4.01: Arrival

Cold salty wind tousled my hair as the Intrepid cut through the blue coastal waters, keeping the land within sight.

Laira awaited in Aldersthron, along with Reshma.

I wondered if she had gotten pregnant. Compared to her, my relationship with Laira was little more than some kindling at the moment, more a result of pragmatic necessity and lust than genuine affection. Based upon what I knew of her from the few days we had spent together, I was sure it would deepen over time.

The loud cheering of the men around me brought me out of my thoughts. They were waving towards the coast.

Soldiers atop the lighthouse at Bog Watch, which marked the south-eastern border of Chadom, were cheering and waving at us.

I waved back.

Jack had spent his entire life in Nobhart, but for me, Chadom was home.

The lush mountain valley which the persecuted Cha people had pinned their hopes on. Which had cost more than a thousand people their lives just to reach. Where I had woken up in this world. Where we had finally established a haven for us all. A nation that now could not only feed its people and protect them, but that would, in time, rival those a hundred times its size.

As the ships continued sailing south-east, we finally left our nascent country behind.

I turned towards the Bay, where Aprilia must be, and took a deep breath.

I’ll be back, soon.

Now our only companion would be the sea, and the Treacherous Bog to our left.

I looked to the other side.

A second ship was trailing us. It carried twenty-five soldiers aboard, just like the Intrepid. Only half the number of soldiers who had delivered four hundred repeating crossbows to Laira, but still a formidable force. The sails snapped above me. This time, they were more refined and more capable. Wolmar had figured out how to make the gaff sail from my vague recollections in a matter of weeks.

Would that be enough? Maybe I should go back and take fifty more soldiers with me?

No. Being a coward was no way to live. I had already taken precautions. Besides, I could also take a few dozen soldiers from Nobhart with me to Aldersthron.

Stormhaven would be a fool to threaten me.

Unless he is planning open rebellion.

Ugh. I hated politics.

Nordhaven came into view just as the sky began turning orange. The winds hadn’t favored us.

As the Intrepid slowed, I called for Theo.

“Get everyone ready to ride, Lieutenant.”

“We’re leaving for Falkenheim?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it a little late, Sire? It takes half a day to reach your home.”

“We might be able to reach it before midnight if we leave for it the moment we moor.”

“Um…”

“What?”

“Isn’t that an unnecessary risk? A horse could stumble in the dark.”

I eyed the young man. “When did you become the cautious one?”

I hated to admit it, but he was right. It was an unnecessary risk; especially when we didn’t have proper torches. There had been too much to do in Chadom; setting up a government and figuring out how to make reliable gunpowder and weapons, among other tasks. And so, I had failed to create proper lamps. My eyes dropped to the deck, beneath which our possessions were stored.

My custom heliographs could work as torches.

I sighed, as my eyes moved up to the castle overlooking the port city.

No. They were all excuses to not meet with that hag.

If Reshma was here, she would be chiding me that the old dowager might take me leaving without meeting her as another slight. We were already not on the best of terms.

“Fine,” I said. “Let’s go avail ourselves of Dowager Nordhaven’s hospitality. Send a man to inform her.”

Whether I liked it or not, I had to maintain a good relationship with Nordhaven, as it was my county’s only port. Without it, Nobhart would be just another poor mountainous county. Resources meant nothing if they couldn’t be cheaply processed and transported to buyers.

The strong smell of the day’s catch and the faint stink of the harbor invaded our nostrils as the ship turned toward the dock. Once we had moored, the men brought my carriage and the horses out. Thankfully, the beasts weren’t that annoyed from the travel and we were soon ready to move.

The carriage thrummed around me as its wheels rolled over the cobbled winding road that led to the castle, surrounded by my mounted bodyguards. The castle was an old, beautiful structure. A tall, gray keep surrounded by tall walls, commanding the view of the entire medieval port city and the surrounding lands. The battlements shone gold, bathed in the orange light of the evening sun.

