told him stories of this place, but more importantly, for him to keep his distance. The last thing their family needed, his father would say, is a bastard child born of a whore. A woman of such low moral character is not a woman worth being with, he would say time and time again, and Kaewyn was inclined to agree. That did not mean however, that he obeyed his father’s wishes.

To begin with, the working girls were all over him, though they quickly learned that he was far more interested in other things, namely their other customers. He visited the brothel mostly to meet some of the colourful characters who were visiting Oakerton. Usually these people were far more interesting than the travellers who frequented the taverns. He loved hearing their stories and adventures, learning of the places they had visited and the people they had met. Kaewyn was, more than anything, someone who loved to listen to stories. Whether they came from old dusty tomes or were recounted by old sages told through generations, he always found himself drawn to them and fascinated by them. The best stories though, were ones that had come from the source.

In the brothel Kaewyn had met mercenaries for hire, telling him of times that they had been contracted to fight bandits, or guard a caravan, only to be betrayed by their employer. Times when they had been paid to fight other mercenaries, some of which they knew and counted as compatriots, or even friends, but coin had now put them on opposing sides. How jobs turned into matters of honour and how others were motivated by the lure of coin and wealth, whilst others held themselves to a code or standard. Kaewyn also met traders, warriors, craftsmen, artists, travelling musicians and even some morally dubious monks. All had their own story.

The most interesting character he had ever met in the brothel however, was not a visitor, but the brothel’s owner, Madame Talissa. Talissa was a shrewd and strong individual with whom Kaewyn had become fast friends. During his many conversations with her, he had learned her story too. She’d had a rough life and an even rougher husband. He had originally been the brothel’s original owner and man responsible for its construction. A hard and cruel man, Talissa’s husband mistreated the working girls regularly and often withheld pay from his enforcers, the men whom he employed to keep the peace and take care of rowdy customers.

Talissa had explained to Kaewyn that she quickly befriended the working girls and took them under her wing. She offered them advice and a shoulder to lean on whenever they needed her, the enforcers too had begun to look at her as a mother figure, as someone who fought for them and argued with her husband on their behalf. The brothel’s staff began to see themselves as one makeshift family, as most of them had no real family to speak of. They looked out for each other, cared for each other, and supported each other through Talissa’s husband’s cruel treatment and horrible work practices. As Talissa explained it, the simple truth is that since they had each other, they were happy.

One night however, Talissa had gone to argue with her husband regarding his treatment of one of the working girls. The girl had become pregnant and fallen in love with one of the enforcers, and when she had asked to be able to leave the brothel with her love, to use both her and his savings to open up a small shop elsewhere in Oakerton, Talissa’s husband had not only denied her, but physically struck her as well, sending her to the ground. Some feared for her baby after the incident, and when Talissa heard about it, she stormed up to his office on the second storey of the building and berated him as harshly as she could muster. Her words were silenced with a firm strike to the head. Talissa had told Kaewyn how she had barely felt the hit, all that she could feel was the rage inside her at her husband for the treatment of not only her, but her family. She stood up, and for the first time ever, she struck back at him. Her husband became enraged, and began beating her within an inch of her life. Luckily for her, Talissa explained how she remembered hearing her husband scream and shout. She looked up from the ground and saw the enforcer who had fallen in love with the pregnant girl and a few other enforcers grab him and drag him kicking and screaming down the stairs and out onto the street. She never saw it, but she heard about how they beat him badly, so badly he could barely walk. She had only heard his screams out the window as the girls tended to her headwound, as the enforcers tended to her husband. From that night onwards, Talissa had become the brothel’s owner. The older woman had grown into the role over the years and was well thought of and respected by the locals. Everyone knew not to cause trouble for her or her girls.

Kaewyn saw the bond that she shared with the working girls and enforcers during his visits. It was clear to him that they took care of each other and wouldn’t hesitate to deal with any troublemakers, not because they were paid to, but because they were protecting their own, protecting their family.

For a brief moment, Kaewyn considered stopping by and visiting Madame Talissa as it had been a few weeks since he had last spoken with her, and he felt the urge to talk with a good friend, but instead he opted to continue on. There was no reason he could not stop by on his way back. The tavern was just up ahead and he was reminded by his strong thirst that he had already dawdled too long.

His favourite tavern was located on the outskirts of Oakerton, and that was one of the main factors in him choosing it as such. Most citizens retired to the other taverns located more centrally within the town and come late evening, they were packed full of loud and rambunctious people. Kaewyn’s tavern however, The Lusty Woodsman, being on the outer edge of town mostly saw workers from the quarries and logging camps who could not be bothered to make the long walk all the way to the town’s centre. Kaewyn liked these people more than the pedantic scholars who packed the other taverns, the workers were honest, hardworking and good company once the relief and happiness of finishing the day’s work had dawned on them.

