The Lords of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 3)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “It's elvish tradition,” Ian explained. “As it's the first day of spring, we're wearing crowns of flowers. The daisies show that Kilren and Erana are engaged, the roses that Darian, Gwendolyn, and myself are not.”

  “What do you wear if you're already married, master bard?” Sarena asked, a smile on her beautiful red lips.

  “Lilies,” Kilren replied with a mischievous grin.

  At this response, Erana hit him on the arm.

  “I'm only teasing,” he assured her.

  “Anything but daisies or roses would be acceptable, my dear,” Ian said with a smile.

  “In that case,” she said, turning her eyes to her husband, “Tealor and I will have to collect some wild flowers after we're done here. We wouldn't want to ignore the customs of our fair elf, would we, my love?”

  “Not at all,” the warrior smiled.

  “An excellent idea,” Lord Andor replied. “The sooner we get started, the sooner you'll be able to attend to it. If you'll all take a seat, I'll let you know why I wanted to speak with you.”

  Each of the companions instantly fulfilled this request.

  “As you already know,” Lord Andor began, “the kingdom of Mikral has been at war with the kingdom of Thelsfar for more than five years. That is to say: it has been until recently.”

  “The war’s over?” Daegon asked, a touch of surprise in his voice. “When did that happen?”

  “Almost two weeks ago,” Lord Andor replied. “Although, I'm not sure that I would say it's actually been brought to an end. It would be more accurate to say that, for the moment, the fighting has ceased.”

  “What's the difference?” Kilren asked.

  “The difference, my young lieutenant,” the old man said with a smile, “is that the hostilities that led to the war are still very much alive. No formal peace has been declared, no treaty signed. The two kingdoms have simply stopped fighting for the time being.”

  “That's still good news,” Darian replied.

  “Under normal circumstances, I would certainly agree,” Lord Andor replied. “However, I find something about this situation unsettling. Although, I confess, I'm not sure what or why. And, it may be nothing. On the other hand, it may be something. Which is why I want you to investigate, Sir Darian.”

  “What would you have me do, my lord?”

  “I want you to go to Mikral City and see what you can discover,” the old man replied. “If at all possible, I want you to find out exactly why the war seems to be on hold and what plans King Palnar may have for the not-too-distant future.”

  “Sending Darian on a quest like this is a sure way to get him arrested and hanged as a spy,” Kilren observed aloud.

  “Sir Darian, lieutenant,” Tealor corrected. “Although, I'm afraid I have to agree with you. Sir Darian has a number of very impressive talents, but subtlety isn't among them.”

  “Which is one of the reasons I'm not sending him alone,” Lord Andor pointed out. “Master Ian, I'd like you to accompany him or, to be more accurate, him to accompany you. I'm sure you'll be able to make some rather discreet inquiries and collect the information I want without attracting attention. I think it will be good for Sir Darian to see exactly how you go about it. Not every battle the Telian face can be fought with sword and shield.”

  “Of course, Lord Andor,” the dwarf replied with a nod.

  “Lieutenant, I'd also like you and Mistress Erana to join the party,” the old man said, turning a wide smile to the couple. “I realize you've been somewhat busy these many months, due in part to my own requests, but I feel certain that your parents would like to see their son again – as well as meet the girl he hopes one day to be his wife. Although letters are an excellent way to keep in touch, they're no substitute for seeing the ones you love face to face.”

  “Which is what I've been saying for months,” the elvish maiden replied. “We should have gone to see them right after we got here.”

  “I wrote them as soon as we got back from Innalas,” Kilren said defensively. “And you and my mother have been writing regularly since then.”

  “It's not the same thing.”

  “It amounts to the same thing,” he disagreed. “They know who you are, they know we love each other, they know we're happy. Why do they need to see you? I know you're beautiful. What difference can them seeing it for themselves make?”

  “It's just one of the things people do, Kilren...”