As my carriage approached it, the castle’s gates groaned open for us. Guards atop the walls turned toward us as it rolled forward underneath the gatehouse. It stopped in the inner yard and I stepped out.

Dowager Nordhaven was already there. She wore a deep green dress, highlighting her pale wrinkled face. A faint smile graced her thin lips while her sharp eyes remained fixed on me.

Her grandson, the eight year old Baron, stood next to her. He stepped forward and bowed to me, followed by his grandmother.

“Welcome to our humble abode, my liege.”

“Thank you, Baron Nordhaven,” I replied, inclining my head.

“What a pleasant surprise, my lord,” the crone said, as the young Baron was led away by his governess.

“Thank you for receiving me, my lady. I hope I’m not imposing on you.”

“Not at all. You are welcome to stay here whenever you wish. Treat it as your own home.”

I resisted the urge to squint at her.

Hmm. Is she acting a bit too sweet?

I was about to become the Prince Consort of the realm. Maybe this was her way of burying the hatchet.

As she led me inside the keep, I turned towards her.

“I was a bit rash in establishing the standing army of our county without consulting you. I hope there is no lingering resentment between us. I was quite eager to visit Chadom and fulfill the promise I had made Her Majesty.”

“It’s understandable,” she said, smiling faintly. “Patience often comes with age. You should enjoy your youth while it lasts.”

That I do.

“I meant it when I said I can help Nordhaven become even more prosperous,” I added.

Her smile didn’t falter. “You are about to be wed in a few days, my lord. We can discuss such serious matters another time.”

“As you wish. Have you established a Stewardship Council here?”

Her lips thinned.

“No. We are still making preparations. Elections will be held in a week or two.”

“Good.”

I had just refreshed myself in the chambers given to me when a rather fetching maid with a broad smile arrived to inform me dinner was ready.

While eating, we talked of trivial matters, including the young Baron’s education and interests.

“Is it true that you took the town of Blackrain back in a few hours and slew half the army yourself?” he asked eagerly.

“We did, but no, I did not kill half the men myself. Battles are nowhere as glamorous as storytellers make them out to be.”

“My lord, I couldn’t help but notice you arrived with two ships,” the Dowager added.

“Just a security measure, my lady. Nothing more.”

“Duke Stormhaven isn’t dumb enough to attack you.”

But maybe he is bold enough. Or stupid enough.

I didn’t elaborate, focusing on the excellent tangy fish curry. Dishes like these might just turn me into a fish lover. Dinner was followed by musical performance by local artists. Afterwards, I decided to retire to the bed early, to leave for Falkenheim early in the morning.

Another maid followed me on my way into the candlelit bedroom, carrying a jug of water and a glass on a tray.

I couldn’t help but notice she was quite attractive, her uniform very form-fitting, showing off her enticing curves.

After placing them next to my bed, she bowed low, giving me a generous view into her pale valley.

“If you need anything, my lord,” she said softly, “you need but ask for it. Just ring the bell and I will be at your side.”

Or under me, huh?

“Thank you,” was all I said.

Shock flashed across her face before she went back to smiling.

God. Those lips were very succulent.

Bowing again, she stepped back and left the room.

As the door closed with a soft thud, I let out a quiet scoff. Did the crone think she could create some sort of scandal or produce blackmail material by having her maid seduce me?

I do have a reputation, and for a good reason.

Shut up, brain. I can go a few days without boinking a woman.

Sleep didn’t come easily that night, too excited as I was about the future, with its myriad possibilities. There was so much to do after the wedding; fixing the Royal military while keeping the nobles in check, strengthening our borders and establishing some sort of alliance with Norrgal and Sindhu against Vozoran.

And then there was what I had left behind. The naughty Aprilia just had to spring her potential pregnancy at me at the very last moment.

I finally fell asleep, dreaming of all four of us together, the three of them pregnant with my children. And a fourth one in the shadows.

In the morning, I had an early breakfast with the Dowager.

She kept glancing at me furtively.

Surprised I don’t fit your mold, woman?

