Hope, Love and other Catastrophes

[Amelia Rotholz]

Letter to Peter

Tired, she opened the door to her room, with a smile on her face. The Festival had been a great success and Oxi was right, to tell her, she could be proud. And she was… a little bit. Lil came to great her with a wagging tail, barely letting her in. Amelia chuckled, crouching to caress the dog’s fur and cuddle her. Eventually, she pulled a raw steak from her basket, holding it up. Lil got on her hind paws, catching for it and then proudly carried her prey to the empty bath tub, hopping in. Amelia watched her with a chuckle, closing the door behind herself. The first hint of dawn peeked through the window, but her gaze fell to the empty parchment on her desk. Tired or not, Peter must be worried, not have gotten an answer, yet. She changed into nightwear and sat down, dipping the quill to the inkwell…

My beloved brother,

I was really shocked at first, when reading your letter. I really hope, Keona will recover well and fast and so will our beloved Brimshire. I was thinking of coming to help you out, but I don’t dare to leave here, as it is right now.

Here, Mas was quiet, so quiet, that it was scary. No demonic hordes nor anything else like that. Only some strange stones, that appeared in front of every town.

Well, quiet would be the wrong word. Although no demon or undead showed their ugly faces, the situation got quite tense. The Rangers of Runewick, led by Bidukan obviously, seem to take over Runewick. And Cadomyr gave shelter to a young man called Reace. Reace and Acerd, a knight of Cadomyr, might be connected to an old legend around a demon called Preacedhal, yet the only hint they based their accusations on, was in their names, which fit into the legend’s name.

However, that fact is enough for the Rangers, to claim, Cadomyr and Galmair are protecting demonic entities and demand, to hand them over… Can you imagine?! The situation led to many unfortunate incidents, which almost brings us to the brink of a possible war. Not with Runewick as a realm – the Archmage did not take position yet -, but with the Rangers. All are walking on diplomatic eggshells, now… with some exceptions. The situation is pretty tense, to be honest.

Nonetheless, life goes on and so, I have at least some good news. Everyone is safe and sound and we had a wonderful Festival of Lights, today. This year, we did it as one, Cadomyr and Galmair together. So, Lady Katharina and Oxi became the Hearts of Light, this year, leading a wonderful march through both towns with deep symbolic meaning and we had a fire, like I never saw it before. It felt like the flames were touching the sky and so I hope, my light reached to you, dear brother.

Please, don’t let the politic situation here influence your plans. Also, I hope, the decision to let me live my own life here, won’t bring you too much trouble. Time is over, long ago and you did not bring me back, nor announced may wedding in absence of Brimshire. Many will question that, for sure. I hope, my way of life won’t damage our family’s, – your – name.

Which brings me to a question of Fergro. He wanted to know, what Keona’s ring shall look like. Please, send him a note or send one to me, so I can sketch it out for him. I can’t wait, to see you two again. But of course, Keona needs to recover, first.

Please give my regards to Keona and all my friends over there. My prayers shall be with you, always.

Love,
~ Ami

Amelia folded the letter, adding a Firnis Blossom to it. A whistle would call Taras to her window and moments later, the little sparrow hawk could be seen, circling high into the sky. She watched him, climbing to the clouds, before a short whistle would have called Lil from the bath tub to cuddle up to her on the bed. It was really time to get some rest…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Letter from Peter

Amelia just closed the door, after the halfling from the Crest had left, leaving a huge pile of parchments on her desk. Next to the door, there was the huge crate, with all the materials for the wedding clothing for Peter and Keona. A lot of work waited for her, probably keeping her busy fpr the upcoming days. When she was just to sit down at her desk, Taras picked on the window, carrying a letter from her beloved brother.

Dearest sister,

Unfortunately, this is only partly good news. I hope your leaders get it sorted out.
Here everything goes its way - more or less.
I have some things - unresolved things, to settle before we come.
Keona is already back on her feet and bravely swallowing the pain.

Today was busy and I am tired, but the sketch for the ring is enclosed.
I am thinking a gold ring set with small diamonds – centred: either two flames or two dragons holding a ruby or diamond. The engraving for both rings – mine should be a plain gold ring – “For Eternity - Peter// Keona”.

I think we will be with you at the end of Zhas or beginning of Ushos.

Love,
~ Peter

She smiled lightly, caressing the little sparrow hawk, feeding him some small pieces of meat.

“Not much time to get all this done, then. I'd better hurry a little.”

After sending a note about the rings to Fergro, she sat down at her desk, starting to sketch a wedding dress…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Reflections – Part 8

Tired, she fell onto her bed, ruffling Lil’s fur, who cuddled next to her. It has been a long day and the wedding was a full success, though there were less guests, than expected. She smiled softly to herself, being truly happy for her brother and Keona. The ceremony has been so beautiful! But still, there was this slightly bitter feeling, scratching lightly, but permanently in the back of her mind.

Loneliness.

No, not the kind of loneliness, that no one was there. She was in midst of her friends and family and she was truly happy and thankful about that. But seeing Peter and Keona so happy, also made her heart aching again. Would she ever find such happiness? Her heart did betray her several times.

Bidukan.

Oh, she still remembered, how badly she loved him, ignoring all warnings, being ready to nearly give up herself for him. Memories came up. Memories of better days, of moments, when they were alone and he showed a soft, vulnerable side or just made her laugh, when she was in tears. All the little trips and little wonders, he showed her… Her heart still refused to believe, none of it was true, so, it did hurt even more now, seeing what he had become, bringing tha land at the brink of war.

How could her heart betray her so badly?
Even allowing him to break it twice?
Back then, she felt like her heart was shattered for good, if it wasn’t for him…

Azure.

She missed him so badly!
He never did anything to hurt her. On the contrary, he did all to make her stop suffering, giving her so much comfort, love and security. He was ready to leave all behind for her, changed his entire life, just to be with her, even endured all of Bidukan’s attempts to provoke or humiliate him, without losing it even once. He was ready to share the rest of his life with her…
And yet, he was gone. She lost him to his past, that came after him like a shadowy curse, literally. He had to leave her to save her, for they threatened to take all, that was dear to him. He knew, Phoe, his daughter, was ready to defend herself and her mother.
But he became a shadow again, to protect her, not being allowed to be with her anymore. She was aware, he was never far away, protecting her from afar, and yet, she could not be with him. She buried her face in Lil’s fur, who was all she had left of him, falling in an uneasy sleep.

It wasn’t long, before she woke again, with a start. Her heart was pounding hard and she caught for breath, coughing. For a moment, she still felt like drowning, until she realized, it has been just a dream. A memory, still as real and lively, as back in the night, when he abducted her…

Valherian.

Back in that night, she went with him, out of free will. Clairette and Gamliel did their best to fight him off, but both were wounded and he was geared up with glyphs and a bag full of potions. At that moment, it all felt so clear. She didn’t know why, but she did know, she had to do it. He took her to the old fortress, near the hemp. Unexpectedly, he was not interested in terrorizing her, anymore, but just wanted to try to get ransom for her. Something seemed to have changed, since the fall of Jefferson. Maybe he was desperate? He pushed her onto the bridge that crossed the river, high up, connecting the fortress and a tower, binding her. She prayed deeply and desperate, calling the gods for help, begging to her Lady Sirani. She still could hear him laugh and mocking her, for being so naive.

And then it happened.

All of a sudden, a heavy thunder storm arose, only above the fortress, flashing lightning searing the stone of the its walls. Valherian thought, it was Prea’s doing, or at least hoped so, yelling she shall give him a sign – was he afraid? –, but Amelia knew better, she yelled into the storm and decided to stake all on one card, giving an eternal vow to the gods.

If the gods still would have use for her, still had a task for her, she would do all, giving her entire self and life to serve that task, ready to accept, whatever fate awaits her. With those words in her heart, yelling them into the storm, she closed her eyes and took a leap of faith…

The storm strengthened, holding Valherian at bay and she was ready to meet Cherga when hitting the rocks beneath her. But instead, a really strong storm gust caught her, carrying her in the middle of the river. The waters were wild and she was barely able, to keep her head up, not to drown. Again and again, she fought herself back up to the surface and from time to time, she was washed to the rocks, just long enough, to catch for breath, before she was carried further downstream. On the shore, Valherian was following her, cheering for her to drown, but Tanora showed mercy again, always keeping her far from him, washing her away, whenever he was close to reach her. Still, she had to fight for her life, eventually getting rid of the rope. And when Clairette and Gamliel showed up, she was finally washed to the shore, to her friends – to safety.