  “Lieutenant Kilren,” the young man interrupted.

  “Not when we're talking about us,” the elvish maiden replied, rolling her eyes. “What would my father think of your stalling? Are you afraid for them to meet me?”

  “Of course not! I just didn't feel like we should take eight to ten days to ride there and back with no other purpose in mind than you meeting my parents. I did invite them to come here, you know?”

  “If we couldn't make that long a journey, what makes you think they could?”

  “Children, please,” Lord Andor said, raising his hands as he spoke. “Whether you should have taken the time to attend to this duty before or not, this is a perfect opportunity to attend to it now. I feel certain the meeting will be no less joyous simply because it was delayed for a few months.”

  “Yes, sir,” the couple replied in unison.

  “Captain,” the old man said, turning his eyes to Tealor, “I would also like...”

  “Not this time, my lord,” Sarena interjected. “I would much prefer that the good Captain remain where he is.”

  “May I ask why?”

  “Simply because...” the beautiful sorceress said, before pausing for a moment, “before many more months, he'll be a father.”

  “I will?” Tealor asked with a wide smile. “Are you sure?”

  “I have been for some time,” his wife replied. “I was merely waiting for the right moment to tell you, my love.”

  “That's wonderful!” Gwendolyn exclaimed.

  “It is!” Erana agreed.

  “Congratulations!” Kilren, Darian, and Daegon all said at the same instant, each of them extending their hands to the prospective father.

  “Congratulations, indeed,” Lord Andor replied. “And, yes, under the circumstances, I can understand why you would prefer that you and your husband stay where you are for the time being.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Sarena replied.

  “Well, I want to go with them,” Gwendolyn pointed out.

  “I'm not sure that's a good idea,” Darian replied.

  “Why not?!” the maiden snapped. “My training has gone very well. I'm a sorceress and I've saved your life more than once.”

  “I know that,” the young knight replied.

  “We're not likely to be attacked riding down the road in Mikral,” she continued. “Even if – by some bizarre chance – we are, we're more than capable of taking care of each other.”

  “I know that, too.”

  “Then what are you worried about?!”

  “Valrak,” the knight said.

  “I've been here for nearly a year,” she replied. “He hasn't even tried to do anything.”

  “We can't be sure of that, my dear,” Ian pointed out. “We can only be sure that he hasn't succeeded in doing anything.”

  “He's probably given up,” the maiden asserted. “We defeated him before, and he won't dare try anything now that I'm under Lord Andor's protection.”

  “I doubt very much that he's given up, Lady Gwendolyn,” the old man said, shaking his head, “and Valrak is a foe that will dare almost anything.”

  “But, Lord Andor...” the maiden began before being silenced by his raised hand.

  “However,” the old man continued, “the simple fact is that you can't spend your life in hiding. Your power has grown a great deal over the course of the year and I feel confident it will continue to do so. In time, you won't need to depend on my protection, you'll be able to protect yourself. In order to learn how to do that, you're going to have to face the world. Th
is, even more than the situation in Innalas last year, is a relatively safe way for you to do that.

  “I intend to discuss it with your parents, of course, but, I feel confident that they'll agree with me. Mikral is a safe land and Lord Valrak will have no idea that you've left the fortress. That being the case, this is a perfect opportunity for you to spread your wings in safety. Especially considering the fact that you'll be surrounded by such powerful protectors.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Gwendolyn said with a wide smile.

  “You're very welcome, my dear,” he replied.

  “I want you to take this with you,” Sarena said, pulling the ruby ring from her right index finger and holding it out to the maiden.

  “I can't take your ring,” Gwendolyn replied.

  “You can certainly borrow it, my child,” the sorceress replied. “Although it's rather doubtful that you’ll have any need of it, I certainly won't.”

  “I suppose you're right,” the maiden said, slipping the ring on her own finger, “and I really appreciate it.”

