37 Reuniting
As they approached, Eileen and Leona both quickly looked at Riou, and as they didn't see the necklace, they turned to Therese.
"We found her and recovered a few things, but the necklace and the short swords were already sent elsewhere… he didn't want to continue the pursuit." said the Lioness, explaining what happened.
Before they could continue the Lioness looked at Eileen. "What happened?"
Eileen didn't know how to address the matter, so Leona told her master, "The princess was recognized by a noble in the afternoon, while we were searching for the tracks, as you requested. I found a scent in the thief's bedroom that took us to the city center. I lost the scent there and on the way back we found the noble going for Thanes."
The Lioness remained quiet waiting for her to continue.
"He was on his way to the summer festival and immediately recognized Eileen. He announced that he'd inform Torwald of her arrival," continued Leona.
"I see," said Therese while looking at Eileen. "You are concerned that now they know you are coming, it will complicate things for you, given the custom of this land."
Eileen nodded and sighed "Last time I was here, a couple years ago, it took me about 7 months to fulfill most of the challenges, and I still needed my father to get very angry for me to be able to return home."
"Can't we just avoid them altogether?" questioned Leona.
Therese shook her head. "No, now that the princess is known to be in the North, she will have to pay her respects to her Grandfather, and we will have to do so as well," said Therese.
The Lioness looked back at Riou who was clearly not understanding a word they were saying, and seemed to still be thinking about the last interaction with the rogue, that for some reason had a deeper impact on the boy than she expected.
"Well, you can always ask the boy for help," said the Lioness turning to the princess. "I don't know how long we will stay here in the north, but don't worry, we won't leave you behind if that's your concern."
Eileen nodded a bit relieved after hearing that.
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With the last events, the slow caravan was not an option anymore. With difficulty, Riou communicated through gestures and even some drawings indicating his need to reach Thanes quickly, as he could estimate it would take another month for the caravan to do so while on horse, while they'd be able to reach there in only a few days.
Therese acknowledged the proposal and went to Bronach and Herger to break the news, followed by the boy.
"So that's why the boy is so quiet and gloomy lately? I could swear he was raised and born in Allard with that way of speaking of his," said the merchant looking down. "And I'm sorry Viki brought you so many problems. I can't give back what she took, but believe me, deep down she is a good kid."
Herger looked disapprovingly to Bronach. "I always told you that girl was trouble."
Bronach nodded in agreement. "But still, I owe her…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "It pains me to see you all leaving before the time…. but you and the boy helped a lot already on the way here, so please, let it be known that you all are welcome to join us anytime."
The mercenary leader smiled and nodded confirming those words while looking at the boy.
Therese bowed courteously, while Riou shook their hands before leaving with Therese.
They quickly put their things together and left immediately towards Thanes.
The road condition was good. The cobblestone was even while going towards the capital, and allowed the horse to run with ease.
While the travel took place, Eileen tried to teach Riou some words, but conversation and more elaborated phrases would not be possible.
Isolated words like tree, rock, dirt and water were no problem, as they could be pointed out in the open. But conversation and verbs were out of question without any reference, and the boy knew it. The necklace was the only way for him to communicate at the moment.
Deciding once he got another one, he'd start taking classes to learn the language, using the necklace as a reference, allowing him to learn it.
But as it would take a while to get there, he also tried to think of ways to communicate with magic, but as he didn't know exactly how the necklace operated, nor what that Rune on it meant, he couldn't replicate it as it is.
The only way for him was to devise a new method, but all he could think of at that moment was some derivative of telepathy. Which would potentially cover every single language gap possible in that world.
But he knew it was too much of a risk, as Maximilian explained the dangers of using mind magic while connecting minds. Any mistake would be fatal. While thinking about it, the image of Maximilian and his disciple's last moments came to his mind.
Despite having knowledge of many spells, he understood that for this specific language and world, without the proper knowledge of how to do it, it was way too risky. That this was not a game. There were no status windows or game feedback on his actions, nor could he reload in case anything happened.
The risk was far too great, while Max was not that far away now.
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Thanes was quite similar to Allard in some aspects. The castle-like structure reminded him of an old, wooden, Norwegian church with stone walls to reinforce its structure, just as massive as Allard's capital castle. Also in a similar fashion, was that it was at a much higher elevation than the city itself.
Riou thought it must be a custom of this land to build castles on top of everything.
From the distance, it could be seen at the end of a very steep road that slithered through the mountain, towards the high plateau where the castle was.
The city revolved down, around the plateau and clearly was meant to provide a natural protection from the strong winds that were constantly blowing in that region.
The houses were similar to the villages and Norse cities so far, mostly made of stone and wood. Very few houses had more than 1 floor, and the bigger ones had family crests engraved on their doors, clearly the residence of some of the nobles of the city.
Not too far to the East, the sea could be seen. The dark waters looked strangely still, as no waves could be seen from that distance.
The constant cloudy weather gave the city a gloomy feeling, as little to no activity could be seen in its streets from where they were.
After crossing the massive stone gates to the city, it was time to decide the first stop. As they were very close to the castle, Therese and Eileen wanted to go there to deal with greeting the princess' Grandfather sooner rather than later, and hopefully before the news of her arrival would spread too far and make things even more difficult to counter later on.
Therese looked at Riou and pointed to the castle. "Eileen, Therese and Leona," she said while indicating their need to go to the castle now. "It will be quick," she gestured with a fast movement a quick stop and then pointed towards the city.
Riou frowned while thinking. He gestured with his hand indicating that they could go later on, and going towards the inn took priority for him, as he clearly was having enough of not understanding anyone.
Therese nodded, indicating they would go to the castle and meet him there later on. With everyone having an understanding, they took their path.
------------------------------ The Norse Castle.
On the small path that lead to the castle entrance was a stable, where visitors could leave their horses. The castle walls began on the cliff, on both sides of the small ridge that served as bridge. No one would be able to trespass that easily. On the small bridge covered by the stone walls, there was a huge iron gate in front of the castle's entrance.
The guards used a heavy leather armor with fur to protect against the cold wind. The helmets were made of iron with fur inside as well, for the same reason. They held spears and shields with a sword attached to their belt. They held no crest or colors, very different from the Allard soldiers.
As they put the horses in the stable and walked inside the balcony-like structure that lead to the castle entrance door, the guards there stood still as the princess passed by, clearly aware of her arrival.
Inside, the wooden carved structures were outstanding. Many symbols, animals and battles were depicted on the walls, carved in detail into the wood. The temperature increased as they walked inside.
Eileen walked through the corridors with confidence, and as they reached a large hall with a fire set in every corner of the room for heat and strange symbols and intertwined patterns carved in the 6 pillars that held the ceiling, someone approached the princess.
"Are my eyes playing with me? Eileen you've grown even more beautiful!" exclaimed the man with open arms approaching the princess.
He was in his 50's, and had a tall and sturdy build with a golden hair tied in a ponytail that barely reached his neck. He had a golden beard trimmed down, not too long, just a finger thick. His eyes were blue, and his clothes were made of many expensive pelts and fur. He had a gold chain holding them together on his chest.
"It's good to see you too uncle," replied Eileen respectfully towards him.
"Where is Elrik and Hanna? Did they go see your grandfather already?" asked the man after hugging the princess.
Eileen shook her head. "No, they didn't come this time."
The man frowned. "Where is your entourage then?"
The princess continued, "There is none."
Still frowning he looked at everyone behind the princess. "And who would they be?"
Eileen showed Therese and then Leona. "This is The Lioness Therese and her disciple Leona."
The man's eyes widened. "Now I understand why there is no one else. Elrik really spared no expense to keep you safe. I welcome the mighty Lioness." He bowed respectfully towards Therese who replied in kind.
The man smiled once again, he began to walk towards the door at the end of the hall. "Your grandfather will be pleased to see you. Come, I will lead you to him."
As they walked, the blond man continued speaking, "You came at a great time. The summer festivities will begin in a couple of days. We already sent word for the nobles that you'd be attending as well. We expect a good tournament this year. Almost everyone will be attending."
Eileen smiled wryly and looked at Therese.
As they approached the end of a corridor, a door opened to a hall with a long table with chairs on both sides of the room and, a few steps above, what seemed to be two thrones. One was empty and on the other one sat an old man with a blind eye on his left and a crystal blue eye on his right. His hair was white and long enough to cover his shoulders and part of his back.
He was clearly a big man and, despite his age, seemed to still carry a lot of strength on his muscles. His face showed a few wrinkles around his eyes while holding a stern look. His attire was very similar to the princess' Uncle, but much flashier, as the pelts were only made of white wolves and white bears. A white beard could be seen in his face, but it was braided with a gold ring holding it together on the end, giving a very elegant look to the old king.
