[x] Discuss Elward's offer with your mother and father, in private.
[x] Agree to spend some time in Norrange before making your decision.
I think we should also bring/buy some books on law and etiquette in... wherever the hell Norrange is located... to read during the ship ride there. If only to avoid our ignorance embarrassing us again. (Just a quick mention of it during the inevitable timeskip needed to get there so we don't accidentally choose another option that leads to a faux pas like the "Mishrak gives out babies" option.)
Also, assuming we accept, and how narrow the line of succession is, how much will our potential adventuring be restricted?
Norrange sounds big, a lot bigger than our parent's kingdoms. Certainly a worthy move in purely political metrics. If it drives the story heavily towards politics and manuevering, I'd like to decide on that choice with a more clear understanding.
[x] Discuss Elward's offer with your mother and father, in private.
[x] Agree to spend some time in Norrange before making your decision.
I'm wondering if the sudden, suspicious death of the previous lords of Norrange has anything to do with a certain time goddess who would like Elys to be in a strong, influential position when she's all grown up.
Certainly a worthy move in purely political metrics. If it drives the story heavily towards politics and manuevering, I'd like to decide on that choice with a more clear understanding.
If you accept Elward's offer, you won't become Countess of Norrange straight away. You'll be the heir, but you won't have any heavy duties. Your grandfather is an old man in his eighties. It's not likely that he'll live much longer, but you never know; he might live another ten years or so. Then Elward will take over. He's in his late fifties, but if his father's longevity is anything to go by he could live for another twenty to thirty years before passing on his lands to Elys. That's a lot of time in which to go adventuring, travelling, and gallivanting about. (Heh. Maybe 'becoming Countess' could be Elys's retirement plan?)
Something that hasn't really been apparent up until now but is hinted at by some of the details on the map (on the front page of this thread) is that Quellonia is currently transitioning from a feudal monarchy into something more democratic. At the start of the civil war, the high king was killed and his killers said, "Why do we need a high king? Why can't we rule ourselves?" That set a precedent. Other people took note and thought, "If we don't need a high king, why do we need any other kings? Why do we need to be ruled by the nobility?" By the end of the war, many of the ordinary people were so sick of the nobles' bad behaviour that they revolted against them. That's why several countries that were formerly part of Quellonia are now republics or 'free states'.
In other countries, the kings and nobles managed to cling on to their power, but they're well aware of how precarious their position is, so they've tried to keep their subjects happy by giving them more rights, handing over power to democratically-elected officials, and by pointing out that life in the so-called 'free states' isn't that great if you're poor. There's a bit of competition between different rulers to offer decent wages and other benefits and prove themselves 'better' than their rivals. There's still a lot of bribery and corruption and exploitation going on, but it's not as bad as it once was.
Anyway, the point is… currently, Lymond Sayce is Count of Norrange, but he rules by the consent of a council of democratically-elected officials who handle a lot of the day-to-day business of rulership. If Elys became Countess of Norrange, she could (if you wanted) hand over even more power to them and become basically just a figurehead ruler. That could cause problems of its own, but it's an option. It would mean you wouldn't have to do any actual ruling, if you don't want to.
'Can I visit Norrange first, before making a decision?'
'I don't see why not. I would prefer it if you made a decision sooner, but I suppose there's no real hurry. We could delay it for another year or so, give you time to visit your ancestral home; we could have you over to stay for a few weeks, in the summer, perhaps. It would be good for you to get to know your grandfather, anyway.'
It was getting late. Elward and Raene had both travelled a long way, were tired, and wanted to go to bed. Your father dispatched one of the servants to show them the room in which they would be staying. By this time, you were getting sleepy, but you wanted to talk to your parents about Elward's offer. Jana stayed with you, as your shadow.
'What should I do?' you asked. 'I'm not sure what I want.'
'It's your decision,' said your father. 'We're not going to make it for you.'
'I almost wish you would. I don't think I'm old or experienced enough to make the right decision,' you confessed.
