by A L Wright
Gibbs laughed as the youth looked up from under the hat's brim. Wide delicate eyes and a petite nose peeked up at Dartein.
“Sir, this here is my daughter. Obstinate and stubborn she is. She'd rather sit here and polish buckles than get herself marrit.”
The girl stood up and was surprisingly taller than her father.
“Well if'n they need a blacksmith then maybe I should hire on and get out yer hair!” Looking back towards Dartein and Victor she continued. “I've been smithin’ longer than my brother's been 'prenticing, and I'm damned good at it too! Old man here thinks I'm no good for anythin’ but havin’ babies.”
Tossing the buckle down with the rest, she turned and stormed out of the front of the shop.
“Aye, sorry about the lass. They never understand a father just wants ta see them safe and happy.”
“I can relate, sir. I have a daughter of my own. Also quite stubborn.” Dartein nodded toward Gibbs. “Well if you do hear of any smiths needing work, please send them out our way at the Keep. We have work a plenty and guards to keep us all safe. Have a good night, sir.”
“G'd Evening to ya both,” Gibbs replied with an incline of his head, as they turned and walked out of the shop.
They mounted up on their horses and trotted towards the village outskirts, their business in the village concluded. They both knew they were being followed as they left, but didn't want to confront their follower just yet. If anything were to happen, they would not want it happening near the village.
As they got about two miles outside of town, Dartein looked over at Victor and nodded slightly. They both steered their horses towards the wooded area off to their left. After entering the woods, they both dismounted and left their well-trained mounts to rest.
Victor climbed up a tree while Dartein hid behind another one. As the follower's horse came up close, Dartein stepped out of the shadows behind them.
“You are not nearly as sneaky as you think you are, young lady.”
Attempting to stifle a gasp, the blacksmith's daughter swung around in her saddle to spot Dartein lounging against a tree she had just passed by. She then let out a small squeak when Victor dropped from the tree he was in, landing catlike and nearly silent right next to her startled horse.
“You should go back home, girl. It is dangerous out in these woods,” Victor said to her. His eyes flashed in the moonlight.
Sitting up straight in her saddle she leveled a brave stare at Victor. “I cannot go back. There be no good prospects in ma village to marry that aren't somewhat related. And I want ta make ma own way in this world, sir. And it seems ta me that ya need me.”
Just as she finished her short speech a wolf howled in the distance. As the first howl died out, another rose to replace it.
“Victor, get the horses and let us be gone from here. Girl, you hear that howl? It means nothing but trouble if we stay here.”
“Name's Friesa. And I know what'n those howls mean. Goblins and their wolves. And from tha sound of it they are between us and the village. Thick – headed beasties they are, clubs and staffs don't do much 'gainst them. I know how ta forge the thin blades that slip 'tween their ribs and pierce their hearts and puncture their lungs. Even fought a couple last fall when they tried ta raid the village storage.” Friesa opened a pouch tied to her saddlebags and pulled out two very wicked looking knives. They were longer than the normal dagger, and slightly hooked on the end. She tossed one to Dartein and the other one to Victor.
“There, take a look. But if it ain't weapons ya want, I can make shoes and shovels and such, too.” Friesa sat proudly atop her horse watching the two men look over her daggers.
“These are well made, Dartein. Very well balanced.” Victor was carefully inspecting the blade in his hand.
Dartein did not want to give in, but he had to decide fast. They could go back to the village and risk the goblins. Or...
“Alright girl. Wrap these blades back up and follow us closely. We have several more miles to go and we travel during the night.” He and Victor handed the blades back to Friesa.
“It's Friesa. And ya won't be regrettin' this, sir,” she said as she tucked the blades back into the pouch.
He hoped he didn't regret it. Bringing back a fair young lady to a keep full of single blood-thirsty Noble males was not going to go well.
Chapter 3
The Patriarch sat straight and rigid in his desk chair, staring blankly across the room. The large book spread out in front of him contained the lineages of the local villages, including ones long since forgotten by humans. The page that the book was open to was about the family lines of Yosan, one of the Original Nobles. He and Hudreia had left shortly after the war was over. They took up traveling the lands, their excuse being that they had enough bad memories of the place they were leaving behind.
The truth was, and they were both loathe to admit to it, they were still bloodthirsty from the war and did not feel it would be safe for them to stay around the human villages. Last Mortul had heard they were seeking out the leftover pockets of goblins and wiping them out. He would have joined them had it not been for the humans that were left needing guidance and a firm hand.
After the war ended, chaos had sprung up for a short time. Families had been torn apart, and many folks no longer knew how to support themselves. Having grown up with no parents to teach them the way of the land, some of the humans had fallen into thievery and pirating to survive. Instead of following his fellow warlocks and sating his lingering blood lust, he stayed behind to help put things back in order.
Mortul had brought together some of the stronger humans and trained them how to fight, and posted them around the small villages to bring the thievery back under control. He dared not threaten the humans with his power, though, because to frighten them would make matters worse. Instead he searched around many different villages to find folks who knew different crafts, and paid them to travel to other villages and teach the younger people how to get along for themselves.