"Father, Eileen has arrived," said the man bringing the attention to the princess.
The king was not alone. A man with hair as black as the darkest night, wearing a noble's outfit black with details in purple and gold, elegantly turned and waited in silence while the king addressed everyone.
Eileen's uncle continued, "With her, the famous Therese of the beast lands, the mighty Lioness and her disciple," said the man approaching the throne, followed by everyone.
By hearing the princess' name, the old man smiled at the throne and leaned forward as if to see better. "Come closer child, my eye is not what it used to be."
Eileen smiled at the sight of her grandfather and approached him. His good eye was the same as hers. The crystal blue color was undeniable equal.
He stood up from the throne. The man was a giant if compared to the common man of Allard and would even put Syldis to shame.
He hugged her with one arm to his side. "How have you been my dear?"
"I'm fine, grandfather," she replied with a smile.
The old man's eyes widened briefly looking at the princess smile. Even he knew it was a rare sight. "That's good to hear my child, now, introduce me to your friends." He looked at the group while holding Eileen to his side.
"This is my Grandfather, Ephil Torwald, the King of Thanes and the lands of the north," she said while looking at the two who bowed in respect.
The old king nodded. "You are most welcome here. You may stay as long as you wish, and thank you fof bringing me my granddaughter safely" he said, turning to Eileen.
"How is your mother?" questioned the old king to his grandchild with a smile.
"She is in good health," replied Eileen as he nodded with a more serious expression.
"I heard the castle was attacked, was that true?"
Eileen nodded with a stern expression. "Mages with dark robes attacked the castle, but they did not succeed."
"That fool you call a father has more luck than good judgement, and I told him many times to improve those flimsy defenses. His guards can't fight even if their lives depended on it. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you and Hanna," the old man ranted angrily, until he finally sighed, calming down. "I knew they failed already, but I needed to hear it from you to bring peace to my heart, my dear."
The king turned towards Therese, "I also heard the hordes of the savages tribes threatened Brigantium, perhaps you passed by after the incident, did you happen to see the battlefield?"
Therese nodded "We saw it your highness, charred lands and bodies until the sight could reach" answered the Lioness.
The king pondered for a moment "Do you believe it was really done by a single mage?"
Therese nodded once again "Thousands of soldiers witnessed it"
Torwald seemed disturbed by the fact but he quickly set it aside and continued the conversation with his granddaughter.
"I also heard you've been winning many challenges lately… and you taught some Norse noble a lesson… who was it Camus?" questioned the king looking at his son.
"It was Askjell from the second house of Kalle," Eileen's uncle replied.
"Askjell… well it was expected. He is half the warrior his cousin is."
Camus added, "I'm certain the main house of Kalle will represent well in the tournament, perhaps Askjell cousin can become a proper suitor for Eileen."
Torwald looked at Eileen. "The tournament might be a good opportunity for you to meet a good husband, I'm glad you came to your senses and came seek in the North. Your father was the last good warrior left in all Allard, now there is no one left for you there" As he finished his sentence he noticed the concern in her eyes.
But before anyone else spoke, from the door, someone entered at fast pace, a beautiful woman, with light green eyes and a long and voluminous dark golden hair. Her face and body resembled Eileen's so much that one could easily say they were sisters.
But all it needed was one glance for one to realize she completely lacked the elegance of the princess. She walked and ported herself much like a man.
"Eileen!" shouted the blond woman.
"Elise! How many times I told you to not barge in this hall when your grandfather is attending?" scolded Camus walking towards his daughter.
She was wearing a light leather armor, with some fur on the shoulders and a sword to her side.
"Don't worry too much Camus… you know how your daughter is," said a smiling king.
Camus sighed as his daughter approached.
Elise walked towards Eileen with a smile and a high chin. "Long time no see cousin. I heard you've being doing well on the challenges issued against you," she said confidently.
Eileen smiled. "It's good to see you too Elise, and I'm certain you've been doing even better," replied the princess, noticing that her competitive cousin haven't change since their last encounter.
Camus sighed. "I wish that were true, but nobody wants to challenge her on the rites. I'm afraid I will have to send her to Brine's temple if this continues."
"Father!" exclaimed Elise towards Camus. "The only reason I'm not challenged is because they are all cowards, they know they can't stand me in battle," she said proudly.
"Don't praise yourself too much. What they can't stand is you… you are beautiful, but the fame of your temperament precedes you and your beauty nowadays," he scolded his daughter and turned towards Torwald and Brahm. "My apologies father, Lord Brahm… but this daughter of mine wears out my patience."
Brahm just smiled while Torwald laughed. "Don't worry Camus, someday she will learn."
Elise looked down and puffed, disagreeing with them after being scolded. She clearly was much more impulsive and energetic when compared to Eileen.
Camus sighed once again. "Well, at least we will have Eileen to show her how a proper princess should behave… are you not embarrassed to know that your cousin has been challenged 3 times more than you?"
Elise puffed once again and looked to the side conveying how unimpressed she was, but glints of envy could be seen in her eyes.
"Regarding that…" Eileen stepped down from her grandfather side and joined Therese while Torwald sat once again. "My visit today is to pay my respects to my grandfather… but I do not intend to stay in the castle as I do not know how long I will stay in the North" She paused for a moment noticing the surprise in her Uncle and cousin.
"I'm afraid I will not be able to participate in the festivities," continued the princess elegantly addressing her grandfather.
Elise and Camus frowned confused by the statement while Torwald listened with attention. Both father and daughter looked displeased and waited a moment for Torwald's intervention.
The king stroked his beard thinking on her words, noticing his father was pondering Camus decided to say his thoughts on the matter.
"Nonsense! You came all the way here from Allard for what reason then? Everyone had been informed of your participation. Many are eager to see you fight and to fight you. This is a great opportunity for you to meet a good Norse husband," said Camus, looking at Eileen.
Eileen shook her head "Right I can't be held down because of the rites and lose the opportunities before me"
Torwald leaned forward, since he had laid eyes on his granddaughter he knew something had changed in her. She was smiling when she greeted him and she seemed happy.
That was a sight he had only seen when she was a small child. He knew something else was going on and intended to discover what it was.
And with that in mind he continued, "Unfortunately, the rites can't be overlooked because they became a burden. The path demands that you fulfill your duties as a maiden of the North."
The room became silent, not even the strong wind outside could be heard.
Eileen looked at Therese, noticing the help request she stepped up. "What happens in the case she already has a suitor?"
Torwald looked sideways and squinting his eyes with a smirk in his face at the Lioness. "Well, the maiden's duties would cease and the warrior's call would begin. He'd be presented as suitor and at this time of the year and being Eileen a princess, he'd have to fight at the tournament and do well. Bringing honor to him and his house's name. Showing his worth as a warrior before everyone's eyes. After this, marriage would be arranged by both parents if alive."
Therese looked at Eileen with a smile, the princess knew what the Lioness was thinking, but still she felt it would be wrong to put him through that without knowing. Aside that there was a risk of him denying it.
It was literally a marriage proposal. And deep down she feared his response, as she knew his focus was towards his home. Marrying a princess could drag unwanted responsibilities towards the kingdoms involved. Beside that, she really didn't want to know his answer for such a question. Because depending on which he decided it could separate them for good.
Losing him completely at this stage was more fearful to her than losing a few months at the North and Therese's guidance.
She promptly shook her head towards Therese, indicating she didn't wish to proceed with that path.
Therese just sighed. But all that display was enough for everyone there to realize what happened.
"Have you lost to someone Eileen?" suddenly questioned the king intrigued noticing her strange behavior.
Camus and Elise ears rise up as both looked at Eileen with surprise.
Taken by surprise the princess began to think on a proper answer. But her strange silence denounced her even more before she could come up with anything, she knew she couldn't lie, but the truth could bring unwanted repercussions at that moment.
After a moment in silence the king sighed and continued with serious tone, "Did he challenge you?"
"No…" replied the princess unable to say anything else but the truth to her grandfather at that moment.
"Then how did you end up fighting?" continued the king. Camus and Elise listened to the conversation attentively with widened eyes.
"We were training, and I wasn't able to win against his defense… so I got mad because he was holding back and asked him to fight me for real," said the princess slowly. "At the time I wasn't thinking, I was mad at my inability and wanted to test it against him at full strength."
Elise was with an open mouth. She was unable to believe her ears. The princess and maiden, so highly praised, challenged someone and lost. "You couldn't win at someone who was just defending himself? What have you done this past 2 years that you forgot all about swordsmanship?"
Eileen didn't respond and just remained silent, Torwald raised his hand to silence Elise and continued talking to Eileen "You, better than anyone should know that a challenge is a challenge," added Torwald. "Did he claim the victory?"