'Elward has offered to let you delay making a decision until after you've had time to visit Norrange. He said something about visiting in the summer. That gives you several months to think about it,' said your mother.
'What if I still don't know what I want to do after that?'
'You don't have to do anything if you don't want to. Whatever happens, you're our daughter. We love you,' said your mother, putting her arms around you.
'We're very proud of you,' your father added.
'If I decided I wanted to accept his offer, what would change?' you asked.
'Well, he might want you to live in Norrange, at least part of the time, so he can introduce you to his noble friends and make sure you get the sort of education he feels a future Countess should have,' said your mother. She released you, took a step back, and began to pace around the room, in a restless and sullen mood.
'Would you come with me?'
'Maybe. This is our home. We have responsibilities here.' Your mother sighed. 'If you accept Elward's offer, I suppose we'll have to think about it.
'Would Jana come with me?'
'Yes. That's what a handmaiden is for.'
'But that would make it difficult for her to see her mother, wouldn't it?'
Jana looked torn, momentarily, but she put on her most insouciant expression and said, 'I can live with that.'
'Are you sure?' you asked.
She shrugged. 'I took the job, didn't I?'
'What happens if I don't accept Elward's offer?' you asked your parents.
'Nothing would change. You'd stay here with us. You'd still be the princess of Ismar and Windskil,' said your father. 'Your life would carry on as it always has.'
'It's up to you to decide whether you want that to change,' said your mother. 'What do you want to be when you grow up, Elys?'
You shifted uncomfortably. 'I… uh, I always imagined that I'd be an adventurer like you and dad, travelling around the world with my noble steed and faithful handmaiden in tow. We'd go to wonderful places, defeat heinous villains, and be famed in song and story.'
'There's no reason why you couldn't do that and still be Elward's heir,' said your father with a snort of laughter. 'It sounds more useful than what most noble heirs do: travel from one pleasure resort to the next, drinking, partying, and spending all their parents' money. Maybe you'll start a new trend.'
'But you don't have to accept Elward's offer,' your mother said quickly.
'For now, look forward to your little holiday in Norrange. It's a nice place, so I've heard – I never stayed there for long enough to find out,' said your father. 'You'll get to meet your grandfather, see Castle Amphidor, and do lots of fun things you'll have to tell us about afterwards.'
'Should I take Catharne with me?'
'Probably a good idea,' said your father with a nod. 'See how they react. You could use that to help you decide whether you want to accept Elward's offer; if they accept her, that's fine. But if they don't, would you really want to live there?'
'Good night, dad,' you said, hugging him. 'Good night, mom.'
'Good night, Elys. Sleep well.'
You went to bed with a lighter heart and feeling better about the decision you'd have to make.
I'm basically going to end this story arc here. In my next post, I'll summarize the rest of Elward and Raene's stay in Ismar, and then I'll have an interlude in which Gareth will tell Elys and Jana his backstory. After that, in the next story arc, Elys will get to explore Flotsam a bit, Jana will get to visit her mother, and Bellona (who'll be chaperoning them) will be listening for rumours of a ghost ship.
She's grown too big to comfortably fit indoors. And she hasn't had time to get used to her new size, so she's rather clumsy and has a tendency to smash up furniture. Therefore, before Elward and Raene arrived, it was agreed that it would be better if she stayed outside.
'For now, look forward to your little holiday in Norrange. It's a nice place, so I've heard – I never stayed there for long enough to find out,' said your father. 'You'll get to meet your grandfather, see Castle Amphidor, and do lots of fun things you'll have to tell us about afterwards.'
'Should I take Catharne with me?'
'Probably a good idea,' said your father with a nod. 'See how they react. You could use that to help you decide whether you want to accept Elward's offer; if they accept her, that's fine. But if they don't, would you really want to live there?'
'Good night, dad,' you said, hugging him. 'Good night, mom.'