With peace and prosperity finally on the rise, it was then that he settled into the old Duke's abandoned Keep. The humans around brought him small gifts of food and furniture and garments to say thank you for his protection and patience. The humans still had a long way to go to become truly prosperous though. And the ones who knew the crafts were getting older every year, and would soon be unable to travel to pass on their knowledge.
This was when Mortul considered unearthing his chamber and recreating the spells to prolong the lives of some of these humans. He could make them Noble like him, but without the devastating magicks.
Kurmeina was one of his first to be turned. She was a scholar, and very valuable to him. He wanted to make sure all the history of the war was written and needed someone dedicated to do it. After her turning she not only wrote, but she also taught the locals how to read and to write, basic arithmetic and small doses of history.
After she taught several humans how to pass on her knowledge, she withdrew from her scholarly pursuits and dedicated herself to writing.
And one of the books she had penned, and continued to add to over the years, was the book laid open on the Patriarch's desk.
He felt the elderly woman staring at him, waiting for him to grasp the meanings of what she had just found.
“So, I take it that these findings were fairly recent then?” He finally asked her.
“Yes, Master Mortul. The connections could have been made before, but I had not worked on the lineages in quite some time. I usually let a generation or two go by before I spend time with these entries. Had I looked at this book nineteen years ago I would have brought this to your attention then.” Her voice was deep and clear, without any trace of weakness. She may have been an elderly woman, by human standards, when she was turned, but she looked and sounded like a young matron.
“I understand that. These findings just solidify my need to approach my son and granddaughter. If I could catch up to one of the wayward Rangers that followe
d my son away that night I could get them to tell me the state of things with my son. If this is true, and I am not doubting your research, then my son's offspring could be a very dangerous person.”
“Do you doubt your son's ability to properly raise his child?” Kurmeina asked him.
Mortul took a long look at his companion. She had known him for centuries, before he was made into a Lord of the grateful humans and a Patriarch of their own people. She was one of only a couple who could question him so openly.
“No, I do not doubt his ability to care for the child. I do know however, that he does not have the ability to answer any questions she may have about being different from other Nobles. He will not have the aptitude to train her in the use of magic. If she is of such strong bloodlines, then she will surely have noticed some of her abilities. Really the question is, will she turn to him or another familiar person for help? Or will she venture out and seek advice from strangers out of curiosity. That, my dear Kurmeina, could be very dangerous indeed.”
Chapter 4
It could be very dangerous bringing the girl to the Keep, My Prince.” Victor was not comfortable with the idea of such a young, inexperienced female amongst the pack of men who made the Keep their home.
“I agree Victor, but it was the best course of action given the situation.”
Victor looked back at the girl who was now drowsing on her horse. Even though it was night, the animal was quite sturdy and picked its steps well in the bright moonlight. He hoped that maybe since the girl and Nikkola were so close in age that they would become friends. Nikka could help him protect the girl, especially while he was not around.
“I suggest we introduce her to your daughter right away. Nikka can help the girl get her bearings and then get set up to work.”
“Perfect idea, Victor. I had not thought of that.”
To Victor it had seemed like his Prince had not thought much at all lately about Nikkola. But he knew Dartein was very preoccupied with getting the Keep better set up now that it was housing more Nobles. The blacksmith was only the start. They had to look at constructing some new buildings and reinforcing the walls.
Victor had proffered the idea of inviting villagers to make their homes inside the walls, or set up farms just outside. Dartein was not sure they had enough to offer villagers in the way of protection, yet. And it would be a hard life for the first few years. The land around them was still pretty rough. Not quite ready for growing crops without some serious tilling and fertilization. Sure, they could keep some herds of livestock, but the humans did not live on meat alone like they did.
“Sir, how are we going to feed this girl? We do not grow vegetables or even cook our meat.”
“I'm sure it would not be too hard to build a spit to cook meat on.”
“She may get tired of roasted venison after a while.” Victor glanced up towards the slightly brightening horizon. The keep was just ahead. They would make it there right before the sun came up. This girl was going to have to adjust quickly. She was going to wonder where everyone ran off to right after her arrival. It was probably best to leave all those explanations up to Nikka. Hearing it from another girl may make it easier to absorb.
Still, he had this lingering dread in the pit of his stomach. He could not quite figure it out. Was it because she could be in danger at the keep? He was sure Clyd and Tynen could keep the men in line and away from her, and Nikka would keep her too busy to think about being surrounded by men.
Maybe it was the thought of possibly seeing Nikka less if the girls became friends. He had come to care for her so much. She was so much like her mother.
“I best wake her before we enter the yard.”
Victor stopped his horse and waited until hers caught up with him. He grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled it to a stop. Friesa was startled awake by the sudden shift in movement.
Blinking hard she eyed the walls of the keep. “Are we there? I never knew there was a fortress out this way.”
“It is very old and in the process of being rebuilt,” said Dartein. “Which is one of the reasons we needed a smith.”
“Come, girl. Let us get you in and settled. We will be needing to rest for the day.” Victor handed the reins back to her. “When we get inside, well I gotta warn ya it's a bit rough. Just a bunch of men living here.”