  “That was well thought of, Sarena,” Lord Andor asserted before turning his attention once again to the young Telian. “Sir Darian, I want you to ready your party and depart as quickly as possible.”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  “One point about our preparations,” Kilren said, his eyes locked on those of the aged lord, “we need to travel incognito.”

  “What do you mean?” the young knight asked.

  “I mean,” the lieutenant explained, “that you and I can't wander through Mikral looking like soldiers of Solarin. You can't wear a tabard with the...”

  “I'm not going to disgrace Solarin,” Darian interrupted. “Telian Knights aren't spies that run around, hiding in the shadows!”

  “You see,” Kilren said with a sigh, his eyes lifted to the ceiling, “this is why I wanted to bring this up in front of you, my lord. It has nothing to do with being a spy, Sir Darian. It has to do with not getting ourselves hanged just for trying to find out what the latest gossip on the war is.”

  “It doesn't matter,” the knight replied. “I'm not...”

  “It does matter, Sir Darian,” Ian said, cutting the young Telian off. “It matters a great deal. We can't do as Lord Andor asks if we're imprisoned or dead. We're not spying on Mikral. We intend to harm neither the kingdom nor its people. No matter how it may appear, we're actually going to be doing our best to help them. That is the duty of the Telian, and it certainly doesn't bring dishonor on the knights of Solarin.”

  “Well spoken, Master Ian,” Lord Andor nodded. “Sir Darian, at times we must be subtle in order to accomplish our goals. This is one of those times. Doing your duty is never dishonorable.”

  “I understand, sir,” the young knight nodded.

  “Don't feel bad, Sir Darian,” the lieutenant said, slapping him on the back. “You're not the only one who's going to have to make a sacrifice. I'm afraid that Lady Erana is going to have to leave Rragor behind.”

  “What?!,” she exclaimed. “Why?!”

  “Because human beings get rather nervous when they see animals – like a giant wolf – just wandering through town.”

  “That's ridiculous!”

  “Ridiculous or not, it's true.”

  “He's right, lass,” Ian agreed. “Humans sometimes overreact about things like that. Still, I can't imagine he'll be missing much. Neither the road nor the city is likely to offer him as much enjoyment as he has here. I'm sure he'll be well looked after.”

  “I know that,” she replied. “It's just silly that I can't take him with us.”

  “Well, you can't,” Kilren asserted again.

  “Alright,” she submitted with a sigh.

  Shortly after Kilren had carried his points, Lord Andor dismissed the group. The knight and the lieutenant headed to their chambers to change into more suitable attire, the young sorceress went along with the aged lord to talk to her parents, the elvish maiden discussed the care of her wolf with the warrior and his wife, and the bard carefully packed everything he felt might come in handy during their journey. In less than an hour, the entire party was once again assembled in the courtyard; their horses saddled and ready.

  Before they had time to mount, Garik, Darian's brother, rode into view. He was wearing a suit of chain-mail armor, his shield strapped to the side of his mount, and the short-sword the knight had given him was hanging from his side.

  “What do you think you're doing?” the Telian asked as soon as his brother was in easy earshot.

  “I'm going with you,” he replied.

  “No, you're not,” the knight responded.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You're too young.”

  “Gwendolyn's only two years older than me.”

  “She's a sorceress.”

  “I'm a warrior.”

  “No, you're not.”

  “Well, I'm training to become one,” the boy pointed out. “And, I am going with you. I already asked Father, Mother, Ian, and Lord Andor. They all said yes.”

  “They did?” Darian asked, turning his eyes to the bard.

  “Aye,” the dwarf nodded, “that we did.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we're not going to be in any danger, lad,” Ian replied with a smile. “We're just riding into town to collect a bit of information. You wouldn't be worried about him if your parents were taking him to Mikral City just to see the sights, would you?”

  “No,” the knight admitted with a laugh, “I suppose I wouldn't be.”

  “Well, then, you've got no reason to worry about him going with us. With all due respect to your parents, I think we can probably do a better job of protecting him than they could, if anything should happen.”