In the morning, you told Elward and Raene that you wanted to spend some time in Norrange before deciding whether or not to accept their offer; you'd never been there, so how could you know if you wanted to be its future countess? They agreed that this was understandable. In discussions with your parents, they made arrangements for you to visit and spend a few weeks there in the summer.
After that, your parents showed them around the island and they pretended to be impressed. Elward kept saying how "quaint" everything was; Raene's preferred word was "cosy". You introduced them to Catharne.
Over the past year, Catharne had grown very big: as big as a warhorse, if not bigger. Unused to her new size and strength, she had torn a door off its hinges, gouged a huge chunk out of the doorframe, and smashed a rocking chair to pieces before your parents had banned her from coming indoors. She spent her days outside or in the stables. (You weren't sure why the former rulers of this tiny island had felt the need to build stables, but it was certainly convenient.) You worried that she would get bored and lonely if she couldn't be with you all the time, so you made an effort to spend as much time outside with her as possible. This worked well while the weather held fine, but during the winter there were too many dreary, rainy days. Going out and getting cold, rained on, and covered in mud wasn't much fun, but you persevered. Catharne seemed to appreciate it.
When they were introduced to her, your aunt and uncle seemed genuinely surprised and intimidated by the dragonling. Elward went utterly stiff, frozen in place, as if he hoped this large predator wouldn't notice him if he stood still. Raene edged backwards and out of reach.
'A magnificent beast,' said Elward, trying not to move his lips.
'I'm not a beast!' Catharne protested, telepathically, showing him her fangs. 'I'm a girl!'
'Ah yes, of course. A magnificent… girl.'
'Mishrak is her father,' you explained.
'I see. And her mother…?'
'Yes, that as well.'
Afterwards, Elward took you to one side and asked, 'Do you intend to bring your… to bring Catharne when you come to stay in Norrange?'
You nodded. 'She's my friend. Mishrak made her to be my faithful steed. I'm not going anywhere without her.'
'Right. Well…' Your uncle pinched the bridge of his nose. 'That shouldn't be a problem.'
Elward and Raene left the following morning. You looked forward to seeing them in the summer: you didn't know whether you were going to accept their offer or not, but you were hoping to have a lovely holiday, in Norrange, in the summertime.
After they'd gone, you spent the rest of the day with Jana and Catharne, running around outside, playing energetic games. In the afternoon, when you were hungry and tired, your father brought a blanket and a hamper of food, and invited you to sit with him. He'd brought salt fish, bread, goats' cheese, butter, the rest of the expensive fruits that didn't get eaten yesterday, and two bottles of fresh water. You sat in silence while you ate.
When he'd eaten his fill, your father took a drink of water and said, 'Elys, I want to tell you my story. I want you to know who I am, where I came from, and how I became the man I am today. It's not a nice story, but I think you're old enough to hear it.' He looked at your friends and said, 'Jana, you can stay for this if you want. You don't have to. Same to you, Catharne.'
'I'll stay if it's an interesting story,' said Jana, sitting back and stretching her legs. 'If I get bored, I'll go.'
'Still eating,' said Catharne, opening her mouth wide as you fed her another juicy morsel.
'All right,' said your father, taking a breath. 'Allardyne isn't my real name. I stole it from the kings who ruled these islands centuries ago. They're no longer using it; they were all killed by the Aspitis who conquered them and took their people as slaves. I think a few of your mother's ancestors were genuine Allardynes; the Sayces have been around for a long time and they've intermarried with most of the noble families of Quellonia at some point. But I'm not noble. I was born into a family of labourers on a farm, in the County of Shallod, on the border between Rivayne and Asquellon. I don't think I even had a surname. I was just plain, simple Gareth, most of the time. My father's name was Jaric, so if anyone wanted to clarify which Gareth they were referring to they'd call me Gareth Jaricson. Maybe that's my real name.'