Victor turned his horse and kicked it to a trot, following Dartein up to and through the keep’s main archway.
Dartein pointed upward at the arch. “Someday we would like to put an iron gate here.”
Victor glanced back and saw Friesa gaping upward at the arch. He hoped she would be up for all the tasks they would be throwing at her.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the yard, Dartein let out a whistle. Clyd and another ranger came out of the keep to greet them.
“Welcome back, Sir. Any luck finding a smith? And who's the little lass back there?”
“That little lass would be our new smith, Clyd. We will see how she fares over the next few weeks, give her a few tasks to test her out. Right now, we need to find my daughter so she can help her get settled.”
Victor's eye caught Nikkola's stealthy form sliding out from next to the keep's door. He smiled thinking of how he had taught her to use shadows to her advantage. And she was quite good at it.
“Right here, Father.”
Friesa whipped her head towards Nikkola, startled by her sudden appearance.
“Oh! Where did ya come from? You are his daughter? But you are my age! Your father can't be that old!”
Nikka laughed, her voice clear and her laugh deep. “He's much older than he looks. Now let's grab your stuff and get it up to a room. The sun is coming up!”
Nikka and Friesa unloaded the horse of its bags and packs. Victor watched the girls as they chatted about what was inside them and then watched as they walked into the keep. The feeling of dread hit him again, right in the pit of his stomach. He hoped he wasn't right. He really hoped he didn't lose her to this human girl.
Chapter 5
Nikkola was incredibly excited upon meeting the new girl. Even if she was a human, it would be wonderful having another female around. She watched Friesa as the girl took in her surroundings while they walked from the main hall, up the stairs and onto the floor with Nikka's rooms. Nikka had never been around other girls before, and was curious to see what they were like. See if they were like her.
“This floor has three rooms, but I only really use one. The whole floor is mine, though. I think my father is too paranoid to have any of the men sleep near me. Most of them sleep out in the bunk house. That’s probably the only building that doesn't need to be repaired right away.”
She opened the door to the room right next to hers and led Friesa in. She sat the packs she was carrying down in a corner and turned towards the bed.
“I have an extra blanket, but I'm afraid it's not very thick. We don't have company, well, ever.”
Friesa rolled out her pack on the floor and grabbed two thin blankets.
“Well I'm thinkin’ tha one you have plus these two should do it. Thank ya for lettin' me sleep in yer room.”
Nikka liked the girl’s odd way of talking. It was refreshingly different.
“Like I said, this whole floor is mine, but I only use the one room. Before you get too settled in, there's a few things you need to know about us. If you want to stay on here it's pretty important to know the things that make us different.” Nikka wasn't sure if her father or Victor had told her anything.
“Diff’rent? Because ya all don't live in a village? I'm not sure what would make ya so diff'rent,” Friesa said as she went about laying her blankets out on the straw mattress.
“Well, you see... we aren't quite human out here. Have you ever heard of the Nobles?” She bit her lip hoping she didn't scare the girl away.
Friesa looked up from her blanket, wide–eyed. “Are ya tellin’ me that ye're a Noble?” Nikka nodded. “Yer father and Victor, too?” Nikka nodded again. “
Wait though, I thought Nobles couldn't have babies. Is he really yer father?”
Nikka chuckled at her new friend's curiosity, relieved that she didn’t seem afraid, but wasn't sure how much to tell her now. The sun was already peeking over the treetops and she was feeling tired.
“He really is my father, and it's a bit of a long story. I just need you to understand that our lives here in the keep are led at night. We sleep during the day, because the sun makes us sluggish. We eat meat, though it’s uncooked. It will probably take some adjustment, if you want to live on our schedule. There is a kitchen on the north side of the Main Hall, with a spit and oven that haven't been used in years. We will have to send someone back to the village to buy some vegetables and such for you, and I can get a couple of the Rangers to cut up some firewood.”
Friesa held up her hand and stopped her from continuing her ramble. “It's okay, I 'preciate ya wantin' ta make me comfortable. I brought a few provisions with me, and maybe in the next few days we can take a look outside the keep fer wild fruit and such. I practically begged yer father ta let me come with them, and I want ta be makin' sure I ain't a burden ta no one.”
Nikka took a good chance to look over her new companion as she unpacked her things, few as they were, and arranged them around her. Friesa was tanned of skin, taller than most human women. She was a bit scrawny for her height. The girl stood taller than herself by at least three inches. As Friesa peeled off layers of clothes she could also see that she was muscular, wiry, and quite strong looking. She could believe that this girl was at least an apprenticing smith, not much else a girl did in a village led to that kind of strength.
Friesa also had a petite nose and a wide-eyed, almost innocent type of enthusiasm. The men around here had a sure surprise coming in the form of this tough, yet innocent looking young lady.
“Well then, I must be off to sleep,” Nikka said, holding back a yawn. “I will try to awaken early and we can look at the old forge room, see what is there and what is needed. Do you need anything else before I go? If you get thirsty there is a well just outside the keep’s main door.”