Has it been a test?
Amelia at least, believed so.
From that day on, she served Findari, Tanora, Oldra and – at first – her Lady Sirani, to the best she could.

But why this dream, now? Was it to remind her of her vow?
Or to comfort her in reminding her, she had a greater task? Well, either way, it did work.
She took a deep breath, nodding to herself in determination.

A light can’t shine in the dark, when wallowing in self-pity!

[Amelia Rotholz]

Recovery

The sun softly casts her warm rays through the window of her room, greeting the new day, when Lil softly wakes her, poking her with her nose, tail wagging impatiently. Amelia stretches, ruffling the dog’s fur. The fever has gone, after so many weeks, yet, there still is this persistent coughing. She gets up, getting herself ready, her bags standing ready, next to the door. Yridia hinted, a change of climate could help, so she decided to go to see her brother and his wife back on the farm in Brimshire. She opens the door, letting Lil out, knowing, Clairette would take care for her until she would be back.

When she reaches the gate, her grim, dwarven escort, Dworin Ironbeard, already waits for her, his double-bladed axe bopping on his shoulder impatiently. She Takes another look back, giving a light sigh. It will be a while, that is all she knows for sure. And if she’s honest, she already misses her friends and family here. But she has to do what is needed to fully recover.

Dworin clears his throat and she nods, taking the path to the harbour…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Home Sweet Home

With a sigh of relief, Amelia fell onto the bed in her chamber, back on the farm in Brimshire. The journey took its toll as she still felt week and needed to recover. On top, Dworin was constantly grumbling to his beard, making a grim face. Well, the poor dwarf seemed to suffer pretty much on the ship and was not quite happy, she took a ride with a trader to get close to her hometown. Peter and Keona were of course happy to see her, but also pretty worried about her condition, so it was no surprise she was strictly forbidden by Peter to do any kind of work but instead had to rest and recover.

The upcoming days were pretty relaxed. She took quite some strolls to the surrounding area, enjoying the peaceful nature and the memories connected to it. It almost felt like back in her childhood days, except for the grim dwarf who was always by her side, as soon as she left the farm. In fact, Dworin seemed even more silent and grim than usual, if that was even possible. It was obvious, he was not feeling all to comfortable here and suspected everyone and everything. Amelia on the other hand, enjoyed the time with Peter and Keona. They laughed a lot together, telling stories or dwelling in memories. From time to time, Keona and her were cooking or baking together, sharing old family recipes on both sides, so Peter was the one enjoying the rusults. Amelia also took quite some time just to draw out in the nature. The coughing was not as persistent anymore and started to cease.

Another thing was the “Women’s Meeting”, a tradition of Brimshire. Every woman that was married or reached the age of 21 was supposed to take part. These meetings were an important part of society and also a valuable source of information, social interaction and advice, as the women could speak more freely there. For Keona, this was a completely new experience. She was not sure how the women of Brimshire would react to her, since she was not only an elfess and thus of a complete different cultural background, but also a complete stranger compared to those who were born and raised here. Not to mention, she was a warrior, which was completely forbidden to them. So, she did her best to leave a good impression on her first round, preparing a cake and wearing a dress, leaving her blade at home. Despite not being married, Amelia accompanied her to support her, since she reached the required age. Of course, this was a topic right away. It was quite uncommon, not being married at her age and the fact, that Peter agreed to make her a ward to an outsider in case something happens to him, instead of leaving her to the care of town as it was law and tradition, was rather scandalous to many of them. Of course, Peter did it to protect her, as law would force her to return to Brimshire and marry a man there if something would happen to him, while she was still not married. To most of the older women, this was just another failure and disgrace to the Rotholz family, after Amelia was allowed to live abroad and unmarried. Some even stated she was not longer suited to call herself a girl of Brimshire and thus, had no right to take part in the meeting. As expected, Keona was not pleased with all this badmouthing, but before she could give a probably harsh answer, Amelia just chuckled and laid a hand on Keona’s arm, while only Keona might have been able to realise, her hand was actually shaking, Amelia answered in a calm voice:

“Oh, is that so? Well, maybe you should consider the following: If I did not leave and build a life in Galmair, I would never had formed my bonds and friendships. And as a result, I was able to call for help, when my beloved Brimshire was in shambles, back after that Mas. And if it was not for that help, Brimshire would not be that blooming town, that pounding heart, it is now. If that is a disgrace, then I’m proud to have failed.”

Silence was laying all over the room for a moment and the gazes wandered from Amelia to Viola, the woman who was trying to disgrace her, who was now opening and closing her mouth without saying a word, making her look like a silly fish. Then, she took a breath and gazed to Keona, and a triumphing smile crawled onto her lips.

“Well, even then... The incident with Ottwald shows, he is not really making good choices, aye? Wasn’t his son even shooting an arrow at Peter with a note attached to it, calling him a traitor and vandalized the barn door of your farm by painting a skull symbol onto it? And all just because he keeps breaking with our traditions and chose you over one of ours?”

Muttering and mumbling filled the room, gazes wandering between Amelia and Keona on one side and Viola on the other. The atmosphere was tense like before the first strike of a battle. The bitter, old woman gave both a cold smile, obviously trying to provoke Keona. Both, Amelia and Keona had to fight to stay calm, when suddenly a voice from the opposite corner of the room arose, humble and gentle, yet determined.

“Is that really it, Viola? Or is it rather the mere fact, that he chose Keona over your daughter Sarah, like the old Rotholz did choose Merle over you?”

Viola’s smile froze on her face the very instant, glaring at the woman. It was no other than Miriam Ottwald, the mother of Frieder who had been led into his wrong doings by his father’s hazard speeches. By now, the boy was sorry and even admired Keona for her strength. However, all eyes were on Viola now, who just fell silent, falling back onto her chair, with her face frozen to stone with only a twitching brow. She had no choice but to accept her defeat, not to lose her face any further.

“Anyway, I know many of you disagree with Keona because she is married for the second time, now. Though, did any of you ask, why? I mean, I am married for the second time as well, as you all know. So, I bet, there is also a story behind this. Right, Misses Narsir-Rotholz?”

Miriam gazed at Keona with a shy, insecure smile. Obviously, this was a try to make all up to her. Keona took a breath and finally nodded to Miriam with a light smile, explaining that one must not forget to consider her age and the fact she was an elfess. In fact, this was all over 2000 years ago and her husband and her sons lost their lives in a war. Her daughters were grown up and Lia, who was also at Brimshire was actually her granddaughter. So, according to Brimshire traditions, it would even fit. She was a widow, married a second time. The women agreed and some even seemed relieved by the explanation. After that, the meeting went smoothly, changing topics to the usual village stuff. Only Viola was keeping silent for the rest of the time. She would not dare to act up against Keona ever again, after her true colours were exposed to the public.

Back home, they had a good laugh with Peter about all of this. Dworin had asked for some free time. He obviously met another dwarf in town and wanted to share a mug of good old dwarven beer, that night.

At that moment, no one would have thought of what was laying ahead of them…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Dworin: The Suffering of a dwarf – Part 1

Dworin had just sent the girl back under deck to rest, hiding his nausea the best he could. He was a dwarven guard of Gailmar, strong and proud, but by Irmorom, why did it have to be a ship?! Dwarves definitely did not belong to the deep sea! He grumbled to his beard, crawling back under deck, so he would not have to see the waves at least. One of the sailors greeted him with a pitiful grin, advising him to get ready, as the sea could get more rough close to the mainland. Just great…

It’s been a while now, since he was appointed to guard that girl, Amelia, whenever she would need an escort. At first, he felt underestimated, being assigned to such a task. But soon, he learned that she was harder to guard than a bag of fleas, sneaking out alone or getting herself in trouble ever so often. However, he also understood, that she was important to many in town, not at least because she was the local medico. He would never admit it, but he also liked her and highly valued her efforts for Galmair and its people and was pretty worried for her current health condition. However, if he would have known, his duty to accompany her would also include this, he would have preferred to clean the sewers all alone instead, this time.

