IV

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Arc IV Chapter 3

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Verdant fields, green pastures, arable land under the azure sky and wide open sky of Schwarzwalt. Wheat, barley, rye, oats provided grain and nutrition. Livestock of all kind, cattle, sheep, goats, precious meat and milk. Fruit, ranging from sweet sinful cherries to sugar loaded grapes, blessed the earth with rich bounty.

Situated along the main road leading eastwards, a small, charming village named Waldheim embraced the party. They arrived at the central square. Around the fountain, stood a church, temple of the spirits and the elements, a series of homes, a smithy, and a tavern eager to welcome wary travellers from far and close.

Once upon a time, Waldheim was said to be surrounded by endless forest, which bestowed upon the village its name. At least, Iris told her so.

These days, however, trees had become a rare sight indeed. As far as the eye reached and beyond, no forest was to be seen. Once common and infinite in number, trees were no more. The insatiable hunger of man for wood put an end to the mythical forests of the past, cut down for wood and lumber. The prospering cities craved for more and more wood to fuel their growth. Wood was an abundant resource, always high in demand. It served as construction material and reliable source of heat and energy. The rural regions, industrious woodcutters, and opportunistic merchants were only too happy to oblige in exchange for gold and silver. Towns and cities swelled in size, and deforestation progressed until every last tree was cut down.

Decimated by fire and axe, primeval forests yielded to lush, and lush yielded to farmland, to hamlets, to villages, to settlements, to towns. Human civilisation spread across the land in all directions, ever expanding, ever unstoppable, ever in search for new land ripe to be claimed by the labouring hands of man. Such was the history of Waldheim, a flourishing village now located among golden wheat. Today only the name remained, a relic of the past, of days gone by.

“Out of the way, peasants!!!” A detachment of knights passed Lambert's part in full gallop and heavy armour no less, uncaring of potential civilian casualties and little girls in particular.

Aurora grumbled, glaring daggers at their distancing silhouettes. Arseholes ... They nearly trampled her and her precious doll. Judging by their apparent lack of concern for uninvolved third parties, the high born lords and ladies appeared to quite busy. This was already the third detachment they met today. For such a backwater place, the noble knights were quite active.

“Uncle Lambert, who were these guys?” Aurora tugged at the wisest man she currently knew, which was obviously the ever helpful Uncle Lambert

“Who?” Lambert paid her little attention. As usual.

Little Aurora tilted her head. “The guys on the horsies. Who are they?”

Realisation dawned on Lambert. “Ah, them ...” His voice veritably brimmed with enthusiasm. Not really.

“Just your usual knights, Schwarzean knights. You can tell by their black armour and their crest. The silver eagle gives them away. Some say they are duke's hand and sword. Other call them his lapdogs. In any case, they are not to be messed with. Troublesome contemporaries. Less arsehole than most knight orders, but still quite arsehole. Better than the royal knights, for sure. The latter think they are the reincarnations of the ancient heroes reborn, gracing us lowborns with their divine presence. ”

“Lambert!” Iris admonished him in a reprimanding tone. “Don't say such. This is ... hardly an appropriate topic for a child.”

Lambert quickly retorted, “Why? Because I am telling the truth? It is never too early to learn how the world works. Better early than late.”

Iris merely sighed, not necessarily disagreeing. “Still ...”

Lambert halted, stopping before the tavern. “Rudolf, you come with me. We are stocking up our supplies. Hopefully, they have something to offer. I am tired of dry bread and stale water. I can't see the stuff any more. I need some meat between the teeth, some tasty bacon.”

Lambert opened the heavy wooden door and disappeared into a less than reputable establishment of terrible lighting.

...

...

...

Aurora turned her head. “Sister Iris, was Lambert always such a pessimist? He seems to hold noble not in high regard.”

An uneasy laugh crossed Iris' lips. “You noticed?”

Aurora nodded. “Although I think it was .... rather obvious.”

Iris shrugged her shoulders. “Well, Lambert was never the most diplomatic type. Always quite the irascible character ... He holds a little grudge against nobles in general ... He is not really fond of them.”

“Why?” Aurora tilted her head.

Iris preferred an ambiguous smile. “I don't want to talk about it, but let's say, even nobles are not always faithful to their word.”

“What an amusing tale. Did you hear, Sister? The common classes think lowly of us nobles. Such an unprecedented tragedy.” Their idle talk was interrupted. A stranger grace them with his uninvited presence.

“Interesting indeed, dear brother, remember, strength breeds envy, and envy breeds hatred. Commoners fear what surpasses their understanding. Thus, they detest their natural betters.” A girl giggled, concealing her face behind an ornate fan of foreign design. Her Ladyship patently enjoyed her overly dramatic entry.

The boy nodded. “Excellent point, Sister. Such a sad sight, their hatred blinds the common classes. Like children, they don't know what they do. That is why they must be guided by our firm, enlightened hand.”

Aurora turned. Her eyes spotted their unplanned guests, brother and sister, blonde hair and blue eyes, both clad in ostentatious clothing befitting their class and refined taste. Silk and gems, patterns of gold and sliver adorned their attire, leaving no doubt about their illustrious allegiance. They exhumed the very spirit of nobility, and blue blooded pretentiousness. The siblings veritably oozed arrogance ... A headache befell her. ... this was going to be fun ..., wasn't it?

“Big brother, big Sister, who are you?” Aurora tilted her head, her mightiest weapon in her arsenal.

Her question amused her counterpart. A smirk adorned his lips. “What a curious question. I think it is ... rather obvious, isn't it?” The boy's smirk didn't pas, repeating her words.

Aurora and Dollrora disapproved in the strongest terms imaginable. Cheeky remarks were her area of speciality. She wouldn't be outdone by some lowly noble lord of whatever. She was Aurora von Schwarz, the legitimate heiress to the grand and noble House von Schwarz, and eight in line to the royal Arcadian throne. She deserved some respect. Hypothetically speaking. Not that they would know, nor that she had the intention of divulging such crucial information. But still.

“So you are nobles?” Aurora maintained her benign smile.

The young lord smirked. “Congratulations, for a mere commoner, you are quite quick to catch on. Not only an illiterate peasant, but also a smart peasant.” The sarcasm was dripping from his lips, confirming her hunch.

The siblings were nobles, most definitely nobles, nobles of the troublesome kind who had way too much free time at their disposal. So much that they resorted to bothering random passerby, while their tea and biscuits under the sun.

Aurora beamed in childish innocence. “Thank you for the compliment, Your Lordship. I will treasure your praise for generations to come.”

“... ... ...that was not a compliment. I was being sarcastic.”

“I know.” Aurora beamed, radiant as ever. “After all, it was ... rather obvious. Even for a mere peasant.”

The noble was left speechless, and Iris paled considerably. Her blood drained from her face and her muscles stiffened.

The young lord clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”

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