He paused, looking down the hill, gazing out at the sea. 'It was a simple life. I was born to be just another uneducated peasant, to work the land, marry one of my neighbours' daughters, and have children whose lives would be exactly the same as mine: an endless cycle that's gone on for countless years. That's what my life was meant to be. At least, that's what I thought destiny had in store for me.
'All that changed when I was thirteen years old. I was getting too big for my boots, thinking I was all grown up, and I got in a fight with one of the other lads. Over a girl. As punishment, my parents sent me into the forest to chop wood. They told me to bring back enough to keep us warm over the winter months. I knew it would take me hours to cut that much wood and then I'd need to make multiple journeys to get it all home. I remember thinking how unfair it was. It was supposed to be my day off, a day of rest and worship… but my parents wanted me to have some time on my own to think about what I'd done.
'I cut down a fairly large tree and started chopping it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. But then I saw a plume of smoke rising above the treetops, coming from the direction of my village. At the time, I thought someone's celebrating must have got out of hand. I thought a house must have caught fire; I didn't know what else could've caused that much smoke. I started to run back to the village. Fire is very dangerous. In a village like that, when something catches fire, everyone stops what they're doing and rushes to put it out. That's what I'd been brought up to do. I'd run most of the way back before I realised I was still holding my axe.
'When I got closer, I heard terrified screams. I saw several buildings on fire. I saw grizzled men in padded armour, armed with cudgels, crossbows, and flaming torches. They were raiders from across the border, come to rob and murder my people. You see, the reason why nobles live in grand castles, eat fancy food, and spend most of their time idling away is because the peasants pay them so much money for protection. Well, there's more to it than that, but that's basically it. A ruler who can't protect his people won't be a ruler for much longer. Whenever there's a dispute between nations, there are border raids: they send troops disguised as bandits across the border to burn down villages and brutalize the peasants. It puts a strain on a ruler if he's trying to gather an army at the same time as he's having to deal with a refugee crisis – and other towns and villages, afraid they'll be attacked next, demanding that he send some of his soldiers to protect them. My family, my friends, everyone I'd ever known… we were all collateral damage in a squabble between the merchant princes of Asquellon and our feudal overlord, the Count of Shallod.
'I remember looking around, frozen in panic. I saw horrible things. Butchery. One of the raiders saw me, yelled to his friends, and ran at me with a knife. I was still holding my axe. I hit him as hard as I could. The impact shook me to my bones, but he didn't go down. Terrified, I hit him again. This time, his head crumpled like… like…' Your father hesitated. You saw a haunted look in his dark eyes. 'It was like nothing I'd seen before. I'd grown up on a farm, so I'd seen death before. I'd killed a few rabbits and a couple of chickens, but this was the first time I'd killed a human being. I was just so angry and frightened and worried for my family and…'
He paused. 'The man's shouts had alerted some of his comrades. They came running. One of them pointed a crossbow at me. I fled. I had enough sense left that it occurred to me that it'd be more difficult for them to hit me if I didn't run in a straight line: I kept changing direction, zigzagging about. A couple of crossbow bolts whizzed past, but they didn't come close to hitting me. I ran back into the forest and hid. They didn't come looking for me.
'Hours later, I came out of hiding and returned to the burnt-out ruins of my village. I searched around, tried to find anyone who was still alive, but found only ashes and charred corpses. I wept for my family, for my friends, and for my old life. After that, I set off on the road and became a vagabond. I had only the clothes I was wearing, not even a warm coat, a small knife and the axe I'd been using to cut wood. I got used to begging and sleeping in barns and doing whatever odd jobs I could. Sometimes a farmer would want some extra help weeding or picking fruit. Sometimes, in town, I'd get up early, go to the main square and make myself available to anyone who needed some work done. I managed to keep myself alive, somehow.