When they finally reached the harbour of Falmarha, he sent a silent prayer to Irmorom, setting his foot on dry land again. The rest of the journey was quiet, except for Amelia bluntly asking a merchant to take them along on his cart. How could she be so careless? But she insisted and just remarked, she always did it that way and that it would be quite far to walk in her condition, coughing again, as if to underline her words. She was right, so he gave in but not without giving the man a grim look, assuring him, not to let him out of sight for a single moment, while his two-bladed axe was bopping impatiently on his shoulder.

Brimshire was a small, but bustling town, surrounded by a wall of bright, sand-coloured stone, laying at the shore of a river. The middle mountains closed the vale to the other side. Though it seemed to be a peaceful area, the dwarf had not forgotten Amelia’s stories about bandits in the past. Sure, the area was surprisingly well secured, by now. In fact, he was surprised to see guards, being equipped and seemingly trained well. But it was obvious, they were not originally from around the area. Maybe a little bit too well-guarded for a small town like this? However, he kept keeping an eye out on everything and everyone, especially those long-ears that seemed to be everywhere. Wasn’t this supposed to be a human settlement, after all? When he asked Amelia, she just mentioned they were sent from another realm to help and guard the place and that she could not tell him more, due to a promise. He huffed, grumbling to his beard. Just great! Where did she get him into this time again? Another realm? A realm she could not talk about? Did Brimshire not belong to Salkamar, after all? He did not even want to know the political quarrels behind this. His duty was to protect her and it would not matter from what or whom. So he fell silent except for his grumbling, giving everyone who passed them a grim look. The girl just chuckled and led him to a huge farm at the other end of the town, behind the walls, there were vast fields, shimmering golden in sunlight.

The upcoming days were peaceful, maybe a bit too peaceful for him. When Amelia was staying home, he scouted the area or checked out on town. People often secretly stared at him. Seems, they barely had seen dwarves before. And indeed, he did not see a single one, yet. Only human settlers and those long-ears. Well, the beer was too bad but not like back in Galmair. To be honest, he was a bit frustrated and bored. Only exception was, when Keona trained with him, every now and then. He had to admit, she was pretty good, for a long-ear. When Amelia went on her strolls, he was not leaving her side, not letting his guard down for a single moment, of course. So, he also accompanied her and Keona to that Women’s Meeting in town, being glad he could wait outside, though. However, the window was not full closed, so he could hear every word of it. Those hags were worse than that grumpy shaman orcess back in Galmair, when she was drunk. He would never admit it, but the way they treated Amelia and her whole family made him furious. He already was shouldering his axe, when he heard a deep, throaty voice from the street.

“If I were ya, I would not go in there, mate”

The voice belonged to a dwarf who was shouldering a huge hammer. His black beard showed first grey streaks and he had had a scar next to his right eye, reaching to his cheek. Several tools were attached to his belt and some parchments were peeking from his bag.

“Bodin Flinthammer is the name. I’m the Builder. When I returned ‘n heard there’s a fella dwarf, I had to check. Better leave the old hags quarrelling. From what I heard about them, the Rotholz girls can handle that. You are with the little one, aren’t ya?”

He pointed to the crest of Galmair on Dworin’s chest plate with his huge hammer, giving a deep chuckle. Dworin just nodded, resting his axe on the ground, leaning on it again. His answer was typically short, yet slightly less grumpy, nodding to the huge hammer on Bodin’s shoulder.

“Dworin Ironbeard, from the Guards of Galmair. Builder, eh? And what’s that for then?”

“Oh this? For demons and orcs, among other things. And the little one here’s for the long-ears... among other things”

He gave Dworin an impish grin, pointing to the small hammer at his belt. Both had a quite a chuckle.

“Why don’t you come over, later on, mate? I got a good barrel of good old dwarven beer and need someone to take care of it before it gets rotten. What do ya say?”

This was one of the rare occasions, one could see Dworin grin, yet if only for a moment. They agreed on meeting that night. Hail be Irmorom, he was not the only dwarf in this rural, boring nest! That night, they sat together, killing the barrel, singing old dwarven booze songs and sharing battle stories.

Later, Dworin decided to take a stroll before heading to the farm, to sober up a bit at least, when he passed a huge old naldor tree along the way. He had to look twice, when he realised, someone was tied to it. It was Lia, Keona’s granddaughter, hanging in the ropes unconsciously. She had a bleeding lump on her head and obviously had been forcefully put into a dress…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Case of Lia – Part 1

Amelia, Peter and Keona were still sitting at the table, laughing and discussing about what happened at the women’s meeting, when they suddenly heard Dworin calling outside.

“Help! Quick! It’s Lia!”

Keona rushed up and reached the door, the moment her chair was hitting the floor. Dworin was standing outside, without his axe but carrying unconscious Lia. Peter and Amelia rushed to help instantly and moments later, Lia was brought to Amelia’s room where she took care of the young elfess, immediately. Luckily, there were no other serious injuries besides the bleeding lump on her head and she did not show any sign of a concussion, as far as Amelia could tell by now. Downstairs, Keona’s blood was boiling and Peter had his hands full to hold her back, while grumbling in anger himself. Yet, all they could do was waiting for Lia to wake up.

When Keona cooled down a bit, she went out with Dworin to search the area where Lia was found for any traces or evidence. Lia’s sword belt was still lying under the tree, the belt cut off. There was not much trace of a fight, yet a tree nearby showed marks as if someone was falling hard against it. Whoever it was, they must have gotten quite some bruises. Further, the footprints told, it was at least three men and one must have hit Lia on the head from behind. Keona grumbled with anger. She would not let this go unpunished. Back home, she told Peter what they had found. The traces on the tree made her ponder. Did Lia use her magic? Her skills were still rough and unpolished there, but maybe she pushed one of them off his feet and against the tree with it in affect? If so, he must have pretty clear traces on him. Keona reached for her sword belt, but Peter grabbed her arm, shaking his head.

“I can understand you, love. I want to see them punished as well. But we have to do this the Brimshire way. Whoever did this, violated one of our most important laws, laying hand on a woman in violence. I shall call a town meeting, right next morning.”

Peter’s voice was firm but his eyes were dark and filled with anger. How could someone in Brimshire dare to do such thing? The law was clear in this point and nearly sacred: If man was violent towards a woman, he was to be driven out of town, at least. Right that moment, Amelia came down the stairs. Lia had woken up, finally. Sadly, she could not tell much. Since it was already deep at night, she couldn’t see her attackers clearly and all went really fast. But she confirmed it were at least three of them and the one who was trying to hold her, did have big, rough hands. She also admitted that it was possible, her magic went loose as she panicked, being surprised by the ambush. Then, she felt a hard hit on the head and everything went dark. The pain and bruises would vanish, but far worse than that was the feeling of humiliation and embarrassment…

The next morning, everyone was gathering in the community hall. News did spread very fast, so it was loud, the room filled with whispers and mumbling. Peter and two other men were sitting at the huge table at the head end of the hall, while the men of Brimshire took seat on the benches. The women were sitting in the back or gathering on the gallery. Only Keona was standing in front, next to Peter, her facial expression like cool stone. When Peter raised his voice, the room got silent, all eyes fixed on the pair.

“As you all might have heard by now, Lia was assaulted, last night! At least three men attacked her and knocked her out to bind her at a tree. But as if that was not enough, they took away her weapon and forced her into a dress, leaving her unconscious out in the cold night. Most of you know her as one of our brave defenders from our friends of the realm afar. She risked her life more than once to protect our people by now, without hesitation!”

Peter did let his gaze wander throughout the room as mumbling arose. But before he could continue, Keona suddenly stepped in, her voice had a strangely calm tone.

„Family.
My family means everything to me. Even if my duties have priority in a way.
My duty to my queen and to Brágon and Cherga. For I am consecrated to both.
While Brágon blazes within me, Cherga gives me peace.
And only that way can I serve my queen and keep the peace."

She took a breath and addressed everyone in the room, now.