"No… he knows little of our customs," said Eileen. Camus who was already shocked took another hit at the news that he was not even a man of the Norse.
Before Camus outburst the king in a similar fashion calmed him down and continued looking at Eileen "Did you tell him that he could?" questioned Torwald looking at the princess eyes.
"No..." replied Eileen.
Torwald pondered for a moment. "Why would you not tell us about it? Why do you tried to hide it when Therese questioned, what is it that you fear?"
Eileen took a deep breath to calm down. She was answering her grandfather who she respected deeply, she did so promptly and without much thinking at that moment given the stress she was under.
"I… I was afraid that he would deny the claim and leave... even that we agreed to fight another time," said the princess.
Camus and Elise looked at each other confused, no one in his right mind would deny to marry a princess, they thought with certainty that her omission was her way to escape an unwanted marriage.
While stroking his beard and thinking about the situation the king continued, "Where is he now?"
"In the city below, waiting for us," continued Eileen with a sorry expression. Despite her wishes, things were turning for the bad side.
"What is his name?" questioned the king.
"His name is Riou, grandfather."
Lord Brahm smiled briefly to himself, he was clearly having a good time with all that was happening.
The king nodded. "Very well. Given the circumstances, I now understand your strange request. Despite the path not being followed as tradition demands, you do feel obligated towards this man after losing to him. And in an attempt to regain your honor you set a rematch once you feel able to defeat him. Meanwhile you allowed him to accompanies you in your travel with the Lioness."
Eileen remained silent while Torwald leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately that cannot continue. The rites must be honored"
Camus nodded in agreement while approaching Eileen.
"Unbelievable!" said Camus disappointed. "Why haven't you brought him here already if he is traveling with you?"
"Because she is ashamed!" Intervened Elise "He must be short and with an ugly face, probably old as well as most Nobles in Allard"
Eileen didn't react, elegantly remained in silence.
"Which family is he from?" continued her uncle.
"He is not from these lands so he does not belong to any of the families."
"A peasant? You lost to a commoner Eileen? Have your skills decayed this much in these past years? What were you thinking allowing a commoner in the castle and even challenging him? This is unacceptable!" ranted angrily the king's son, turning to Torwald.
Elise restrained herself from laughing loudly. It was too much fun for her knowing her so-high-esteemed cousin lost to a commoner. "He was not even a noble? then short and ugly is a given, he is also poor and missing most of his teeth!"
"What is done is done…" Torwald paused for a moment while looking with reprisal at Elise who contained herself immediately.
"Eileen, do feel obligated towards him?" Asked the king as the princess just nodded once.
"This man will be brought here immediately. As he did not know what it meant to accept the maiden's challenge at the time, he will be do so now and be allowed to choose. If he denies it, nothing will change as the victory will continue unclaimed and Eileen will stay and answer as the rites demand." The king paused for a moment after sighing.
"If he accepts it and claim his victory, he will be presented as Eileen's suitor at the tournament, so everyone can know him. And with luck, his skill will be enough to impress everyone away from the fact that he is a commoner."
Eileen's eyes widened and her chest grew heavy. All that she wanted to avoid had come to fruition.
Camus looked at his father concerned. "He will not deny it... We must prepare, it will be harsh to have someone without a house in the Tournament. And the fact he will be Eileen's suitor will be seen with bad eyes. No one will agree to it and our honor will be tainted. Even if he wins the damn tournament altogether, they still will not shut up on the fact. And with all the best warriors participating this year, he does not have a chance to impress."
"Now it's out of our hands. We must honor the path," Torwald added calmly.
The room went silent for a moment by the bad prospect that had formed, both countries royal families would be dishonored by such unexpected fate, despite the path not preventing non nobles to challenge the maidens, the fact was that no commoner could ever be able to win since they lack the training, intelligence and discipline that only the noble can receive.
And the princess, born from both houses losing to one of them, shows how unprepared she was and how low the houses honor the tradition, despite her previous winings, that's what everyone's thoughts would be.
Lord Brahm suddenly approached Torwald. "Perhaps I might be of assistance… since my son will not be participating, and I'm too old for such endeavors, I'm willing to bet on the princess' intuition. Until the marriage takes place, he will join my house and represent my name," said the man to everyone's surprise.
"That's a first… I can't remember you ever helping anyone Lucian," said the king with suspicion towards the noble. "Please don't feel obliged to help on our regard, or it will be your house who will take the blame if his skill does not measure up for the tournament," said Torwald in extreme surprise to the man.
Lucian smiled. "Don't worry about that. Should he will accept the princess, I'm sure he will also accept to represent my house. And as I said before, I'm more than willing to bet on the princess' intuition. I believe she challenged this man for a reason. The women of your family have an uncanny sense for great warriors."
Torwald laughed loudly at his remark, while Elise's envy grew at large pace. In an instant, the disaster had been averted, and lord Brahm's support would ensure that no one would say a word against him or Eileen. It was an unheard of saving grace. Lord Brahm who was known for not involving himself, this time clearly took sides.
"Indeed Lucian, Indeed." He then turned to his granddaughter. "I need to meet this man Eileen. Go talk to him and then bring him here as soon as possible." Torwald nodded looking once again at Brahm. "What a lucky bastard this Riou is, not only can he become a Strongheart but also represent the Brahm's!" said Torwald in a joyous tone. "I just hope he is half a fighter you made him out to be Eileen… or Brahm will finally have a dent on their flawless reputation." The king turned towards his son, who was out of words at the noble's unheard proposition. "See Camus? Even Brahm took sides this time."
Eileen bowed followed by Therese and Leona.
"Grandfather, Uncle… Elise" She said elegantly turning and leaving. Elise watched her going with envy. Despite all the odds, once again everything turned in Allard's princess' favor.
--------------------------------------------- Meanwhile in the City
Riou roamed the streets with his horse in an attempt to look for the tavern with a board that resembled a flying dragon.
He could notice a few taverns on the way through the city. Those that only have runes he entered and asked for Max, plain and simply saying his name. As no one seemed to make a commotion he left for the next one.
It didn't take long for him to find one with a dragon on the board. He entered the small tavern and could see just a few tables, the kitchen and 4 rooms. It was a very simple establishment. And behind the counter for his surprise.
"Syldis?" said the boy looking at the huge woman's back that reminded him of his friend in Allard.
The woman turned. She had a remarkable resemblance to the owner of the drinking bear, but a bit older, and slightly different traces than Syldis. Nothing much, but enough to differentiate the too now that she was facing him.
The woman spoke, but he could not understand. Riou brought his hand to his chest. "Riou," he said and then pointing down at the tavern he continued, "Max."
The woman looked at him with suspicion, but he was certain that was the right place and waited for her.
She looked at his hair and his eyes and spoke some strange words to which Riou just smiled wryly, he shook his head pointing to his ears. "I can't understand," he said to her as she got surprised by his strange words.
With that she seemed convinced, and walked to the kitchen briefly and returned with a key, it was made of transparent crystal. She then walked towards one of the rooms and asked the boy to follow her.
Inside the small room there was a bed and a table with a wooden box with metal reinforcement. She put the key in the lock and urged the boy to turn it by pointing at him and performing the motion.
Riou approached it, and the moment he turned the key, he was not in the room anymore.
Looking around, he could see many strange apparatus made of glass and all colors of crystals and stones. On the table in front of him, the same box could be seen. On the side of the room some flasks with strange powders deposited in a cabinet with writings on them. Metallic structures and pipes were to the side of a table, easy to reach. It seemed like some sort of laboratory.
Turning around, Riou noticed a vast library connected to the lab. The place seemed big as he walked through the corridors of the library towards the other side.
After a few steps, he began to listen to voices. A male and female seemed to be discussing something.
He followed them through the bookshelves, and as they ended, he could see a room with a few chairs, a fireplace and two people sat down with books in the lap discussing.
Now that Riou saw the fireplace, he wondered, there were no windows there, how was he able to see without a light source?
Approaching the two, he promptly recognized them: it was Max and Eleanor. "Hello?" said the boy loudly for their surprise.
Max promptly closed the book and rushed to greet the boy. But as he spoke Riou could not understand a word and just pointed to his chest. Noticing it Max made a surprised face as he stopped speaking. He then began to walk towards the other part of the room and called the boy to accompany him. Eleanor followed as well.
The place seemed like a small smithy, with many strange colored metals displayed on the shelves. To the side, held on the wall by a glass jar, there were hundreds of small copper plates. Max took one from the jar and showed it to Riou.
He put it at the stone table and approached it with his finger, the metal began to immediately heat up as a small but potent fire began to erupt from the magus finger. Remembering the spell, Riou looked at him in surprise, it was the one he showed the Magus at the blacksmith shop in Longart.