As he approached the entrance to the tavern, he was blocked by a crowd of people who stretched all the way across the street. Kaewyn quickly realised that if he wanted to get inside, he’d have to either find a way through the crowd or go all the way around and approach from the other side of the street. Some members of the crowd let out a cheer, which was then following sharply by intense booing. His thirst momentarily forgotten, Kaewyn decided to investigate the cause of the growing crowd’s attention as his curiosity had gotten the better of him. As he walked into the crowd, he senses were immediately bombarded by the smell of sweat, alcohol and bad breath. Feeling momentarily sick, he pushed on through. Some people let him pass, but others he had to gently push out of the way. After a few more moments and angry glances in additions to several more scents he’d rather not think too hard about, he emerged on the other side. Two scholars stood in the middle of the road, completely surrounded by even more people on the other side of the street, yet with plenty of open space between them. At first glance, Kaewyn thought perhaps it was a duel of honour. It was not uncommon for two people to take to duelling to settle differences or squabbles, however duelling was a highly structured process and rules had to be followed and terms needed to be set. A duel of honour between two scholars though? Kaewyn thought, surely not.

His suspicions were proven correct when one of the scholars, a younger man with no facial hair who looked cocksure, hurled an insult at the other. The other scholar, an older and distinguished looking man with a neatly trimmed long beard, quickly retorted with an insult of his own, much to the crowd’s enjoyment. Kaewyn realised, that this was a duel, not of swords, but of the mind. His curiosity was piqued.

“You are a coward and a fear monger!” The older, bearded scholar said vehemently. “Only when our lord has marched off to war, do you dare to slander him. Lord Corrhen marches to save the very empire itself, not to tear it apart for his own personal gain, as you claim!”

“Hah!” The younger cocky scholar laughed, rather theatrically Kaewyn thought, and for the crowd’s benefit no doubt. “Lord Corrhen is just like any lord, always out for his own gain, his own profit! His ilk should not be trusted to rule or govern. Only the Emperor and those dedicated to the Scholar’s Way can be trusted with such a responsibility.”

The growing crowd cheered vigorously and booed loudly after each scholar had spoken, depending on which views they supported. Others threw insults of their own, mostly directly at either scholar’s mother and their supposed activities with farm animals. This is threatening to get out of hand Kaewyn thought as he frowned with concern. Where are the town guards or the Bailiff?

“A fool’s opinion is only worth consideration because of the harm it can create when it is left unchallenged, and you sir, are indeed a fool.” Explained the older scholar with a stroke of his long beard. “It is because of Lord Corrhen’s benevolence that we who follow the Scholar’s Way are able to thrive. Greystone Province is the capital of the whole Empire when it comes to learning and wisdom, it stands as a beacon to intelligent thought and study. Scholars are welcomed here, and valued. Though perhaps SOME of us should be scrutinized further before being allowed to call ourselves a follower of the Scholar’s Way!”

Kaewyn saw the younger scholar seethe with anger, he narrowed his eyes and snarled viciously. “You say I am a fool? Yet you believe in the farce that Lord Corrhen marches off to rescue our most noble Emperor? He is not! He takes his whole army, completely emptying Greystone Province of fighting men, and marches to invade and plunder neighbouring lands… all the whole our noble Emperor is a captive in his own city, his very own palace!”

Growing visibly frustrated, the older scholar shouted angrily as he pointed aggressively in the direction of the younger man as he pleaded for the crowd to listen to him. “Our lord has gone to fight the Great Traitor, not to take advantage of the chaos. You know who has taken advantage? The Great Traitor himself! All you are doing is helping him, by spreading discontent amongst the masses while the lord is away. The Great Traitor is a corrupt and vile man, and if the noble Coalition of Lords had not risen their banners to fight against him, then the Revaryn Empire would spiral into chaos while our glorious Emperor remains a hostage!”

Kaewyn looked around quickly as the sounds of anger and yelling reached its apex. The crowd was huge now, and full of angry opinionated fools. Arguments had broken out all over between individuals and groups within the crowd and Kaewyn saw the beginnings of violence, as some began to push and shove. The two scholars had fallen back into petty and baseless insults but he was no longer concerned with them, rather, what they had started. The crowd needed to be brought under control and dispersed before it got any worse.

It was a job for the town guard and the Oakerton Bailiff, but he still hadn’t seen any sign of them. With a heavy sigh, Kaewyn rolled his eyes. So much for his plans to remain hidden and enjoy the day away from his usual stresses he thought angrily, where the bloody hell is the Bailiff? He strode forward into the open circle with the scholars and placed his hand on the hilt of his fine blade. He had to get control of the situation one way or another.