"Lia, is my granddaughter. Inside me, there burns the desire for satisfaction... retaliation... possibly even the demand for a duel. All because of the humiliation of my granddaughter.
But no, I will leave it in your hands here, to act righteously where I can only be emotional. Why is it a humiliation? It's not because of the dress in general, she would wear one, from time to time, when not on duty. No, she thought she was safe here and now she thinks she neglected her duty to be vigilant, which is not true. For an elfess, she is still young and still learning what life can be like.
It was humiliating to be put on display like that. And it hurts me to see her suffering!
That is why I wish for justice through your law... proper justice for her. Something, I can’t do, because I would act too heat-headed and emotionally and my way would not correspond to your way of life here, which I have learned to appreciate and understand so much.”

That said, she looked back to Peter, who took a breath but nodded to her. Then she sat down next to Lia, who was sitting aside, giving her a comforting smile. Lia just whispered her thanks, returning a weak smile. It was Peter, who took word again, silencing the chaotic mumbling:

“You heard her. Lia is also part of my family now and thus, one of us. It doesn’t matter if she is a warrior or not, whoever did this, assaulted her as a woman, as one of ours! You all know, what that means! The thought, one of us is responsible of this, is a shame! I demand a proper investigation of this, according to our law.”

Most of the men nodded in agreement and a few minutes later, a group of men was formed who would investigate the case. As Bruises alone were not enough and it would take days to check on every man in town, further evidence had to be found to narrow it down, first. So they decided to investigate the scene once more for starters.

Amelia kept silent until now. She had another idea. While the men started to discuss, she addressed some of the women to hold an urgent meeting, right away. Minutes later, the women gathered at their usual meeting place, chit chatting like excited hens. Amelia climbed on the table and clapped to get their attention, but it was Keona’s clear and loud whistling, that made them stare at the two women. Amelia pulled a dress from her basket, holding it up. It was the very dress, Lia had been forced to wear.

“Listen!
Brimshire is not a big city like Salkamar used to be! I know someone must know something about this dress! Is someone missing a dress? Does this belong to one of you? Or does at least someone know, who bought it?”

Her gaze was scanning the faces of the women for reactions. They all stared at her and the dress. Some seemed to be scared, others shaken or upset. It has been ages since someone has used violence against a woman, as far as it was known. But none of them dared to answer. Amelia sighed and shook her head.

“Whoever did this has no respect for women. One of you could be next! And don’t you dare saying, Lia provoked this, herself! Yes, she is a fighter and she saved your very lives during Mas, remember that! I don’t know what makes me feel more ashamed! The fact, a man of Brimshire did this or the fact, you all keep quiet and look away!”

With those words, she jumped off the table and just walked out of the room, all eyes resting on her. Keona followed her outside, being surprised. Peter told her, the girl could have a temper, but seeing Amelia so worked up was unexpected.

That day, a gloomy atmosphere was all over Brimshire. Peter was out with the men, investigating the case, while Keona stayed with Lia, who needed her reassurance and comfort. However, Amelia had her own plans, so she climbed out of the window of her room. She felt sorry, to trick Dworin again, but she knew, he would not allow her to investigate on her own.

She snuck back to town, asking all the tailors and traders about the dress. She already was about to give up, as a little boy approached her. What he had to tell, would turn the tables on this…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Case of Lia – Part 2

Amelia rushed home in a hurry. She had to tell the others, what she just heard from the boy. But when she pushed the front door open, Peter was already awaiting her, with a dark glare and his index finger tipping on his crossed arms impatiently. Behind him was Dworin, giving her a grim look, leaning on his axe. Amelia wanted to burst out the news, but was silenced by her brother’s anger, before she could say a word. His voice was calm on the outside, yet deep and underplayed with grumbling.

“Amelia! What by Oldra and Ushara do you think you are doing?! Not enough, you tricked your escort and snuck out alone! And I bet, you were snooping around out there, weren’t you?! Did you forget, what happened to Lia, already? Did you consider even for a moment, what those culprits could have done to you??! No, you didn’t!“

“But brother…”

“Oh no, Amelia! Don’t even dare to try that! You acted reckless and put yourself in danger! Again! Do you think, Oxi gave you an escort for fun?! This is no game, Amelia! You could get hurt or worse, don’t you get that?”

His gaze was fixed on her while she lowered hers under his words, so she could not see there was more worry than anger in his eyes, by now. Her fists slowly clutched to the folds of her dress, as she was biting her lower lip, until she could not hold back anymore. Before she knew it, she closed her eyes, busting all out.

“Oh, by Sirani! Would you please stop and listen to me?! Just for a moment?! With Dworin by my side, I would stand out, like a sore thumb and I knew he would never let me go alone! I only asked around town, always trying to be seen by many. I’m sorry, if I made you worry and Dworin, I’m really sorry for tricking you… again. But Peter, don’t you want to know, what I just learned, at all?!”

She took a breath, just realising she had raised her voice a bit too far, so she mumbled humble apologies to Peter but he just shook his head and grumbled, rubbing his forehead, while sitting down. Dworin kept silent, just resting his grim gaze on her.

“Oxi is so right, sister: You Are trouble! Don’t make me regret, I gave you that much freedom. But go on, tell us your insights. We will see, if this was really worth the risk.”

Meanwhile, Lia and Keona had come down the stairs, both taking a seat at the table, as well. Amelia sighed, then slowly sat down next to her brother, humbly folding her hands in her lap and keeping her gaze lowered, just peeking at Peter from the corner of her eyes. Yes, she was sorry, she made them worry but she was not sorry for trying to do her share. Thus, though restraining herself, she could not hide a certain hint of excitement, as she started to tell about the boy.

“You won’t believe it, I tell you! I asked all around town, every tailor or merchant, but no one told anything about the dress. When I wanted to go home, the little son of Clement, the tailor’s apprentice approached me, just outside town. He told me that he was peeking through the window, when I talked to the tailor, and guess what? He recognised it! Harald, the tailor, said, he did not know it and Clement wasn’t there. But little Tayler told me, his father was making this dress secretly at home, as a present for his wife Julia! No wonder, Julia did not know about it. Taylor said, he likes Lia and he does not want her to get hurt anymore. Sure, he thinks, the dress was stolen. He can’t imagine, his father would do something bad. But we should definitely talk to Clement, don’t you think?”

Peter nodded slowly.

“Aye, we should do that. But that does not include you, sister.”

Amelia opened her mouth, just to close it again. Peter’s gaze and his firm voice made clear, there was no room to argue, in this point. Keona patted Lia’s arm, before she left with Peter to talk to the tailor’s apprentice. All that Amelia could do, was watching them leave, as Dworin took stand right at the door…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Case of Lia – Part 3

Amelia was walking up and down like a cougar in a cage. Lia had left upstairs again. Dworin’s gaze followed the restless girl, with the usual grim look. Then, Amelia turned to him, giving him a long, thoughtful gaze, before she finally addressed him.

“Say Dworin, Peter just said, I shall not talk to Clement. He did not say a word about not leaving the house, nor that I can’t talk to anyone else, right? And when you are with me, nothing can happen to me, don’t you agree? Why don’t we go talk to Julia instead? She won’t hurt me, for sure.”

Dworin just grumbled to his beard, but after a few moments, he took a step back from the door, shouldering his axe. Amelia gave him a quick smile and grabbed her cloak. She was not sure if he just agreed or decided it was better that way, than her trying to sneak out without him again, but she was glad, either way. While Keona and Peter took the direct path to town, to seek out Clement, Amelia headed straight for the home of him and Julia, carefully knocking at the door. Julia opened the door, giving Amelia a restrained, shy smile. Amelia frowned slightly. Julia was just her age, with long dark blonde hair and beautiful, grey eyes. But the young woman was no longer the bright and cheerful nature, Amelia used to know. She kept her gaze lowered, avoiding to look at her or Dworin directly. She did not invite them in, but kept staying under the doorframe, closing the door behind herself.