As the metal was heated the magus took a small hammer and a small chisel and began to carve a single rune at the copper plate. Once he was finished he dropped it in water to cool down and then put it back on the table.
He then went to the library and grabbed a large tome with gray hard cover and drops it beside the plate on the stone table.
With his hand on the book and the other at the plate with the rune he began a long chant in elven tongue, the book cover letters and the words in between the pages began to glow as if all the words there were made of magic runes.
The rune at plate began to glow as well and as Max finished the chant he attached a cord to it and delivered to Riou who immediately put it on.
"So? Can you understand me?" said Riou to the mage who smiled.
"Of course my boy! Who do you think I am? I wasn't expecting you so soon… I believe everything went well in Allard?" inquired the magus.
"Yeah, it was easy…" said the boy looking at the book. "I will tell you all about it later… what is this book?" he said inquisitively pointing at the book.
Smiling the magus opened the book. "This is the Elven Nomicon for the common tongue. Here are catalogued all the words and their meaning for that tongue"
"A magical dictionary?" said the boy to the Mage. "How does it work ? How did you create this new necklace?"
"Well, the elves created this book to be able to understand the common tongue without having everyone go through the learning process. So by using it I can create a magic able to translate the common tongue into anyone's native language and vice versa, by storing it in the magic rune," said the magus.
"But isn't that a mind spell? Isn't that dangerous?" questioned the boy.
Magus thought for a moment. "Well, I must confess that this book is a bit more complicated than that, and mind spells are very dangerous indeed, but only between minds. Since this is a one way connection there isn't that much of a problem."
"Hum…" The boy pondered for a moment. "So you just insert the spell in this rune? What does this rune here mean?"
"This one? It means the common tongue in elven." added the Magus.
"So there is a correlation to the rune meaning and the spell it holds," said the boy contemplating the rune.
"Exactly, the magic doesn't quite stabilize in the rune if there is no correlation," replied the Mage, excitedly explaining the intricacies of enchanting to the boy.
Eleanor kept watching with a smile. It was hard to see Max so excited with someone.
"Did you see?" said Max showing the fire spell for forging once again. "Took me a few days to grasp the concept, but finally I'm able to do it as well."
"Days? Try a month of constant attempts and swearing," said Eleanor suddenly from behind.
"Riou, you remember Eleanor right? Forgive me but I have told her about you so she could help me in the research we talked about. She is a great mage and scholar. Her knowledge can be very helpful to understand what happened," added the Magus.
The boy nodded, he clearly trusted the Mage on that regard.
"It's good to see you well Eleanor," said the boy, finally greeting her.
"So you are the one I heard so much about… it's hard to believe in everything that old fool told me, so come, let's sit down for a moment. You two can play later," she said moving towards the chairs near the fireplace.
"We've been closed in here for too long without any news. Please, do tell us what happened in Allard since we left," said the woman, sitting down and looking at the boy.
More comfortable, Riou told them the encounter in the mine and with the undying mage. He then removed the black stone covered in cloth from the pouch and put it on a small table near the chairs.
"This is what he was holding… and I think this stone killed someone in the last city with some sort of death spell that creeped towards the man's heart after he tried to use it," said the boy, uncovering the stone.
Maximilian's eyes widened while Eleanor looked with interest at the stone.
"This… this is an Argonian summoning stone," said the mage approaching it to look at the rune.
"Darkweaver…" said the magus reading the rune. "This explains why the man would have died. If the mana to summon is not enough, the Darkweaver will claim the summoner's life as tribute."
Riou looked interested at the magus, he clearly wanted to hear more about it.
"The Darkweaver is a shadow monster of the spirit realm. He is much more powerful than the fiends you've encountered. His magic can manipulate the shadows and make them affect the physical world with disastrous effects, thus the name," added the magus, approaching the stone with care.
"If you don't mind, I will put this into a proper receptacle … to avoid any possible accident," he said looking at Riou, possibly remembering the mana crystal testing.
Riou leaned back with a smile when he suddenly remembered something. "Ohh, I forgot to tell you… Brigantium was attacked by a mixed orc and goblin army. There was a mage wearing the same robes as the twilight mages amidst them. I saw that he seemed to have transformed one of the orcs into a monster and pushed them to attack the city somehow."
Eleanor looked astonished at Maximilian who listened with care. "I didn't really ask the mage what happened or what his angle was as I assumed it was just an attempt to weaken Allard, since Brigantium could feed the whole country alone. To be honest, I was not that interested in their motives. And since most of the army was killed, the threat was completely erased as it would take years for them to amass that many again."
Eleanor widened their eyes. "What happened to the city?" she asked.
"I told you, I dealt with them so the city is fine, army died, the mage behind it was killed…" he paused for a moment, remembering something again. "Oh, and Eileen, Therese and Leona are coming here as well, hope you don't mind, but don't worry, we can stay at the inn," added the boy as if it was nothing.
Eleanor looked completely perplexed at Maximilian who just smiled and looked at her with an 'I told you so,' expression. She turned to the boy once again. "Eileen as in princess Eileen of Allard? And Therese as in the Lioness Therese?"
Riou nodded. "Yes, the very same." He looked around once more. "Since you two are down here for a while now, I take everything on this side has been taken care of already?"
"You mean the spies in the North right? Yes, I met with Torwald and explained the situation to him… I suspected a couple of Lords… Ephil was certain once I told him and quickly seized this lord and… 'convinced' him to tell us all about the hideouts and the agents locations. Everyone was killed in a single night," concluded the Magus.
"Who was the other one you suspected? What happened to him?" questioned the boy.
"Lord Brahm… he is a mysterious man, always one step ahead of everyone, and I can't help but feel like he is hiding something… and I don't like it." Max sighed for a moment. "But Ephil assured me he had nothing to do with it… I still did investigate him on my own, but could find nothing linking him to the council."
Riou smiled "Yeah, I believe he would not be with the council… but we will talk about him once you tell me what you found out about my situation in your books."
Eleanor listened to the conversation while looking at Max, completely in awe by how they could talk so openly and dismissively about such serious matters.
Noticing her, the magus just laughed shaking his head briefly side to side. "Is he or is he not everything I told you?" He then stood up. "Follow me Riou, I will show you around while we wait for the others. You will have to tell me why they are accompanying you though… ah and how do you know we are down beneath the earth?" said the Magus, remembering the boy mentioned them to be 'down here'.
Riou pointed around. "The lack of windows, the strange high ceiling and the temperature is very different in here, I just hope you have good ventilation going on" said the boy standing up and following the mage while Eleanor observed them. "How did you make these lights, I can see, but I barely see any light source."
"That's Magelight, on the corners of the walls. It's a small rock when imbued by mana will casts a long and almost imperceptible light, widely used in mage quarters like this. There is one nearby in the kitchen. Let me show you," the magus said excitedly.
"Sure, and then you will show me how exactly you enchanted this necklace… I really need to know how you did it," added Riou.
"Yes, now that you mention it… how did you lose the first necklace I gave you?" questioned the mage walking beside the boy.
"It's a long story… and a very shameful one. I saw it coming with a week's notice and still fell for it in the end… I will tell you all about it over some drinks at night."
They walked and even before they reached the kitchen, both were already drawn to another of Maximilian's gadgets and were already talking about magic and physics. Eleanor smiled, he really looked like a boy being visited by his best friend.
-------------------------------------------------- Twilight Shadow Council
The shadows flickered once more at the hall of the strange castle.
"Allard's princess surfaced in the North. She is most likely to appear in their summer festival," said one of the shadows known as Tessai.
"Why do we need the princess now? The blow has already been delivered in Longart," replied another shadow.
"She will be useful once the current monarchs die. You know how the people are. They will more easily accept the new ruler if some of the bloodline continues. She will be a good asset in the near future." Tessai once again spoke.
"Who do we have in Thanes right now? Have our contacts been reestablished in the region?" said another one.
"No… not yet. I'm the one closer to the city, their festivals will begin soon so I will go there myself, I will ensure the princess is captured this time." Said the shadowy figure speaking for the first time that meeting.
"That's not like you Arstos, why not send one of yours disciples instead?" questioned one of the shadows.
"Because Thanes is the home of the Great Magus. We know he is still alive and is a good friend of king Elrik and Ephil. Arstos here thinks there might be a chance the mage will surface in an attempt to protect the princess," Tessai replied.
"I see, he wants vengeance since the last time the magus crushed his plans," added the shadow.
"Not only will he be able to ensure the capture of the princess this time, but also try to kill the Mage in case he appears, very clever," replied one of the shadows approving the overkill approach.