'On one of those days, when I was queueing up for work, I saw someone I recognised. It took me a while to realise that he was one of the raiders who'd destroyed my village. When I realised… I managed to conceal my emotions. We were hired to do the same job. I was patient, did my day's work, and took him out for drinks afterwards. Then, I knocked him out, dragged him into the woods, and – when he'd regained consciousness – I told him who I really was. I demanded to know where the other raiders were. At first, he mocked me, acted as if bluster and bravado would get him out of his predicament, so… uhh, I tortured him. I wasn't very good at it. All I knew was that I had to keep hurting him until he told me what I wanted to know. Eventually, he gave me some information: names and locations of men he'd served with before he was thrown out of the Asquelli army. Then I killed him.'
'You really think I'm old enough to hear this story?' you said shakily. 'I'm ten years old, remember?'
'How old would you have to be to want to hear the story of how your father was once a torturer, a ne'er-do-well, no better than a common brigand?' he said, self-loathing in his voice. 'You're old enough to hear this story and understand it, and that's enough for me. It's important to me that you hear it. I want you to know.'
'Well, I'm not bored,' said Jana with a grin. 'But this isn't the kind of story I was expecting.'
'Is there any more fish?' said Catharne. You tossed her another piece; she attacked it ferociously, worrying it with her fangs before gulping it down.
What did you say next?
[] "All right, carry on with the story."
[] "I don't want to hear this story."
[] "Did you catch all the men who destroyed your village?"
[] "How did you meet my mother?"
[] "Is Shallod a part of Rivayne?"
[] "How did you become King of Ismar?"
[] "What's the point of this story?"
[] "I don't need to know that you were a bad person when you were younger. I'd rather not know. Why are you telling me this?"
[] Say something else (write in).
Please discuss the things you would like to ask about so I can add more options to the list.
Also, it's my sister's wedding tomorrow, so it might be a while before I can write a follow-up to this. See you later!
[x] Write-in: "Honestly dad, I don't care what you did before, it's in the past. What matters is that as long as I've known you, you've always tried to do right by our people, mom, and me. You're a good man now, that's what's important. And besides that, I'm your daughter, that means I'll love you unconditionally."
-[x] Hug him.
--[x]"And would a bad man still feel the need to confess past mistakes so long after the fact?"
---[x] Crank up the cute factor to eleven!
Bring out the wine and crackers people! Things are about to get cheesy!
Rather 'eh' on torture being shown to work, otherwise very fascinating.
[X] "Did you catch all the men who destroyed your village?"
[X] "I don't understand the story yet."
As to becoming countess, I am leaning against it myself, the aunt and uncle seem nice enough but the enviroment sounds stifling, not just for us, but the rest of the cast.
[x] Write-in: "Honestly dad, I don't care what you did before, it's in the past. What matters is that as long as I've known you, you've always tried to do right by our people, mom, and me. You're a good man now, that's what's important. And besides that, I'm your daughter, that means I'll love you unconditionally."
-[x] Hug him.
--[x]"And would a bad man still feel the need to confess past mistakes so long after the fact?"
---[x] Crank up the cute factor to eleven!
New
[X] Write-in: "Honestly dad, I don't care what you did before, it's in the past. What matters is that as long as I've known you, you've always tried to do right by our people, mom, and me. You're a good man now, that's what's important. And besides that, I'm your daughter, that means I'll love you unconditionally."
-[X] Hug him.
--[X]"And would a bad man still feel the need to confess past mistakes so long after the fact?"
---[X] Crank up the cute factor to eleven!
[x] "All right, carry on with the story."
-[x] "I don't understand the story yet."
The time for assertions of her belief in her father and the value of reformation seems like it's something that should come after the story, because I doubt he's done telling us horrible stuff yet, and then our assurances would hardly be assuring at all.
'You really think I'm old enough to hear this story?' you said shakily. 'I'm ten years old, remember?'
'How old would you have to be to want to hear the story of how your father was once a torturer, a ne'er-do-well, no better than a common brigand?' he said, self-loathing in his voice. 'You're old enough to hear this story and understand it, and that's enough for me. It's important to me that you hear it. I want you to know.'