“Julia, I’m so sorry! I’m not sure, how to say this. But I must tell you about it. Remember the dress, I showed you all? It turned out, Clement did make it, not as an order for a customer but in private. Taylor told me about it. I’m not saying, Clement did anything wrong, just…”

Amelia stopped midsentence, when she saw tears shimmering in Julia’s eyes. The young woman leaned against the door, clapping her mouth with one hand, giving her shaking voice a dull sound.

“I knew, something bad would happen! But I would never have guessed, he would draw him into something that awful!”

Amelia’s eyes widened, as Julia broke down and told her all about the time, since the help from Ar-Sikar arrived. Never would she have guessed, things could develop and get out of hand like that! Trying to comfort her old friend, she just listened, softly laying a hand on her shoulder and gently whipping the falling tears away. But the name, Julia mentioned then, set her on alert. Of course! Who else?!

“Don’t worry, Julia! It will all be fine! But now stay home and lock the door, do you hear?! Dworin, we have to hurry! I have a really bad feeling about this!”

Julia sobbed but nodded, trying to give a weak smile before she locked herself up, along with Taylor. Dworin just nodded in agreement and minutes later, he and Amelia were on their way, taking a shortcut between the fields. If she was right, someone else was in danger…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Case of Lia – Part 4

“Sebastian!
Please!
Don't!”

It was the voice of Miriam Ottwald, yelling in panic. Amelia and Dworin hastened their steps immediately and when the path opened behind the fields, the scene was frightening. Sebastian Ottwald was holding a hatchet, standing tall above his wife, when Frieder, his son, dashed in, grabbing him from the waist, trying to tear him down or at least away from his mother. But of course, they boy was no match for him. Ottwald grumbled in rage, his face burning red, as he pulled up the hatchet, aiming for the boy, now. While both, Amelia and Miriam, reached out and yelled to stop, Dworin tried to jump in, but would not make it in time…

The moment, the hatched was rushing down, Amelia could not help, but to avert her gaze from the scene, but the expected awful sound did not follow. For a split second, an uncanny silence was hanging over the place. When Amelia looked up, she saw a man, blocking the hatchet with his still sheathed sword. It was Bran, one of the warriors of Ar-Sikar, who had taken Frieder under his wings, after the incident on the farm, when he shot that arrow and called Peter a traitor, mislead by his father’s malicious words. Frieder crawled backwards, his eyes widened in panic and anger alike, while Ottwald’s rage turned towards Bran, instantly. Again and again, he tried to attack the man with the hatchet, yet, all Bran did, was dodging. Sebastian Ottwald was a tall, strong man, but compared to Bran, he was slow and dull. And constantly missing his target just fuelled his rage, making the veins on his forehead stand out, as he yelled.

“You! Stay out of this!
This insolent brat and unthankful bitch are not worth it! They never were!
If I had known, what a pain in the ass they are, I would not have gone through the trouble to get rid of Aaron, in the first place!”

With these words, he suddenly collapsed. Behind him was Dworin, who knocked him out with the handle of his axe. Silence covered the scene again, before Miriam burst in tears, covering her mouth and staring at the unconscious man in shock. Aaron had been her first husband, Frieder’s father, who had died in what all believed to be an accident, years ago.

Amelia wanted to rush to Miriam to comfort her, as she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Peter, holding her back. He and Keona had arrived just in time to hear and see everything. Along with them was a tied up Clement, letting his head hang down in shame. Keona was obviously boiling in anger but took a deep breath and restrained herself, just like Peter. On the outside, he seemed grim but calm, but Keona and Amelia knew better. He just nodded to the scene. Frieder and his mother were laying in each other’s arms, being comforted by Bran. Meanwhile, Dworing had tied Sebastian Ottwald to a nice package, giving Peter a questioning gaze. But Peter just grumbled and turned around, gently pulling Keona and Amelia along.

“Let’s bring them to town. They will get what they deserve…”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Dworin – Suffering of a dwarf – Part 2

Dworin accompanied Amelia to town, as she wanted to stock up her medico supplies. The days of blood were knocking the doors, as the trials took longer than expected. After knocking out Sebastian Ottwald, the man was arrested, along with the tailor’s apprentice Clement and some other dim-witted farmer guy, for what they did to Lia. Well, Ottwald was about to face a much harder trial for murderer, that is. Dworin grumbled to his beard, his axe bopping on his shoulder impatiently at the thought. Oh, he wished, he could give that guy, what he deserved, that’s sure! Yet, he just knocked him out instead, as he restrained himself, just in time. After all, he did not want to kill a man in front of young Frieder’s eyes – or Amelia’s. Ever since, the three miserable ones were kept arrested in the guard house, awaiting their sentences.

Brimshire’s laws were hard and strict. Protection of women and children, along with family values were utmost priority. So, to an outsider, they may sound drastic, but in fact, it worked. They rarely had to be put into action to such an extent. However, according to law, a man, that uses any form of violence against women or children was banned from town and cast out from society. For murder there was even only one possible consequence: A life for a life.

Amelia obviously had a rough time, attending the trials as a witness. That girl was far too emotional and fragile, when it comes to such things. Yet, even the grim dwarf could not deny, the plea of Julia, Clement’s wife, was heart moving. She stated, that Clement was only following and being misled by Ottwald’s influence, at some point, even put under pressure. Clement never wanted to go that far. He fell for Ottwald’s malicious preaching, lamenting of the treason of traditions and values. Clement himself was full of regret. He even apologized in public and laid his life in Lia’s hands. Since she has been the victim, she was the only one being able to take side for him, according to the rules. Making him an outcast would not only punish him, but also his wife and son, but on the other hand, letting him go would give the wrong signal. Lia had requested some time to consider all possibilities. It wasn’t until yesterday, when she came up with a solution: Clement would be banned from Brimshire. However, he and his family would be brought to Ar-Sikar to start all over again, as soon as Mas would be over.

The dim-witted farmer, going by the name Luke, a young, rock-headed wannabe, was already chased out of town, literally by pitchforks and torches, swearing, he would be back one day, making everyone pay. The usual hollow threats. He did not even deny, he was the one, who cowardly knocked out Lia from behind. On the contrary, he was even proud of it! Spiting something like teaching her a lesson. Again, the dwarf grumbled. Despite being an elfess, he respected Lia as a fighter and guardian of this place.

And then there was Sebastian Ottwald. Oh, how he wished for only five minutes alone with that scumbag! Even more after all the poison he spit at the trials, so far. But killing a loving father just because he desired his wife?! And even worse: during the trials, truth finally surfaced. He was tormenting her psychically, all these years, treating her like his possession and even raised his hand against her and Frieder, several times. During the trials, he even went as far as to call the people from Ar-Sikar enemies, occupants, who wanted to destroy the way of life in Brimshire. He blamed Amelia for calling them, accusing her to have betrayed and sold out Brimshire and its people, insulted Peter of having sullied the Rotholz family name by spoiling his sister and taint the bloodline by connecting with the enemy, and a lot more of such unbearable nonsense. Dworins hands clenched to the handle of his axe at the mere thought. Oh yes, he really would have wanted to silence that asshole with his own hands!

Amelia had been unusual, no, awfully quiet, ever since they caught Ottwald. She kept smiling, just that indifferent smile, he knows she uses to wear as a mask, telling everyone, she was allright. Possibly, the only one she was honest to, was Inara, who came by on her way back to Illarion. The morning, when Inara left, Amelia was mumbling about how much she missed Galmair, her friends and family there. He pretended, not to have heard her but in fact, he was thinking of dragging her back home, away from all this, until things would calm down. But tomorrow was the first day of Mas, far too dangerous to travel. On the other hand, Inara had given her a strange, tiny, silver padded portal book…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The last Day of Mas – Part 1

Dworin: The axe of the guardian

It was the last day of Mas for this year, the year 65. Until now, it had been nothing out of the ordinary, that is, if you can say so during the days of blood. In this case, that meant nothing more than undead, madness mummies and a few village people going crazy. However, it meant battle and although he would never admit, Dworin was secretly slightly thankful for the change of pace. As long as this was all, he did not mind the opportunity for a real fight.