As he was about to draw his sword and shout at the top of his lungs, he spotted someone getting in between two citizens who were trying to attack each other. The young-looking man stood between them and held them apart as he did his best to talk them down. Kaewyn could immediately tell that the young man was definitely not a local, his skin was a shade or two darker than what was considered normal in the south western parts of the Empire, his nose was large, though somehow it complimented his other facial features well and seemed in proportion to the rest of his face. His hair was short and black and a light stubble graced his chin. At his hip a deceptively simple looking longsword sat comfortably in its sheath. The young man wore an old weathered set of chainmail that Kaewyn could tell was rusted even from a distance. If he had to guess, he would say that the chainmail the young man was wearing was probably older than he was.

Kaewyn saw another man who appeared half crazed charge out from the crowd at the younger of the two scholars, whose eyes widened in terror as he rushed toward him. Kaewyn couldn’t help but feel like letting him get clobbered, but instead he bravely stepped between the crazed man and the scholar. He raised his hands peacefully and tried to calm the man into stopping but to no avail. Before he could brace himself, the crazed man charged straight into Kaewyn’s midriff knocking them both to the ground and forcing the air out of his lungs. As he struggled to regain his breath, the man crawled on top of him and began ranting and raving incoherently and tried to punch him in the head. Kaewyn shielded his face from the blows and quickly regretted getting involved. Just when the man’s weight on top of him was beginning to feel crushing, he felt that weight lifted suddenly as the man was pulled away and silenced instantly with a clean heavy punch from a strong hand. That very same hand offered support and he looked up to see the young man with the chainmail and olive skin looking down at him with a friendly smile. He gladly took it and was pulled back to his feet with a strong grip. Kaewyn muttered his thanks as he sucked in as much air as he could to regain his breath and the young man returned his thanks with a happy nod.

Kaewyn was grateful to be back on his feet. He instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his blade and looked around. Brawls had broken out all over, men and women, even some older children, all pushed, pulled, slapped, grabbed and punched, even spat at each other. The two instigating scholars had disappeared. Kaewyn would remember their faces. He could not see anyone brandishing weapons, but it was only a matter of time before someone reached for one. Common sense had abandoned the street long ago, including his own. He should have known better than to try and solve it alone, he told himself harshly, the Bailiff’s office was only a few streets away and it would not have been difficult to gather the guard first.

The young man in front of him was the only ally he could rely on now, the one who had not lost his senses to the moment, and for that, Kaewyn was grateful. Together, Kaewyn and the young man wrestled a pair of men who were locked together away from one another and subdued another who was assaulting someone who had fallen to the ground. Fed up and wanting to put an end to the madness, Kaewyn grasped the hilt of his sword and this time, finally pulled it from its sheath. The rasp of the blade got everyone’s attention momentarily. The young man followed his lead and drew his own blade and they both raised their weapons into the air.

“Stop!” He shouted as loudly as he could. “Stop this madness!”

A sea of stunned faces stared back at them, some with the fear of blades, and some with the glimmer of recognition in their eyes. Others scurried away into alleyways and a few began to disperse slowly. There were a few ruffians who kept trying to fight, they obviously hadn’t heard the sound of drawn blades, that or they did not care, but a sharp glare and a few more shouts brought them to order in short notice. One of the ruffians however, decided to ignore the warnings and threw his fist into the chin of another man who had ceased earlier, and then the violence threatened to explode all around once again. Kaewyn shook his head angrily, he had no idea what to do to calm the crowd.

“Clear way!” A stern and commanding voice shouted from within the crowd. “Clear way for the Bailiff!”

Several guardsmen wearing studded leather doublets and armed with wooden clubs pushed their way through the pacified crowd, stopping briefly to threaten those still trying to cause trouble. Leading them was a tall thin man with a beard that went all the way down to his chest. He looked angry and imposing but when his eyes met with Kaewyn’s, his face immediately relaxed, though a hint of concern was also present.

“What on earth are you doing in the middle of this Kaewyn? And who is this?” The Bailiff asked, his eyes going over the young man who had drawn his sword to help him.

“Doing your job for you it would seem.” Kaewyn answered with a wry smile as he sheathed his blade with a satisfying rasp. “But I am glad you finally appeared before the situation got any worse. As for this man, truthfully, I do not know, we haven’t had the chance to be formally introduced.”

“You and your fancy introductions…” The Bailiff said whilst shaking his head. “Boy, what is your name? You don’t look like a local, where are you from?”

The young man sheathed his blade and nodded respectfully. “My name is Yohren, I only arrived today to—”

“Enough of that, was it you who caused this ruckus boy? We’ve had many outsiders stirring up trouble lately and it’s the last thing I need right now.”