[x] "All right, carry on with the story."
-[x] "I don't understand the story yet."
The time for assertions of her belief in her father and the value of reformation seems like it's something that should come after the story, because I doubt he's done telling us horrible stuff yet, and then our assurances would hardly be assuring at all.
Yeah, we'll say it after. It's presumed there will be an opportunity at the end of the story to insert exactly such a series of statements, and even if there isn't, I highly doubt sir Chandagnac isn't going to end up reading this series of posts and integrating them into how he calculates Elys's response.
That's the point. Gareth has no way of knowing if the man he tortured gave him accurate information or if he was just saying what he thought his captor wanted to hear. I'd say more but… eh, here's the next chapter. See for yourself.
'You really think I'm old enough to hear this story?' you said shakily. 'I'm ten years old, remember?'
'How old would you have to be to want to hear the story of how your father was once a torturer, a ne'er-do-well, no better than a common brigand?' he said, self-loathing in his voice. 'You're old enough to hear this story and understand it, and that's enough for me. It's important to me that you hear it. I want you to know.'
'Well, I'm not bored,' said Jana with a grin. 'But this isn't the kind of story I was expecting.'
'Is there any more fish?' said Catharne. You tossed her another piece; she attacked it ferociously, worrying it with her fangs before gulping it down.
'Fine. Carry on with the story,' you said huffily. 'But I don't understand it yet.'
'It's not finished yet,' said your father. 'After I killed that man, I hunted down the others he'd named. It took years. Some of them I killed quickly; they were surrounded by friends and allies, and I couldn't risk waiting around and attracting attention. I shot them down from a distance or stabbed them in the dark. Others I managed to capture. I tortured them for information, demanding to know where the other raiders were. They all denied that they'd had anything to do with the destruction of my village, at least at first. Some of them later admitted it, when they were in agony, but… I began to wonder if the raider, the first one I'd captured and tortured, had lied to me. Perhaps he'd sold out a lot of innocent men in a desperate attempt to save his own hide. Maybe he knew that I was going to kill him no matter what, so he took the opportunity to get some spiteful revenge on some of his old enemies and rivals, men who'd had nothing to do with the attack on my village. I didn't know what to believe. I started to doubt that I was targeting the right people. I'd carried on my quest for vengeance longer than I probably should have, but I realised I couldn't continue. I gave up. I buried the last of my victims and accepted that I would never get justice for my family.' He rubbed his forehead, eyes downcast. 'I was a very bitter and cruel young man. I thought revenge would give me satisfaction, but it left me feeling sick and empty. It wasn't worth it.'
'Honestly, dad, I don't care what you did before. It's in the past,' you said. 'What matters is that, for as long as I've known you, you've always tried to do right by our people, mom, and me. You're a good man now. That's what's important. And besides, I'm your daughter. That means I'll love you unconditionally.' You got up, went over to him, and gave him a hug.
'Thank you, Elys. But the story's not over yet,' he said. 'I want to tell you how I met your mother. I want you to know what she means to me.'
'All right,' you said, sitting back down.
'I'd spent years hunting the men I thought had been involved in the destruction of my village. During that time, I'd developed certain skills, skills that were very much in demand, skills that made me very good at hunting down thieves, brigands, and murderers. I became a bounty hunter. I travelled across the length and breadth of Quellonia, chasing criminals and bringing them to justice. That's how I met your mother. Yslena. She'd flushed a demon-worshipping cultist out of his hiding place; he'd run away and she needed some help to track him down.
'At the time, I thought she was just another thrill-seeking aristocrat in fancy armour. Plummy voice, big horse, plenty of money. I remember she was very clean. After a few days in the wilderness, not so much, but when we set out… well, she likes to be clean. I wasn't the only one she hired. She already had Hrolmar by her side, watching over her like a bodyguard. Roylott and Pelathyne joined at about the same time I did. There were a few others, in the early days. I can't remember their names. They didn't last long.