But today was different. There was this eerie silence hanging all over the place, a tension, like the moment before a big battle is about to begin. Yet, only a few skeletons were wandering around in a strange, aimlessly manner, in front of the gates. Just like the past days, Keona was in charge. He had to admit, that long-ear was really capable. But what else to expect from a warrior of the legendary realm of Ar-Sikar? That woman was proof, it was way beyond a myth. Of course, the real origin of her and her people was still supposed to stay secret. No one here was bearing the crest or any other sign that would give the truth away. Maybe, if Amelia would ever go there, he would get the chance to see it?

His thought were harshly interrupted by Keona hissing some elven cursing. He peeked over the battlement of the wall and hell, she was right! Down there, suddenly the wandering skeletons grew in numbers, forming a small army and got backup from numerous hell beasts! He jumped down the last three stairs. Amelia was with the healers, behind the walls. The best way to keep her safe – and keep her from doing silly, reckless things – was to help keeping this town safe. He might be small, but for a dwarf in full armour, he was not only strong, but agile too. And he was experienced. Be it Galmair or Brimshire, the Mas-scum was the same… and he would not let them get the better of him! His axe cut through bones and flesh, like singing its own war song…

Then, all of sudden, a blood freezing deep, growling scream did cut through the air. He turned around, letting out a dwarven curse. By Irmoroms beard! The monstrosity, smashing its way towards the gate through his own lines, was nothing less than a giant ogre of two, no three meters, at least! Well, it once was, that is. This was far worse: the beast was undead, his rotten, death-reeking flesh hanging from partly visible bones, his eyes dull and grey. Poisonous, black blood running from his wounds, like thick oil. He was swinging a huge club, big enough to give you a free flight, as one of the warriors just learned the hard way, immediately. Damn! If this thing would be cracking the walls, all would be done for!

He just ended the thought as he already had to dodge a swing of the club, hearing Keona yelling new orders. While the others kept the hell beasts and other stuff busy, she was attacking the ogre with three others and he joined them, constantly attacking the monster’s feet. Also, magic enhanced spears kept flying from the wall… Lia was giving backup! However, despite seeming to be blind, the undead ogre brought down one warrior after another, until only he and Keona were left. He saw Keona swiftly dodging a swing of the club, cutting through the flesh of the ogre’s hand, so he had to drop it. He called out to her, but it was too late. Keona could not dodge the hit with the other fist, managed guard up with her shield, but was blown off her feet. Being the only one left, he yelled in anger, attacking the beast with all his might, distracting it from Keona. The same time, Keona went down, a loud yell was heard from the wall, followed by a magically entwined double spear, engulfed in blazing flames of fury, hitting right into the eye of the monster. Lia had given it her all!

Dworin braced a last hit of the falling giant, his axe giving a cracking sound. He only realized from a corner of his eyes, what happened to Keona from there on out. Peter was running out onto the battlefield, rushing to his love, beheading a skeleton, just in time… with a damn flail! While the headless skeleton still wandered around aimlessly, Peter and some others had come to Keona, who was coughing and catching for breath, bringing her to safety.

The fight was over, for now. Only a few more hours until midnight and all would be over for another year. Behind the walls, he let himself fall onto the ground, watching the broken handle of his axe with a deep grumble. How dared this thing! His precious axe! He would not forgive that!

[Amelia Rotholz]

The last Day of Mas – Part 2

Amelia: Healer’s troubles

Amelia fastened the straps of her apron and pinned up her hair, while listening to Keona, who was telling her, what kinds of wounds she might have to expect. They were on their way to the wall, or better said, in Amelia’s case, to the healer house, which was located near the gate. The girl just confirmed Keona’s words, as they parted ways. It was nothing, she had not already seen on Illarion during the days of blood, but Keona keeping her routine made her smile a little. She crossed the huge tent which had been set up as an expansion of the healer house, nodding to all the healers and medicos from Ar-Sikar, who came just to help during Mas, and stopped in front a fair-skinned elfess with ebony braids, reporting to be ready. Larena, the druid, gave her a quick nod and a light smile, which Amelia failed to return. The strange feeling of tension crawled under her skin, eerie and indifferent. She could not tell what it was, but compared to the days before, something just felt off.

She walked out to the tent to check if everything was ready and stocked up, when suddenly a deep, growling scream made her blood freeze in her veins. She turned around and could catch a glimpse through the gates, hearing Keona yelling new orders, underlined by the ranging of the alarm bell, but what she saw made her gasp and send an instant prayer. An undead monstrosity was breaking through the forest, smashing its own lines on the way!

“Oh, goddess, have mercy on us!”

She turned on her heals and hurried to Larena, reporting what she saw. Larena pursed her lips and instructed everyone to make treating the blood of the ogre priority, since it was kind of a necrotic poison. She handed Amelia a pot with a remedy and right at that moment, things started to hectic. New injured were brought in rapidly, now. Most with cuts and claw wounds or bite marks, from hell beasts. Amelia was ordered around, mostly by one of the healers, an elf going by the name Lothrell. He constantly kept cutting her word, ordering her around like an unexperienced assistant. And Amelia obeyed with a grumble… this was not the time to act up.

That was until a man with an arrow stuck to his upper body was brought in. For a second, Amelia’s thoughts drifted off. This was just like back then, with Katharina… Amelia snapped out of it. She took over and started to treat the wound, giving orders herself now, simply ignoring Lothrell rebuking her. Finally, she had found back to her confidence. She wasn’t a mere assistant, but a medico! Yet, it needed Larena to stop Lothrell.

“Let her do her work! Don’t you know, she’s the student of Yridia Anar?!”

Lothrell fell silent and returned to his duty, yet clearly embarrassed by the situation. Amelia had no time to think about the fact they knew Yridia. She kept treating the man, until she was called by Larena to assist her with something more sever. A warrior had been smashed to the wall by a hit with the ogre’s club. There was no doubt, his ribs were broken. Larena had decided to open his chest and expected Amelia to assist. They had to stitch inner injuries and they had to do it quick. Amelia was frozen for a moment. Never before had she seen something like that in reality. She barely had found any books about details of internal organs, yet!

At first, she even had to fight not to throw up, but Larena’s voice made her snap out of it. Sending silent prayers to Sirani and Oldra, she forced herself to focus. Chances to save the man were low. He lost too much blood in such a short time. Be it a hint of the gods or not, Amelia remembered something, she often had witnessed in Galmair: Cold blood runs more slowly! They called for one of the Ar-Sikar mages to cool down the man’s body, buying precious time. Amelia followed Larena’s instruction to the very word. They were able to stop the bleeding but only time would tell, if Cherga would call for him or not.

When they were done, the girl’s stomach acted up again. Amelia walked past the house and tent to wash herself and catch some fresh air, when Peter passed her, running towards the gate, grabbing for a flail which was leaning against the wall of the stables. Amelia turned on her heals without thinking, to follow him, but stopped right at the gate. Moments later, the head of a skeleton flew through the gate, landing right next to her, making her startle and landing on her butt.

“Not that way, you idiot!”

The eyes of the skull were still glowing red and his jaw moved as it called for its body, which was walking around aimlessly, in front of the gate. Amelia let out a high-pitched scream, grabbing for a stone and shattered the skull in reflex. As a result, the skeleton collapsed. Moments later, Keona was brought in, coughing and catching for breath and to Amelia’s surprise, throwing up. Amelia followed them, calming her brother and leading him out while Larena took care of Keona. Luckily, she just had a heavy bruise of her sternum.

However, Amelia remembered, not seeing her throwing up for the first time, this day. She smiled. The reason for this would be a quite a surprise, not only for Keona, but even more for Peter…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Life and Death

It has been a week since Mas and today, the Festival of Lights was traditionally celebrated. Lia was chosen as this year’s Heart of Light, leading the traditional March of Lights, for she was the one, bringing down the ogre and, more importantly, because she had shown greatness and mercy after what she had been through. With the end of the week, the reinforcements from Ar-Sikar would leave again, like every year, taking Clement, Julia and Taylor along to Ar-Sikar, as it had been sentenced. But tonight, people from surrounding villages had gathered to celebrate in Brimshire and the vast bonfire on the marketplace seemed to reach for the stars. Everyone was celebrating. Well, nearly everyone…

Amelia was roaming around the healer house, sorting stocks, cleaning up… and secretly whipping off tears. The patient, she and Larena had fought so hard to save him was taken to Cherga’s realm for good, just an hour ago. His covered body was still laying on the bed, waiting to be sealed with magic, so he could be brought back home to Ar-Sikar. Never before had she lost the fight against death, never before had she lost a patient…

Except for Larena, the others didn’t know, yet. Amelia did not want to ruin the Festival for anyone, especially not for Peter and Keona, as they really had reason to celebrate. Suddenly, she felt a hand softly squeezing her shoulder. It was Larena, turning her around, laying a hand on her cheek.