Yohren looked shocked. “No, no I had nothing to do with it. I was just—”

“Is that so? Usually the young travellers start all the trouble around here, thinking they own the place.” The Bailiff continued. “I’ve half a mind to throw you in the cells for a night or two, drawing your blade in public is a violation of the peace.”

“There’s no need for that Mallis, I vouch for him. Yohren here was only following my lead.” Kaewyn interjected, winking subtlety at Yohren as he did.

Bailiff Mallis grumbled loudly. “Yes, you would, wouldn’t you? It’s all the same to me, did you or your mate here happen to see who or what caused this idiocy by chance? So that I can at least throw someone into a cell? By the gods I want to throw someone into a cell today!”

“I certainly did Mallis.” He explained. “Two scholars were arguing about the war. They managed to get everyone here riled up. I don’t know where they went, they disappeared quickly when the crowd became violent, but I remember their faces.”

“I remember their faces too.” Yohren chimed in. “One was older with a neat beard, the other was younger and clean shaven.” Said Yohren, and Kaewyn nodded his approval.

“Hah, that only narrows it down to about two thirds of Oakerton, do you know how many scholarly types roam about here? They come in droves and think they are the smarter than any who have come before, but thanks anyway I suppose.”

“…You’re welcome.” replied Yohren nervously, unsure how to take the Bailiff’s unique way with words.

“I’m going to have to visit Madame Talissa to find those troublemakers. She knows everything that goes on in Oakerton, even more than I do, but don’t you ever tell her I said that, her ego is large enough.” Said the Bailiff as he shook his head. “Men! Take the violent ones back to the offices and have them rest at our pleasure in the cells for a couple hours. The rest of you disperse! Or you can join them too!” Mallis shouted at the remnants of the crowd as he waved his hands aggressively. “Come on, get lost, all of you!”

The once angry crowd quickly broke up and disappeared, eager to avoid any punishment. The more violent individuals were taken into custody by Bailiff Mallis’ guards and dragged off down the street toward the Bailiff’s office. Bailiff Mallis stayed behind a little longer to make sure the trouble was truly quelled.

“Kaewyn, I didn’t expect to see you in town today, much less in the middle of such madness. With your father gone, aren’t you supposed to be--”

“--Yes yes, I know.” Kaewyn cut him off. “I’ve been trapped up there for a solid week. I just wanted to get away for a little while, is that so bad?”

“I guess not, if anyone can understand wanting to just get away and drink yourself silly it’s me Kaewyn, but I wouldn’t want to get on your father’s bad side.” Bailiff Mallis warned. “He can be a bit grumpy, your father.”

“I never said I wanted to go drinking Mallis.” Kaewyn replied curtly. “I only said I wanted to get away a while.”

“But you are here, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

The hearty Bailiff laughed and pointed to their left with an outstretched arm, at a large wooden building with the windows fastened shut. Above the building a sign hung loosely, engraved with the words ‘The Lusty Woodsman’.

“The Woodsman is your favourite drinking hole Kaewyn, don’t even try to lie to me. I’m smarter than I look you know! Anyway, take advice from an old man and listen to me when I say that you shouldn’t ignore your duties and responsibilities for too long, or they’ll bite you on the arse, and trust me, they will.” Bailiff Mallis laughed with a friendly smile. “But it’s not my job to tell you what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t, I’m too old and sore for that, your father’s job that is. The gods know I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him right now though… Luck be with the old warhorse.”

“Luck be with him.” Kaewyn repeated. “Thank you, Mallis, for the advice. Maybe I’ll take it.”

“Maybe you will.” The bailiff said as he turned to leave. “…but probably not.”

Kaewyn waved to the Bailiff as he departed and let out an exasperated sigh. He felt as though the day had already been long and tiresome, yet when he looked up at the sun, he guessed that midday had not yet passed. He was left standing in the middle of an empty street completely devoid of people, besides the young Yohren who had stood by him during the brawl. Now that he could get a better look at him, he could tell that the young man was even younger than he, though not by much. Perhaps twenty, he suspected, but his eyes spoke of a wisdom beyond his years. He was calm but focused, and possessed an aura of subtle intellect that he could not fully explain. This man was someone he wanted to get to know.

“So, Yohren was it? I believe I owe you a drink.”

“Oh, thank you, but I was only doing… what I thought was right. There’s… really no need.” Yohren nervously countered.

“Nonsense, you pulled that man from me, if you hadn’t, I’d be sporting a black eye, perhaps worse than a black eye.” Kaewyn said with as much genuine gratefulness and charm as he could muster. “Please, let me buy you a drink? Come.”