The master shadow remained silent as everyone agreed on the course of action.
"We found her and recovered a few things, but the necklace and the short swords were already sent elsewhere… he didn't want to continue the pursuit." said the Lioness, explaining what happened.
Before they could continue the Lioness looked at Eileen. "What happened?"
Eileen didn't know how to address the matter, so Leona told her master, "The princess was recognized by a noble in the afternoon, while we were searching for the tracks, as you requested. I found a scent in the thief's bedroom that took us to the city center. I lost the scent there and on the way back we found the noble going for Thanes."
The Lioness remained quiet waiting for her to continue.
"He was on his way to the summer festival and immediately recognized Eileen. He announced that he'd inform Torwald of her arrival," continued Leona.
"I see," said Therese while looking at Eileen. "You are concerned that now they know you are coming, it will complicate things for you, given the custom of this land."
Eileen nodded and sighed "Last time I was here, a couple years ago, it took me about 7 months to fulfill most of the challenges, and I still needed my father to get very angry for me to be able to return home."
"Can't we just avoid them altogether?" questioned Leona.
Therese shook her head. "No, now that the princess is known to be in the North, she will have to pay her respects to her Grandfather, and we will have to do so as well," said Therese.
The Lioness looked back at Riou who was clearly not understanding a word they were saying, and seemed to still be thinking about the last interaction with the rogue, that for some reason had a deeper impact on the boy than she expected.
"Well, you can always ask the boy for help," said the Lioness turning to the princess. "I don't know how long we will stay here in the north, but don't worry, we won't leave you behind if that's your concern."
Eileen nodded a bit relieved after hearing that.
-----------------------------------------------------
With the last events, the slow caravan was not an option anymore. With difficulty, Riou communicated through gestures and even some drawings indicating his need to reach Thanes quickly, as he could estimate it would take another month for the caravan to do so while on horse, while they'd be able to reach there in only a few days.
Therese acknowledged the proposal and went to Bronach and Herger to break the news, followed by the boy.
"So that's why the boy is so quiet and gloomy lately? I could swear he was raised and born in Allard with that way of speaking of his," said the merchant looking down. "And I'm sorry Viki brought you so many problems. I can't give back what she took, but believe me, deep down she is a good kid."
Herger looked disapprovingly to Bronach. "I always told you that girl was trouble."
Bronach nodded in agreement. "But still, I owe her…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "It pains me to see you all leaving before the time…. but you and the boy helped a lot already on the way here, so please, let it be known that you all are welcome to join us anytime."
The mercenary leader smiled and nodded confirming those words while looking at the boy.
Therese bowed courteously, while Riou shook their hands before leaving with Therese.
They quickly put their things together and left immediately towards Thanes.
The road condition was good. The cobblestone was even while going towards the capital, and allowed the horse to run with ease.
While the travel took place, Eileen tried to teach Riou some words, but conversation and more elaborated phrases would not be possible.
Isolated words like tree, rock, dirt and water were no problem, as they could be pointed out in the open. But conversation and verbs were out of question without any reference, and the boy knew it. The necklace was the only way for him to communicate at the moment.
Deciding once he got another one, he'd start taking classes to learn the language, using the necklace as a reference, allowing him to learn it.
But as it would take a while to get there, he also tried to think of ways to communicate with magic, but as he didn't know exactly how the necklace operated, nor what that Rune on it meant, he couldn't replicate it as it is.
The only way for him was to devise a new method, but all he could think of at that moment was some derivative of telepathy. Which would potentially cover every single language gap possible in that world.
But he knew it was too much of a risk, as Maximilian explained the dangers of using mind magic while connecting minds. Any mistake would be fatal. While thinking about it, the image of Maximilian and his disciple's last moments came to his mind.
Despite having knowledge of many spells, he understood that for this specific language and world, without the proper knowledge of how to do it, it was way too risky. That this was not a game. There were no status windows or game feedback on his actions, nor could he reload in case anything happened.
The risk was far too great, while Max was not that far away now.
---------------------------------
Thanes was quite similar to Allard in some aspects. The castle-like structure reminded him of an old, wooden, Norwegian church with stone walls to reinforce its structure, just as massive as Allard's capital castle. Also in a similar fashion, was that it was at a much higher elevation than the city itself.
Riou thought it must be a custom of this land to build castles on top of everything.
From the distance, it could be seen at the end of a very steep road that slithered through the mountain, towards the high plateau where the castle was.
The city revolved down, around the plateau and clearly was meant to provide a natural protection from the strong winds that were constantly blowing in that region.
The houses were similar to the villages and Norse cities so far, mostly made of stone and wood. Very few houses had more than 1 floor, and the bigger ones had family crests engraved on their doors, clearly the residence of some of the nobles of the city.
Not too far to the East, the sea could be seen. The dark waters looked strangely still, as no waves could be seen from that distance.
The constant cloudy weather gave the city a gloomy feeling, as little to no activity could be seen in its streets from where they were.
After crossing the massive stone gates to the city, it was time to decide the first stop. As they were very close to the castle, Therese and Eileen wanted to go there to deal with greeting the princess' Grandfather sooner rather than later, and hopefully before the news of her arrival would spread too far and make things even more difficult to counter later on.
Therese looked at Riou and pointed to the castle. "Eileen, Therese and Leona," she said while indicating their need to go to the castle now. "It will be quick," she gestured with a fast movement a quick stop and then pointed towards the city.
Riou frowned while thinking. He gestured with his hand indicating that they could go later on, and going towards the inn took priority for him, as he clearly was having enough of not understanding anyone.
Therese nodded, indicating they would go to the castle and meet him there later on. With everyone having an understanding, they took their path.
------------------------------ The Norse Castle.
On the small path that lead to the castle entrance was a stable, where visitors could leave their horses. The castle walls began on the cliff, on both sides of the small ridge that served as bridge. No one would be able to trespass that easily. On the small bridge covered by the stone walls, there was a huge iron gate in front of the castle's entrance.
The guards used a heavy leather armor with fur to protect against the cold wind. The helmets were made of iron with fur inside as well, for the same reason. They held spears and shields with a sword attached to their belt. They held no crest or colors, very different from the Allard soldiers.
As they put the horses in the stable and walked inside the balcony-like structure that lead to the castle entrance door, the guards there stood still as the princess passed by, clearly aware of her arrival.
Inside, the wooden carved structures were outstanding. Many symbols, animals and battles were depicted on the walls, carved in detail into the wood. The temperature increased as they walked inside.
Eileen walked through the corridors with confidence, and as they reached a large hall with a fire set in every corner of the room for heat and strange symbols and intertwined patterns carved in the 6 pillars that held the ceiling, someone approached the princess.
"Are my eyes playing with me? Eileen you've grown even more beautiful!" exclaimed the man with open arms approaching the princess.
He was in his 50's, and had a tall and sturdy build with a golden hair tied in a ponytail that barely reached his neck. He had a golden beard trimmed down, not too long, just a finger thick. His eyes were blue, and his clothes were made of many expensive pelts and fur. He had a gold chain holding them together on his chest.
"It's good to see you too uncle," replied Eileen respectfully towards him.
"Where is Elrik and Hanna? Did they go see your grandfather already?" asked the man after hugging the princess.
Eileen shook her head. "No, they didn't come this time."
The man frowned. "Where is your entourage then?"
The princess continued, "There is none."
Still frowning he looked at everyone behind the princess. "And who would they be?"
Eileen showed Therese and then Leona. "This is The Lioness Therese and her disciple Leona."
The man's eyes widened. "Now I understand why there is no one else. Elrik really spared no expense to keep you safe. I welcome the mighty Lioness." He bowed respectfully towards Therese who replied in kind.
The man smiled once again, he began to walk towards the door at the end of the hall. "Your grandfather will be pleased to see you. Come, I will lead you to him."
As they walked, the blond man continued speaking, "You came at a great time. The summer festivities will begin in a couple of days. We already sent word for the nobles that you'd be attending as well. We expect a good tournament this year. Almost everyone will be attending."
Eileen smiled wryly and looked at Therese.
As they approached the end of a corridor, a door opened to a hall with a long table with chairs on both sides of the room and, a few steps above, what seemed to be two thrones. One was empty and on the other one sat an old man with a blind eye on his left and a crystal blue eye on his right. His hair was white and long enough to cover his shoulders and part of his back.
He was clearly a big man and, despite his age, seemed to still carry a lot of strength on his muscles. His face showed a few wrinkles around his eyes while holding a stern look. His attire was very similar to the princess' Uncle, but much flashier, as the pelts were only made of white wolves and white bears. A white beard could be seen in his face, but it was braided with a gold ring holding it together on the end, giving a very elegant look to the old king.