“We can’t always win, Amelia. When someone gets called by the gods, there is nothing we can do. You will learn from it. Such is the circle of life. Some may go and others may join us. I know, it feels hard but you should try to cheer up at least a little and join your family. After all, a new life is soon to join you. And this new life deserves your beautiful smile.”

Amelia calmed down under Larena’s soft words, nodding slowly. She took a few breaths and managed to bring up a weak smile. Larena was right. So, she went to search for Peter and Keona…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Letters

The past weeks had been peaceful, but for some reason, Amelia did not know, most of the people from Ar-Sikar were called away to an outpost, including Larena. That meant, for now, Amelia was the only medico left in Brimshire, at the moment. So, even if it wasn’t for the heavy storms, that tormented the coast, she could yet not go back to Illarion. Ever since Larena left, she spent a lot of time writing and drawing, trying to put on paper what she had been taught in a rather unexpected and unpleasant way: Before he was sent back to Ar-Sikar, Larena examined the dead body of the warrior in detail, so she could give an accurate answer to the family on their request – and she had Amelia assisting her, explaining everything in detail to her.

Downstairs, Peter kept driving Keona crazy with his presently sweet concerns. It made her chuckle to watch them, every now and then. Especially, when Keona had it rough to keep calm while he literally tried to bed her on feathers. But she missed Illarion, she missed Galmair, she missed all her family and friends. Needless to say, the letters of her friends indeed did brighten her days, now. She put the quill away and reached for them to read them once more.

Dear Amelia,

I hope you are well?
With this letter, I send you an invitation to the masked ball.
I finally graduated to a fully trained mage which shall be celebrated.
If you can't join us, there shall be another one, once you return.
Though, I would surely appreciate it to have you here for this one.
Please take care of yourself.

~ Clairette

My dear sister,

since it has been a few weeks since we have seen each
other, I thought that a letter could also please you.

Besides, I think I need your help.
First of all, I hope you all survived Mas well.
Things have been relatively quiet here, even though
Prea showed up, once and the stones are gone, now.

Aly was knighted, along with a few others, by the queen.
Ha, and Katharina also asked me if I would like to be, but no.
That is just not possible.

You may even receive letters from other places.
Because one thing is certain: you are missed here.
As for my request: The first masked ball is coming up.
Along with it, Clairette celebrates having passed her
exams to become a full-fledged mage. I guess, you
could say so.

But I have just no idea what to wear. Hey, I've never
been to a ball or anything like that. So, I need a dress
and also a mask and you are the only one who knows
me well enough to really help me out. I also need a mask
for Aly. So far, she doesn't want to go but let's see what
we can do about it.

Otherwise, I'm doing really well so far, no worsening since
the day I was with you. I'm still standing firm and have made
one or the other final decision.

If you want to know more then...yeah, answer me and ask!
Oh and, maybe you just make Oxi a fancy suit for the ball?
I have a feeling he'll want to avoid it. With Oxi, that's not
necessarily so far-fetched.

Oh, and I've enclosed 3 more special portal booklets for you.
Just in case and to make sure that the clothes get here on time.
The books are Illarion and back to Brimshire. As the titles tell.

Well, I'll send Alis off so we don't waste any more time...
I love you Ami, greetings to all and may Brágon watch over and
protect you.

~Inara~

Dear Amelia,

I probably should have written to you much earlier. I miss you here in Illarion. Not only me, of course, I'm sure Clairette and Oxi miss you very much, too. I hope you are well, wherever you are currently and whatever you are currently doing. We recently had a knighting ceremony here in Cadomyr and people seem motivated by being knighted in front of the Queen. Maybe this will finally lead to a stronger sense of community in Cadomyr again. S'rrt, Amanda, Aly and Xannu have now joined the newly convened Knights Council as a result of the knighting, I'm curious to see how the first meeting will be.

I feel a little guilty writing to you just now, after Inara offered that I could write to you about a dress for Clairette's masquerade ball. I would like to order one. A plain dark red one, perhaps? You should have my measurements from previous orders. Please let me know how much it would cost me.

~Katharina~

The Masked Ball! Oh, how she wished, she could be there as well! With a slightly sad smile, she nodded to herself and started to sketch some dresses. She would be able to send someone to deliver all in time, thanks to Inara’s little books. She would not dare to go herself, as she knew she could not bear to leave again, immediately. Still, this was a very welcome distraction and there was not much time left…

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Outpost Bralenar

Godric Caprarius was sipping from his goblet of fine Albarian wine, while letting his gaze travel over the camp of his little army. He was the heir of the house of Caprarius, the oldest of three brothers, facing his 29th summer, this year. His every movement told of a proud, Albarian noble, with eyes as dark as his hair. His gaze was that of a hard, cold and calculating man and his tall and broad-shouldered stature left quite some impression. A small scar on his right cheek underlined his distinctive features. His leather armour was well made, worthy of a noble, but without any unnecessary trash, completely opposite to the jewel-decorated sword on his belt, which he actually was able to use very well.

The House of Caprarius was a role model of Albarian culture. Once proud and mighty, they had lost quite of their position within the realm, during the past thirty-five years. Now, with the three great realms falling into chaos, is was the right time, to rise again and regain the former power or even more than that. If they played their cards well, the house of Caprarius might even reform Albar or, at least part of it, to its former glory. Well, that was the ambition of many houses, right now. Alliances were formed and broken all over Albar on a nearly daily basis, by now. When those strange group of people came to seek out his father, suggesting to take this place in order to expand the house’s area of influence and power, it seemed too good to be true. They came with quite some mages, warriors and somehow eerie priests, keeping their origin a mystery. All they expected on exchange, was a small part of the region to settle on, for now. The old Aldus Caprarius took the opportunity right away and hired a troop of mercenaries, ordering his son to march north. And that’s how he ended out in this damn wastelands!

The Rough Lands. Nothing but rocks and sand, only interrupted by persistent, thorny bushes and some dry grass, as far as the eye could reach. Arakanth was the only sign of civilization in this godforsaken region, well except for Bralenar, a fortified, trading post, far southwest of the city. Bralenar was a cross point for traders and travellers alike and thus, a valuable strategic and economic asset. And that was exactly why Godric was besieging the outpost for several weeks, by now. This was expected to be an easy task as it was just a trading post. But actually, it was a pain in the ass. What surprise to find it this fortified and well-defended. A fact, that made him wonder. There must be more to this place than just an independent trading post! Well, at least, they were slowly getting the upper hand, after isolating it completely.

He turned around to go back to his tent when one of his man reported with bad news. Obviously a larger group of warriors and other reinforcements, not bearing any banners, had been spotted, coming from the southwest, just crossing the river of Erin. He grumbled in anger and barked new orders to the man. Just what he didn’t need, right now…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Trap

It was a early in the morning, the sun was dyeing the morning haze in in red-golden light and the birds sang cheerfully to greet the new day. Amelia was wandering near the woods in search for rare herbs, needed for some medicinal stocks. She stopped to breath in the cool, peaceful morning air, waiting for Dworin, who was walking around two meters behind her, his axe bopping on his shoulder with every step. The dwarf was not quite happy to be out here this early, constantly keeping to grumble into his beard. Amelia let out a light chuckle and crouched to gather some life root.

Suddenly, a low, soaring sound cut the silence and moments later, Dworin was hanging in a net of thick ropes. A trap! Dworin tried to free himself immediately, letting out dwarven curses, but his huge axe was just hindering his movements in this position, getting him even more entangled.

“Amelia! Run!”

Amelia’s basket fell to the ground as she turned around, but as she wanted to run, someone grabbed her wrist, turning her around forcefully, just to grab her shoulder and bring her down on her knees. Everything was happening awfully fast. Amelia struggled, trying to break free, but all she got for it was a hard hit in her neck.