'We pursued the cultist – I think his name was Trintigost – into Pelvarey, the county on Rivayne's western border, next to Besigny. There, we found that he'd gathered an army of cultists and laid siege to the largest town. He had some horrible scheme which involved sacrificing the count's daughter in order to summon a powerful demon. We carved a bloody swath through his followers and rescued the damsel; Yslena stabbed Trintig0st through the heart and put an end to his evil.
'After that, we stayed together. We'd fought side by side and saved each other's lives dozens of times. We trusted each other. We were friends… as friendly as we could be, given our different backgrounds and social statuses. Yslena decided I had leadership qualities; she made me her second-in-command. I don't know why she chose me. Maybe it's because I was the only one of our group who was around the right age and knew how to behave like a responsible adult: Hrolmar is solid and dependable, but he was an old man even then; Roylott was a roguish braggart – he's not so bad as he once was, these days – and Pelathyne had a cruel streak a mile wide. Artaxas was a shabby vagrant who wandered into our camp one day, babbling something about his "master". His fire magic proved very useful the next time we were waylaid by bandits, but he wasn't a leader. He's got too tenuous a grip on sanity to make a good leader. I was the only other option. And I… I like to think Yslena saw something in me she liked, something she thought was worth cultivating.
'We continued adventuring, but when we had some downtime Yslena would often spend it with me. She worked very hard to help me improve my education. I mean, when I was a child, I went to a little village school and learned how to read and write, but not much more than that. I was needed to help out in the fields, so my education didn't last long. It wasn't even a tiny fraction of what most noble children learn. Yslena set out to change that. I asked her, once, why she spent so much time helping me. She smiled and said, "Because I think you're worth it." I tried very hard because I wanted to prove that she was right, I didn't want her to think she was wasting her time, and I… I enjoyed her company very much.
'I can't remember exactly when our relationship changed. We were good friends and then…' Your father blinked rapidly, trying to recall. 'Uh… I remember the first time we kissed. It just happened. As natural as night turning to day, spring to summer, the tides and the turning of the world…' He hesitated. 'In those early days, I don't think we ever talked about our feelings for each other. I could see it in her eyes, her smile, the way she leaned close to me. No doubt she saw something similar when she looked at me. We weren't much for talking, but we could read each other's minds pretty well.'
You frowned. 'Using magic, or…?'
'No, we didn't use magic,' your father said with an amused smile. 'We were in love. We still are. Your mother's love made me the man I am today: it was balm to my wounded soul, it gave me peace and solace, and it made me want to be a better person. I wanted to be worthy of her love, to be the man she believed I was, and to atone for the crimes I'd committed when I was a vengeful young man. Thus, I made a conscious decision to live according the knightly ideals she holds dear. Now, I know I'm not perfect, but I don't think I've done too badly.'
'I think you're quite close to perfect, dad,' you said loyally.
'Thanks again, Elys.' He laughed. 'Where was I? Hmm. When we became lovers, we became equal partners, joint leaders of our band of adventurers. Yslena was happy to defer to me for much of the time. She's a solitary person, in many ways. It seemed to work out. We were very successful, made a lot of money, and – most important of all – we survived. And about twenty years ago, we rescued a young girl from brigands who'd murdered her uncle, the only family she'd got left, and were planning to sell her as a slave. She was only about ten or eleven years old, the same age you are now, but she already knew some powerful magic. Her name was Bellona Kachalskey. We basically adopted her, Yslena and I did. She was our little girl.'
'So… Belle really is my big sis?' you asked.
'Yes, more or less. When we were looking after her, we realised how much we wanted a child of our own. But… well, we didn't get around to it until we'd retired from adventuring. By then, we thought we were too old. Like Elward and Raene. You were a delightful surprise, Elys. And you…' Your father glanced at Jana and Catharne and then leapt to his feet, an expression of mock-surprise on his face. 'Where did you all come from? How did my home get so full of girls?'