Once finished, she accompanied me to the inner yard of the castle.

“May God bless your union, my lord,” she said under the quickly brightening sky, bowing.

“Thank you, my lady. You are welcome to join the wedding procession.”

“If only I could. I have too many responsibilities here, and my old bones don’t agree with travel anymore. Still, I will try.” She gave me a creepy smile.

With that, we left the castle and headed inland towards Falkenheim.

Once outside the city, I decided to sit atop the extra horse instead of remaining cooped inside the carriage. The cool mountain air and the view were too good to miss.

“How was your night, boys?” I asked my eight bodyguards.

“Fine, Sire,” Theo muttered. “Umm…”

“What?”

“Some girls tried to tempt us. They were practically throwing themselves at us.”

“Did any of you give in?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Upon seeing his wilted face, I approached him to pat his shoulder. My poor men had to resist temptation while I was free to have fun.

“Remember, our enemies will do anything to acquire the knowledge in your heads.”

The men nodded in understanding.

The rumble of Iselau, rushing towards the sea in the gorge of its own making, our constant companion, we trotted towards the county’s capital at a comfortable pace. Lady Erenna should have already seen to the necessary preparations; I just needed to be present as the groom. Villages dotted open spaces beneath the shadows of forest covered mountains. The fields surrounding them lay bare, only recently harvested. The smell of cut grain and mingled with the scent of pine and cedar wafting from the mountains.

A peaceful view. Yet something irked at me.

“Sire?” Noah spoke up beside me. “Is something wrong?”

“The patrols. I don’t recognize any of the soldiers.”

I had only said those words when I spied another patrol of six soldiers approaching us; four men on foot and two riders.

I didn’t recognize any of them either. That was odd, but then the force was now three hundred strong. I had personally worked with only a few dozen of them.

“How are you doing, men?” I asked.

“Fine, my lord,” the leader said genially. “Everyone is waiting for you at the castle.”

By midday, we had reached Falkenheim.

The gray castle sat atop the city built on a hill, stark against the deep green background of mountains covered in forest of cedar and pine.

What had happened here that ‘Lothar’ flatly refused to visit it?

Too bad I was going to stay for only a day or two here, checking up on the county’s condition before leaving for the capital. Otherwise, I would have tried to figure out the mystery.

As we entered the city through the gate on the wall that surrounded the city, the people waved to us.

I waved back.

The shoulder of the main road had been dug open, men working on it.

Good.

Setting up a sewerage system in a hill city should be a lot easier than a flat one, and would improve sanitation by leagues.

Climbing up the road, we finally reached Castle Nobhart. Its gates were already open to us, with soldiers on the ramparts.

I stepped out into the courtyard.

Only Elric waited for me. Lady Erenna wasn’t there to greet me.

That was more than odd.

Shouldn’t there be more noise, with all the preparations for the wedding procession?

Something’s not right.

A few men I didn’t recognize walked out of the doors at the base of two towers. By the quality of their garments and the way they carried themselves, they seemed noble-born.

Unknown knights.

Before I could ask who they were, the keeps doors swung open, and a good-looking young man with fair complexion and vivid red hair came out.

He walked towards me lazily, eyeing me like a hawk watching its prey.

I froze.

That hair.

It was not a common color.

There was only one person who I knew had hair that color.

“You’re finally here,” he said out loud. “I am sick of hiding like a rat.”

“Excuse me?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Do you not recognize your own liege, Count Jack?”

Liege?

Duke Stormhaven was a much older man and had black hair. So who was this man?

“Or should I call you impostor?” he added. “Or demon spawn?”

That vivid red hair. Just like Laira’s. Could it be? No. It couldn’t.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest.

They never found his body.

The air thrummed as the castle’s gates groaned.

I turned around.

The view beyond turned to a slit and winked out as they closed with a final thud.

What the hell?

Heart hammering in my chest, I slowly turned back.

“Prince Linus?” I asked tentatively.

His face twisted in anger.

“It’s King Linus.”

I froze.

What the fuck?