"Father, Eileen has arrived," said the man bringing the attention to the princess.
The king was not alone. A man with hair as black as the darkest night, wearing a noble's outfit black with details in purple and gold, elegantly turned and waited in silence while the king addressed everyone.
Eileen's uncle continued, "With her, the famous Therese of the beast lands, the mighty Lioness and her disciple," said the man approaching the throne, followed by everyone.
By hearing the princess' name, the old man smiled at the throne and leaned forward as if to see better. "Come closer child, my eye is not what it used to be."
Eileen smiled at the sight of her grandfather and approached him. His good eye was the same as hers. The crystal blue color was undeniable equal.
He stood up from the throne. The man was a giant if compared to the common man of Allard and would even put Syldis to shame.
He hugged her with one arm to his side. "How have you been my dear?"
"I'm fine, grandfather," she replied with a smile.
The old man's eyes widened briefly looking at the princess smile. Even he knew it was a rare sight. "That's good to hear my child, now, introduce me to your friends." He looked at the group while holding Eileen to his side.
"This is my Grandfather, Ephil Torwald, the King of Thanes and the lands of the north," she said while looking at the two who bowed in respect.
The old king nodded. "You are most welcome here. You may stay as long as you wish, and thank you fof bringing me my granddaughter safely" he said, turning to Eileen.
"How is your mother?" questioned the old king to his grandchild with a smile.
"She is in good health," replied Eileen as he nodded with a more serious expression.
"I heard the castle was attacked, was that true?"
Eileen nodded with a stern expression. "Mages with dark robes attacked the castle, but they did not succeed."
"That fool you call a father has more luck than good judgement, and I told him many times to improve those flimsy defenses. His guards can't fight even if their lives depended on it. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you and Hanna," the old man ranted angrily, until he finally sighed, calming down. "I knew they failed already, but I needed to hear it from you to bring peace to my heart, my dear."
The king turned towards Therese, "I also heard the hordes of the savages tribes threatened Brigantium, perhaps you passed by after the incident, did you happen to see the battlefield?"
Therese nodded "We saw it your highness, charred lands and bodies until the sight could reach" answered the Lioness.
The king pondered for a moment "Do you believe it was really done by a single mage?"
Therese nodded once again "Thousands of soldiers witnessed it"
Torwald seemed disturbed by the fact but he quickly set it aside and continued the conversation with his granddaughter.
"I also heard you've been winning many challenges lately… and you taught some Norse noble a lesson… who was it Camus?" questioned the king looking at his son.
"It was Askjell from the second house of Kalle," Eileen's uncle replied.
"Askjell… well it was expected. He is half the warrior his cousin is."
Camus added, "I'm certain the main house of Kalle will represent well in the tournament, perhaps Askjell cousin can become a proper suitor for Eileen."
Torwald looked at Eileen. "The tournament might be a good opportunity for you to meet a good husband, I'm glad you came to your senses and came seek in the North. Your father was the last good warrior left in all Allard, now there is no one left for you there" As he finished his sentence he noticed the concern in her eyes.
But before anyone else spoke, from the door, someone entered at fast pace, a beautiful woman, with light green eyes and a long and voluminous dark golden hair. Her face and body resembled Eileen's so much that one could easily say they were sisters.
But all it needed was one glance for one to realize she completely lacked the elegance of the princess. She walked and ported herself much like a man.
"Eileen!" shouted the blond woman.
"Elise! How many times I told you to not barge in this hall when your grandfather is attending?" scolded Camus walking towards his daughter.
She was wearing a light leather armor, with some fur on the shoulders and a sword to her side.
"Don't worry too much Camus… you know how your daughter is," said a smiling king.
Camus sighed as his daughter approached.
Elise walked towards Eileen with a smile and a high chin. "Long time no see cousin. I heard you've being doing well on the challenges issued against you," she said confidently.
Eileen smiled. "It's good to see you too Elise, and I'm certain you've been doing even better," replied the princess, noticing that her competitive cousin haven't change since their last encounter.
Camus sighed. "I wish that were true, but nobody wants to challenge her on the rites. I'm afraid I will have to send her to Brine's temple if this continues."
"Father!" exclaimed Elise towards Camus. "The only reason I'm not challenged is because they are all cowards, they know they can't stand me in battle," she said proudly.
"Don't praise yourself too much. What they can't stand is you… you are beautiful, but the fame of your temperament precedes you and your beauty nowadays," he scolded his daughter and turned towards Torwald and Brahm. "My apologies father, Lord Brahm… but this daughter of mine wears out my patience."
Brahm just smiled while Torwald laughed. "Don't worry Camus, someday she will learn."
Elise looked down and puffed, disagreeing with them after being scolded. She clearly was much more impulsive and energetic when compared to Eileen.
Camus sighed once again. "Well, at least we will have Eileen to show her how a proper princess should behave… are you not embarrassed to know that your cousin has been challenged 3 times more than you?"
Elise puffed once again and looked to the side conveying how unimpressed she was, but glints of envy could be seen in her eyes.
"Regarding that…" Eileen stepped down from her grandfather side and joined Therese while Torwald sat once again. "My visit today is to pay my respects to my grandfather… but I do not intend to stay in the castle as I do not know how long I will stay in the North" She paused for a moment noticing the surprise in her Uncle and cousin.
"I'm afraid I will not be able to participate in the festivities," continued the princess elegantly addressing her grandfather.
Elise and Camus frowned confused by the statement while Torwald listened with attention. Both father and daughter looked displeased and waited a moment for Torwald's intervention.
The king stroked his beard thinking on her words, noticing his father was pondering Camus decided to say his thoughts on the matter.
"Nonsense! You came all the way here from Allard for what reason then? Everyone had been informed of your participation. Many are eager to see you fight and to fight you. This is a great opportunity for you to meet a good Norse husband," said Camus, looking at Eileen.
Eileen shook her head "Right I can't be held down because of the rites and lose the opportunities before me"
Torwald leaned forward, since he had laid eyes on his granddaughter he knew something had changed in her. She was smiling when she greeted him and she seemed happy.
That was a sight he had only seen when she was a small child. He knew something else was going on and intended to discover what it was.
And with that in mind he continued, "Unfortunately, the rites can't be overlooked because they became a burden. The path demands that you fulfill your duties as a maiden of the North."
The room became silent, not even the strong wind outside could be heard.
Eileen looked at Therese, noticing the help request she stepped up. "What happens in the case she already has a suitor?"
Torwald looked sideways and squinting his eyes with a smirk in his face at the Lioness. "Well, the maiden's duties would cease and the warrior's call would begin. He'd be presented as suitor and at this time of the year and being Eileen a princess, he'd have to fight at the tournament and do well. Bringing honor to him and his house's name. Showing his worth as a warrior before everyone's eyes. After this, marriage would be arranged by both parents if alive."
Therese looked at Eileen with a smile, the princess knew what the Lioness was thinking, but still she felt it would be wrong to put him through that without knowing. Aside that there was a risk of him denying it.
It was literally a marriage proposal. And deep down she feared his response, as she knew his focus was towards his home. Marrying a princess could drag unwanted responsibilities towards the kingdoms involved. Beside that, she really didn't want to know his answer for such a question. Because depending on which he decided it could separate them for good.
Losing him completely at this stage was more fearful to her than losing a few months at the North and Therese's guidance.
She promptly shook her head towards Therese, indicating she didn't wish to proceed with that path.
Therese just sighed. But all that display was enough for everyone there to realize what happened.
"Have you lost to someone Eileen?" suddenly questioned the king intrigued noticing her strange behavior.
Camus and Elise ears rise up as both looked at Eileen with surprise.
Taken by surprise the princess began to think on a proper answer. But her strange silence denounced her even more before she could come up with anything, she knew she couldn't lie, but the truth could bring unwanted repercussions at that moment.
After a moment in silence the king sighed and continued with serious tone, "Did he challenge you?"
"No…" replied the princess unable to say anything else but the truth to her grandfather at that moment.
"Then how did you end up fighting?" continued the king. Camus and Elise listened to the conversation attentively with widened eyes.
"We were training, and I wasn't able to win against his defense… so I got mad because he was holding back and asked him to fight me for real," said the princess slowly. "At the time I wasn't thinking, I was mad at my inability and wanted to test it against him at full strength."
Elise was with an open mouth. She was unable to believe her ears. The princess and maiden, so highly praised, challenged someone and lost. "You couldn't win at someone who was just defending himself? What have you done this past 2 years that you forgot all about swordsmanship?"
Eileen didn't respond and just remained silent, Torwald raised his hand to silence Elise and continued talking to Eileen "You, better than anyone should know that a challenge is a challenge," added Torwald. "Did he claim the victory?"