'Dad!' Jana cried, exasperated. Then, realising what she'd just said, she clapped her hands over her mouth, mortified.
Your father chuckled. 'You're part of the family, Jana. Don't worry about it.' He bent down, helping you and Jana get up. In a more serious tone, he said, 'The point of my story, Elys, what I hoped you'd learn from it… love is a wonderful thing. Sometimes, people do terrible things for love: they hurt others; they lie, cheat and deceive; or they allow themselves to be hurt, again and again. Their love reduces them, makes them much less than they would otherwise have been. That's not what I want for you. Love should be uplifting. When you love someone, I hope that it brings out the best in you, that it inspires you to be the best you can possibly be, and that it brings you happiness every day. Whoever you love, that's the kind of love you deserve. Remember that.'
'Well… I love you and mum. And Jana. And Catharne,' you said.
'And I love food,' said Catharne, heavily hinting. When she saw your exasperated look she said, 'What? I'm still hungry. It takes a lot to maintain a beautiful body like mine.'
'As long as you're happy,' your father said genially. 'As long as you're proud of who you are and what you've done with your life. Can you say that, Elys?'
'I think I can,' you said, nodding. 'But it's not like I've had time to make many mistakes.'
'Just do your best. That's all I ask.'
Well, I hope you enjoyed that story.
There will now be a brief time skip. Afterwards, Elys and Jana will be spending some time together in Flotsam.
That's the point. Gareth has no way of knowing if the man he tortured gave him accurate information or if he was just saying what he thought his captor wanted to hear. I'd say more but… eh, here's the next chapter. See for yourself.
Ah I see, haha that'll show me for critiquing before the story is over XD My apologies.
Anyway great story, very informative and revealing, this covers a lot about the backstory of not just the dear royals but the others as well, yay Elys has two elder sisters now and Jana is adorable XD
Well, it's the healthiest kind of love there is. I've never heard of someone being reduced or diminished by that one!
We have learned how and when the group of adventurers was formed, and why Gareth, Hrolmar and Belle chose to stay, but Roylott and Artaxas still remain a bit of a mystery. Pelathyne too, I suppose, but she got a case of death by backstory, so it's an idle curiosity.
Still not sure why Dad decided to tell this story now of all times. I know that we may soon be leaving, and that may have been the last time we can really talk in a while, but the theme of the tale didn't have a lot to do with the situation directly ahead of us.
Judging by the title, 'the man who would be King', it could have been about his reasons for accepting the name and the title that goes with it, but our circumstances are vastly different from his.
Basic knowledge of letters was not impossible to obtain in European history even prior to modern era. Much more interesting is the "village school" bit as rural schools in Europe came later on in the modern era.
During that time, I'd developed certain skills, skills that were very much in demand, skills that made me very good at hunting down thieves, brigands, and murderers.
That's how I met your mother. Yslena. She'd flushed a demon-worshipping cultist out of his hiding place; he'd run away and she needed some help to track him down.
'No, we didn't use magic,' your father said with an amused smile. 'We were in love. We still are. Your mother's love made me the man I am today: it was balm to my wounded soul, it gave me peace and solace, and it made me want to be a better person. I wanted to be worthy of her love, to be the man she believed I was, and to atone for the crimes I'd committed when I was a vengeful young man. Thus, I made a conscious decision to live according the knightly ideals she holds dear. Now, I know I'm not perfect, but I don't think I've done too badly.'
Ah, that's neat. I wonder if Yslena and Gareth learned a bit about parenting from trial and error with Bellona. Maybe we'll get some Bellona stories too.
And you…' Your father glanced at Jana and Catharne and then leapt to his feet, an expression of mock-surprise on his face. 'Where did you all come from? How did my home get so full of girls?'
'And I love food,' said Catharne, heavily hinting. When she saw your exasperated look she said, 'What? I'm still hungry. It takes a lot to maintain a beautiful body like mine.'