  “I agree,” the young Telian nodded. “Alright, Garik, it looks like you're coming with us after all. But, remember that I'm in charge.”

  “Of course, my lord,” the boy nodded.

  “I'm serious, Garik.”

  “As am I, Sir Darian.”

  “Good. Now, do you have everything you're going to need for the trip.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You don't have to call me sir. But, are you positive you have everything?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you want me to double check for you?”

  “No! I'm not a child, Darian. I'm thirteen years old.”

  “Thirteen is a child.”

  “Well, either way, Mother packed for me. So, if you want to know if I've got everything I need, go ask her about it!”

  “Alright,” Darian said, raising his hands, “I just wanted to make sure you weren't forgetting anything.”

  “Well, I'm not.”

  “Fair enough,” the knight replied, climbing onto the back of his horse. “In that case, let's head out.”

  The remaining party members all climbed atop their mounts and the knight gently kicked his into motion. The six companions soon passed beyond the view of the fortress, riding down the same wooded trail that had led the young Telian away from his home for the first time a little less than a year ago. In fact, their immediate destination was the town of Tagril, which was were Gwendolyn had grown up. The road they were traveling along led them to a location familiar to the knight and the lieutenant early on the second morning of their journey.

  “You recognize this place, Kilren?” the knight asked with a smile, as the party passed through a somewhat overgrown section of the road.

  “Not particularly,” the lieutenant replied. “Should I?”

  “Of course you should!” the Telian asserted. “This is where we first met!”

  “Is it?” Kilren asked, clearing his throat. “I guess I didn't recognize it in the daytime.”

  “Well, this is the place,” the knight replied, bringing his mount to a stop and pointing at some nearby undergrowth. “You jumped out of those very bushes with your crossbow aimed right at me. At least, I think those are the same bushes. I know it was right around here,
either way.”

  Having made this observation, the knight once again urged his beast onward.

  “Why was he pointing a crossbow at you?” Garik asked.

  “Oh,” Darian said, looking back over his shoulder at his brother, “he was trying to rob me.”

  “You tried to rob a Telian?!” the boy laughed, turning his own eyes to the lieutenant. “Why didn't you tell me that before? That's hilarious!”

  “Kilren doesn't like to talk about it,” Erana pointed out, smiling at her love. “He thinks it's embarrassing.”

  “Well, he's right!” the boy replied, laughing even more heartily. “I mean; what kind of genius tries to rob a Telian Knight?”

  “Obviously,” Kilren said slowly, clearly somewhat annoyed by the question, “I didn't know he was a Telian, Garik. I'm not an idiot.”

  “Well, if you tried to rob Darian, some people might question that, but I'll take your word for it.”

  “You know,” the lieutenant said, his gaze locked on the boy, “you've got a quick wit for someone your age.”

  “Compared to some people,” Garik replied, nodding slightly toward his brother, “that's an undeniable fact.”

  “I'm not sure yet,” Kilren chuckled, “but I think I may be glad we brought you with us.”

  “Look, Kilren!” Darian cried, “It's that tree I tied you to!”

  “Before we get back to the fortress,” the boy said with a smile, “I'm sure you will be.”

  Chapter 2: Mikral City

  “Have you been reading that book Ian finally managed to get you?” Gwendolyn asked, moving her mount to the side of the knight who was riding at the front of their small column.

  “I have, my lady,” the Telian nodded.

  “Oh,” she replied with a mischievous grin, “so I'm your lady now, am I?”

  “The book says that I should generally address ladies as my lady or your ladyship,” Darian explained.

  “Well, you can address me as Gwendolyn,” she said with a regal nod.

  “I thought you loved being called lady,” he smiled.

  “I did,” she admitted. “But the novelty didn't last long. Nanna was right: being a lady is more important than being called ‘lady’. And, doing your duty is more important that having a title.”