"No… he knows little of our customs," said Eileen. Camus who was already shocked took another hit at the news that he was not even a man of the Norse.
Before Camus outburst the king in a similar fashion calmed him down and continued looking at Eileen "Did you tell him that he could?" questioned Torwald looking at the princess eyes.
"No..." replied Eileen.
Torwald pondered for a moment. "Why would you not tell us about it? Why do you tried to hide it when Therese questioned, what is it that you fear?"
Eileen took a deep breath to calm down. She was answering her grandfather who she respected deeply, she did so promptly and without much thinking at that moment given the stress she was under.
"I… I was afraid that he would deny the claim and leave... even that we agreed to fight another time," said the princess.
Camus and Elise looked at each other confused, no one in his right mind would deny to marry a princess, they thought with certainty that her omission was her way to escape an unwanted marriage.
While stroking his beard and thinking about the situation the king continued, "Where is he now?"
"In the city below, waiting for us," continued Eileen with a sorry expression. Despite her wishes, things were turning for the bad side.
"What is his name?" questioned the king.
"His name is Riou, grandfather."
Lord Brahm smiled briefly to himself, he was clearly having a good time with all that was happening.
The king nodded. "Very well. Given the circumstances, I now understand your strange request. Despite the path not being followed as tradition demands, you do feel obligated towards this man after losing to him. And in an attempt to regain your honor you set a rematch once you feel able to defeat him. Meanwhile you allowed him to accompanies you in your travel with the Lioness."
Eileen remained silent while Torwald leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately that cannot continue. The rites must be honored"
Camus nodded in agreement while approaching Eileen.
"Unbelievable!" said Camus disappointed. "Why haven't you brought him here already if he is traveling with you?"
"Because she is ashamed!" Intervened Elise "He must be short and with an ugly face, probably old as well as most Nobles in Allard"
Eileen didn't react, elegantly remained in silence.
"Which family is he from?" continued her uncle.
"He is not from these lands so he does not belong to any of the families."
"A peasant? You lost to a commoner Eileen? Have your skills decayed this much in these past years? What were you thinking allowing a commoner in the castle and even challenging him? This is unacceptable!" ranted angrily the king's son, turning to Torwald.
Elise restrained herself from laughing loudly. It was too much fun for her knowing her so-high-esteemed cousin lost to a commoner. "He was not even a noble? then short and ugly is a given, he is also poor and missing most of his teeth!"
"What is done is done…" Torwald paused for a moment while looking with reprisal at Elise who contained herself immediately.
"Eileen, do feel obligated towards him?" Asked the king as the princess just nodded once.
"This man will be brought here immediately. As he did not know what it meant to accept the maiden's challenge at the time, he will be do so now and be allowed to choose. If he denies it, nothing will change as the victory will continue unclaimed and Eileen will stay and answer as the rites demand." The king paused for a moment after sighing.
"If he accepts it and claim his victory, he will be presented as Eileen's suitor at the tournament, so everyone can know him. And with luck, his skill will be enough to impress everyone away from the fact that he is a commoner."
Eileen's eyes widened and her chest grew heavy. All that she wanted to avoid had come to fruition.
Camus looked at his father concerned. "He will not deny it... We must prepare, it will be harsh to have someone without a house in the Tournament. And the fact he will be Eileen's suitor will be seen with bad eyes. No one will agree to it and our honor will be tainted. Even if he wins the damn tournament altogether, they still will not shut up on the fact. And with all the best warriors participating this year, he does not have a chance to impress."
"Now it's out of our hands. We must honor the path," Torwald added calmly.
The room went silent for a moment by the bad prospect that had formed, both countries royal families would be dishonored by such unexpected fate, despite the path not preventing non nobles to challenge the maidens, the fact was that no commoner could ever be able to win since they lack the training, intelligence and discipline that only the noble can receive.
And the princess, born from both houses losing to one of them, shows how unprepared she was and how low the houses honor the tradition, despite her previous winings, that's what everyone's thoughts would be.
Lord Brahm suddenly approached Torwald. "Perhaps I might be of assistance… since my son will not be participating, and I'm too old for such endeavors, I'm willing to bet on the princess' intuition. Until the marriage takes place, he will join my house and represent my name," said the man to everyone's surprise.
"That's a first… I can't remember you ever helping anyone Lucian," said the king with suspicion towards the noble. "Please don't feel obliged to help on our regard, or it will be your house who will take the blame if his skill does not measure up for the tournament," said Torwald in extreme surprise to the man.
Lucian smiled. "Don't worry about that. Should he will accept the princess, I'm sure he will also accept to represent my house. And as I said before, I'm more than willing to bet on the princess' intuition. I believe she challenged this man for a reason. The women of your family have an uncanny sense for great warriors."
Torwald laughed loudly at his remark, while Elise's envy grew at large pace. In an instant, the disaster had been averted, and lord Brahm's support would ensure that no one would say a word against him or Eileen. It was an unheard of saving grace. Lord Brahm who was known for not involving himself, this time clearly took sides.
"Indeed Lucian, Indeed." He then turned to his granddaughter. "I need to meet this man Eileen. Go talk to him and then bring him here as soon as possible." Torwald nodded looking once again at Brahm. "What a lucky bastard this Riou is, not only can he become a Strongheart but also represent the Brahm's!" said Torwald in a joyous tone. "I just hope he is half a fighter you made him out to be Eileen… or Brahm will finally have a dent on their flawless reputation." The king turned towards his son, who was out of words at the noble's unheard proposition. "See Camus? Even Brahm took sides this time."
Eileen bowed followed by Therese and Leona.
"Grandfather, Uncle… Elise" She said elegantly turning and leaving. Elise watched her going with envy. Despite all the odds, once again everything turned in Allard's princess' favor.
--------------------------------------------- Meanwhile in the City
Riou roamed the streets with his horse in an attempt to look for the tavern with a board that resembled a flying dragon.
He could notice a few taverns on the way through the city. Those that only have runes he entered and asked for Max, plain and simply saying his name. As no one seemed to make a commotion he left for the next one.
It didn't take long for him to find one with a dragon on the board. He entered the small tavern and could see just a few tables, the kitchen and 4 rooms. It was a very simple establishment. And behind the counter for his surprise.
"Syldis?" said the boy looking at the huge woman's back that reminded him of his friend in Allard.
The woman turned. She had a remarkable resemblance to the owner of the drinking bear, but a bit older, and slightly different traces than Syldis. Nothing much, but enough to differentiate the too now that she was facing him.
The woman spoke, but he could not understand. Riou brought his hand to his chest. "Riou," he said and then pointing down at the tavern he continued, "Max."
The woman looked at him with suspicion, but he was certain that was the right place and waited for her.
She looked at his hair and his eyes and spoke some strange words to which Riou just smiled wryly, he shook his head pointing to his ears. "I can't understand," he said to her as she got surprised by his strange words.
With that she seemed convinced, and walked to the kitchen briefly and returned with a key, it was made of transparent crystal. She then walked towards one of the rooms and asked the boy to follow her.
Inside the small room there was a bed and a table with a wooden box with metal reinforcement. She put the key in the lock and urged the boy to turn it by pointing at him and performing the motion.
Riou approached it, and the moment he turned the key, he was not in the room anymore.
Looking around, he could see many strange apparatus made of glass and all colors of crystals and stones. On the table in front of him, the same box could be seen. On the side of the room some flasks with strange powders deposited in a cabinet with writings on them. Metallic structures and pipes were to the side of a table, easy to reach. It seemed like some sort of laboratory.
Turning around, Riou noticed a vast library connected to the lab. The place seemed big as he walked through the corridors of the library towards the other side.
After a few steps, he began to listen to voices. A male and female seemed to be discussing something.
He followed them through the bookshelves, and as they ended, he could see a room with a few chairs, a fireplace and two people sat down with books in the lap discussing.
Now that Riou saw the fireplace, he wondered, there were no windows there, how was he able to see without a light source?
Approaching the two, he promptly recognized them: it was Max and Eleanor. "Hello?" said the boy loudly for their surprise.
Max promptly closed the book and rushed to greet the boy. But as he spoke Riou could not understand a word and just pointed to his chest. Noticing it Max made a surprised face as he stopped speaking. He then began to walk towards the other part of the room and called the boy to accompany him. Eleanor followed as well.
The place seemed like a small smithy, with many strange colored metals displayed on the shelves. To the side, held on the wall by a glass jar, there were hundreds of small copper plates. Max took one from the jar and showed it to Riou.
He put it at the stone table and approached it with his finger, the metal began to immediately heat up as a small but potent fire began to erupt from the magus finger. Remembering the spell, Riou looked at him in surprise, it was the one he showed the Magus at the blacksmith shop in Longart.
As the metal was heated the magus took a small hammer and a small chisel and began to carve a single rune at the copper plate. Once he was finished he dropped it in water to cool down and then put it back on the table.
He then went to the library and grabbed a large tome with gray hard cover and drops it beside the plate on the stone table.
With his hand on the book and the other at the plate with the rune he began a long chant in elven tongue, the book cover letters and the words in between the pages began to glow as if all the words there were made of magic runes.
The rune at plate began to glow as well and as Max finished the chant he attached a cord to it and delivered to Riou who immediately put it on.
"So? Can you understand me?" said Riou to the mage who smiled.
"Of course my boy! Who do you think I am? I wasn't expecting you so soon… I believe everything went well in Allard?" inquired the magus.
"Yeah, it was easy…" said the boy looking at the book. "I will tell you all about it later… what is this book?" he said inquisitively pointing at the book.
Smiling the magus opened the book. "This is the Elven Nomicon for the common tongue. Here are catalogued all the words and their meaning for that tongue"
"A magical dictionary?" said the boy to the Mage. "How does it work ? How did you create this new necklace?"
"Well, the elves created this book to be able to understand the common tongue without having everyone go through the learning process. So by using it I can create a magic able to translate the common tongue into anyone's native language and vice versa, by storing it in the magic rune," said the magus.
"But isn't that a mind spell? Isn't that dangerous?" questioned the boy.
Magus thought for a moment. "Well, I must confess that this book is a bit more complicated than that, and mind spells are very dangerous indeed, but only between minds. Since this is a one way connection there isn't that much of a problem."
"Hum…" The boy pondered for a moment. "So you just insert the spell in this rune? What does this rune here mean?"
"This one? It means the common tongue in elven." added the Magus.
"So there is a correlation to the rune meaning and the spell it holds," said the boy contemplating the rune.
"Exactly, the magic doesn't quite stabilize in the rune if there is no correlation," replied the Mage, excitedly explaining the intricacies of enchanting to the boy.
Eleanor kept watching with a smile. It was hard to see Max so excited with someone.
"Did you see?" said Max showing the fire spell for forging once again. "Took me a few days to grasp the concept, but finally I'm able to do it as well."
"Days? Try a month of constant attempts and swearing," said Eleanor suddenly from behind.
"Riou, you remember Eleanor right? Forgive me but I have told her about you so she could help me in the research we talked about. She is a great mage and scholar. Her knowledge can be very helpful to understand what happened," added the Magus.
The boy nodded, he clearly trusted the Mage on that regard.
"It's good to see you well Eleanor," said the boy, finally greeting her.
"So you are the one I heard so much about… it's hard to believe in everything that old fool told me, so come, let's sit down for a moment. You two can play later," she said moving towards the chairs near the fireplace.
"We've been closed in here for too long without any news. Please, do tell us what happened in Allard since we left," said the woman, sitting down and looking at the boy.
More comfortable, Riou told them the encounter in the mine and with the undying mage. He then removed the black stone covered in cloth from the pouch and put it on a small table near the chairs.
"This is what he was holding… and I think this stone killed someone in the last city with some sort of death spell that creeped towards the man's heart after he tried to use it," said the boy, uncovering the stone.
Maximilian's eyes widened while Eleanor looked with interest at the stone.
"This… this is an Argonian summoning stone," said the mage approaching it to look at the rune.
"Darkweaver…" said the magus reading the rune. "This explains why the man would have died. If the mana to summon is not enough, the Darkweaver will claim the summoner's life as tribute."
Riou looked interested at the magus, he clearly wanted to hear more about it.
"The Darkweaver is a shadow monster of the spirit realm. He is much more powerful than the fiends you've encountered. His magic can manipulate the shadows and make them affect the physical world with disastrous effects, thus the name," added the magus, approaching the stone with care.
"If you don't mind, I will put this into a proper receptacle … to avoid any possible accident," he said looking at Riou, possibly remembering the mana crystal testing.
Riou leaned back with a smile when he suddenly remembered something. "Ohh, I forgot to tell you… Brigantium was attacked by a mixed orc and goblin army. There was a mage wearing the same robes as the twilight mages amidst them. I saw that he seemed to have transformed one of the orcs into a monster and pushed them to attack the city somehow."
Eleanor looked astonished at Maximilian who listened with care. "I didn't really ask the mage what happened or what his angle was as I assumed it was just an attempt to weaken Allard, since Brigantium could feed the whole country alone. To be honest, I was not that interested in their motives. And since most of the army was killed, the threat was completely erased as it would take years for them to amass that many again."
Eleanor widened their eyes. "What happened to the city?" she asked.
"I told you, I dealt with them so the city is fine, army died, the mage behind it was killed…" he paused for a moment, remembering something again. "Oh, and Eileen, Therese and Leona are coming here as well, hope you don't mind, but don't worry, we can stay at the inn," added the boy as if it was nothing.
Eleanor looked completely perplexed at Maximilian who just smiled and looked at her with an 'I told you so,' expression. She turned to the boy once again. "Eileen as in princess Eileen of Allard? And Therese as in the Lioness Therese?"
Riou nodded. "Yes, the very same." He looked around once more. "Since you two are down here for a while now, I take everything on this side has been taken care of already?"
"You mean the spies in the North right? Yes, I met with Torwald and explained the situation to him… I suspected a couple of Lords… Ephil was certain once I told him and quickly seized this lord and… 'convinced' him to tell us all about the hideouts and the agents locations. Everyone was killed in a single night," concluded the Magus.
"Who was the other one you suspected? What happened to him?" questioned the boy.
"Lord Brahm… he is a mysterious man, always one step ahead of everyone, and I can't help but feel like he is hiding something… and I don't like it." Max sighed for a moment. "But Ephil assured me he had nothing to do with it… I still did investigate him on my own, but could find nothing linking him to the council."
Riou smiled "Yeah, I believe he would not be with the council… but we will talk about him once you tell me what you found out about my situation in your books."
Eleanor listened to the conversation while looking at Max, completely in awe by how they could talk so openly and dismissively about such serious matters.
Noticing her, the magus just laughed shaking his head briefly side to side. "Is he or is he not everything I told you?" He then stood up. "Follow me Riou, I will show you around while we wait for the others. You will have to tell me why they are accompanying you though… ah and how do you know we are down beneath the earth?" said the Magus, remembering the boy mentioned them to be 'down here'.
Riou pointed around. "The lack of windows, the strange high ceiling and the temperature is very different in here, I just hope you have good ventilation going on" said the boy standing up and following the mage while Eleanor observed them. "How did you make these lights, I can see, but I barely see any light source."
"That's Magelight, on the corners of the walls. It's a small rock when imbued by mana will casts a long and almost imperceptible light, widely used in mage quarters like this. There is one nearby in the kitchen. Let me show you," the magus said excitedly.
"Sure, and then you will show me how exactly you enchanted this necklace… I really need to know how you did it," added Riou.
"Yes, now that you mention it… how did you lose the first necklace I gave you?" questioned the mage walking beside the boy.
"It's a long story… and a very shameful one. I saw it coming with a week's notice and still fell for it in the end… I will tell you all about it over some drinks at night."
They walked and even before they reached the kitchen, both were already drawn to another of Maximilian's gadgets and were already talking about magic and physics. Eleanor smiled, he really looked like a boy being visited by his best friend.
-------------------------------------------------- Twilight Shadow Council
The shadows flickered once more at the hall of the strange castle.
"Allard's princess surfaced in the North. She is most likely to appear in their summer festival," said one of the shadows known as Tessai.
"Why do we need the princess now? The blow has already been delivered in Longart," replied another shadow.
"She will be useful once the current monarchs die. You know how the people are. They will more easily accept the new ruler if some of the bloodline continues. She will be a good asset in the near future." Tessai once again spoke.
"Who do we have in Thanes right now? Have our contacts been reestablished in the region?" said another one.
"No… not yet. I'm the one closer to the city, their festivals will begin soon so I will go there myself, I will ensure the princess is captured this time." Said the shadowy figure speaking for the first time that meeting.
"That's not like you Arstos, why not send one of yours disciples instead?" questioned one of the shadows.
"Because Thanes is the home of the Great Magus. We know he is still alive and is a good friend of king Elrik and Ephil. Arstos here thinks there might be a chance the mage will surface in an attempt to protect the princess," Tessai replied.
"I see, he wants vengeance since the last time the magus crushed his plans," added the shadow.
"Not only will he be able to ensure the capture of the princess this time, but also try to kill the Mage in case he appears, very clever," replied one of the shadows approving the overkill approach.
The master shadow remained silent as everyone agreed on the course of action.
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