Everything went dark…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Consequences

When she came to, her head was ringing like a bell, her still blurry vision slowly clearing. She tried to stand up, but just fell to her side, as she couldn’t move. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were tied together. Seemed like she was in a tent, her hands tied to the middle pole, lanterns gave a dim light, so that meant, it was already dark outside.

What was going on here?! Where was she?! Panic started to arise within her…

Slowly her memory came back to her. The Trap…

“Dworin!”

She yelled in a reflex, getting a low chuckle as an answer. Slowly, a man walked around her, crouching before her, his face halfway in the shadows. He reached out his hand to touch her cheek with a smirk, yet Amelia turned her face away.

“The dwarf won’t help you. But don’t worry, he’s alive, I suppose. However, if I were you, I would be more concerned of my own fate, Amelia...”

Amelia gasped as she recognized the voice. It was Luke! Ottwald’s accomplice, who had been banned for what they had done to Lia. He had sworn to make them all pay, but why kidnapping her?! He laughed at her, noticing she recognized him and pulled out a knife. Her eyes widened as he made the blade following downwards her neck, without cutting her. Then, he pulled up her necklace with it, the heirloom of her late mother, drawing it from under her dress to cut it off. He brought his face right next to her ear, whispering in a cold voice.

“Oh, I won’t harm you, Amelia. That would be too easy. I promised, I would make your damn family pay and you, dear, will be the key to their suffering.”

Then he got up and left the tent, with her necklace still in hand. Amelia’s heart was still pounding hard against her chest, tears running down her cheek. For a moment, she really thought, she was a goner. Now, she sank back against the pole, her head was still hurting like hell and slowly, she felt her consciousness leaving her again, barely hearing the voices outside.

“You had your fun, Luke. But a beauty like her may bring a good price. Tomorrow, I will meet up with some… merchants… So, don’t you dare to damage the ware…”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Vengeance is best served cold

Peter was walking up and down like a cougar in a cage. It was already morning, and there was still no sign of them, since yesterday, neither of Amelia, nor Dworin. He did not sleep at all and Keona was also getting more then tense, by now. Then suddenly, the door was pushed open and Dworin stumbled in, leaning on his axe as he was limping on the right foot.

“Amelia…they took her…”

Then he collapsed. He was awfully subcooled and dehydrated. Actually, it took him until sunrise, to finally free himself from the net and when he fell, he broke his leg in the process. Peter gasped in terror, while Keona took a deep breath.

“What happened?! Who has her?!”

But it had no use. Dworin was not reacting anymore, at all. Keona was already on her way to the door.

“Where are you going?!”
“I’m going to get Lia. She knows at least a bit about healing. We need him awake to learn what happened, love.”

Her voice seemed calm, but Peter knew, she was forcing it up. He nodded with a grim look on his face, watching Keona leave, but not without her weapons. It was just when she was out of sight, when an arrow pierced the window, leaving shattered glass on the ground as it got stuck in the back of a chair. Peter pulled it out and his eyes widened in shock. Attached to it was a well-known necklace, along with a note:

You will never see her again…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Too Late

Peter was frozen in shock, staring at the piece of parchment in his hand, but only for a moment. Then, he got on his feet, rushing out of the door towards the direction, where this arrow must have come from. But all he found, were some footprints, getting lost on the stony ground, behind the fields.

Nothing! He had nothing!

His fists were balling at his sides, shivering, as he ground his teeth in anger. Amelia! Where was she?! All, he could do was go back and wait for Keona, for now. He returned to the farm and took care of Dworin, now, at least laying him down to a bed and removing most of the dwarf’s armour. However, Dworin stayed unconscious.

When Keona returned with Lia and some of the women, who had helped the healers, during Mas, she found Peter sitting at the table, his left hand clenched around Amelia’s necklace, as if he would never let go of it. He was staring at the parchment, which was laying on the table in front of him, next to an arrow.

“What happened? What is this?”

Peter showed her the ripped parchment wordlessly and Keona’s gaze went as dark as his, immediately. While the women would stay behind and take care of Dworin, Peter and Keona headed towards the town in a hurry. Lia stayed back to question Dworin, as soon as possible. Peter walked straight for the alarm bell, ringing it with all his might, without explaining a word to the confused guard. So, people stopped and gathered on the town square, immediately, staring at the couple. When Peter raised his voice, it was full of anger and worry alike, slightly shaking, yet loud and clear.

“Men of Brimshire! Listen to me! Amelia has been abducted! We have no time to lose!
Whoever is behind it, planed this on purpose to attack my very family! We need to find her fast or it will be too late! Help me!”

Murmuring and mumbling arose. Some voice angry, others worried, some women even frightened. It did not take long to gather the men and form three main search troops. One would be let by Bran, as he was an experienced hunter and expert reader of tracks, one would be let by Keona and Peter and the third one by Lia, who joined just in time with news from Dworin. Obviously, he saw at least the direction, where the assault group had left to and could describe, where all took place.

They had lost precious time. The sun was about to set, when they finally reached the spot, where Amelia’s basket was still laying on the ground. Yet, no one thought of waiting for the new day. Systematically, they searched the area, one hour after another. It was Lia’s group, who spotted the them first. But this was not a small group of bandits! Deep within the woods, they found a camp of at least twenty men. The call for an owl was heard in the night, and shortly after, Lia’s owl left to inform the other and meet up with them. They all gathered at the rim of the woods, before encircling the camp, armed with everything, they were able to get a hold on. Surprise was on the side of the people of Brimshire. It had not been an easy task, but after a really ugly brawl, the bandits were either defeated or had run off, grabbing as much as they could.

When Luke was brought to the captives, he gave Peter an evil grin, making him realize, what it all was about, Before anyone could even say a word, Peter rushed to Luke and hit him hard right into the face. Luke was going down, right at the spot, but Peter did not stop there. He was kneeling above him and kept punching the young men’s face, while yelling at him.

“You! It was you!
Where is she?!
Where’s Amelia?!
What did you do to her?!”

Finally, Keona was able to pull Peter away from Luke. She kept talking to him, that they needed him to find Amelia, as the only trace of her, they were able to find, was a firnis flower, laying in a tent. But Luke just let out a chuckle, spitting out some blood.

“It’s too late! She’s gone. And even I don’t know, where she might be, by now. And I don’t care. As I said, you will pay! You shall suffer! You will never be able to find her!”

Peter wanted to get Luke again, but Keona did hold him back with a cold, calm voice, even more icy as she turned to Luke for the last words.

“We need to interrogate him thoroughly. He will tell us everything, he knows. And then… Bràgon shall decide his fate...”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Sold!

Slowly, she woke again, trying to orientate in the spare light of the wooden room. She was laying on rough, wooden blanks, her hands were tied to an iron ring at the wall, still tied behind her back. The air smelled mouldy, moist, with a hint of salt and the wood gave creaking sounds as the room felt like swaying lightly.

A ship!

Somehow, Amelia managed to sit up and lean against the wall. Her wrists were hurting from the ropes, which were a bit too tight. Her lips felt dry and chapped and there was a grumbling hole within her stomach. How long had she been unconscious? Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dim light of a single, swaying lantern. She wasn’t alone. All in all, there were four others in here with her. Two other women and a man were tied to the opposite wall and a young lad, still more boy than man was sitting to her left. Unlike her and the others, he was laying in iron shackles on hands and feet. With a hushed, whispering voice, she tried to address them, but the three at the opposite wall kept silent, keeping their heads lowered, hopelessly.

“Where are we? What’s going on here?”

Only the boy lifted his gaze and gave her a dry, sarcastic smirk as he whispered.

“Slave traders, on our way to Gynk, welcome on board.”

Amelia gasped in shock. Slave traders?! So, Luke had sold her, or what?! Gynk?! She shuddered. She had heard awful stories about this place. She did not even dare to imagine, where she might end! Or what they might do to her! She grew pale as she echoed.

“Slave traders?! Gynk!?! Oh Goddess! We have to get out of here!”
“Good luck, missy. I tried. Gave me some nice jewellery.”

He rose a hand, making the shackles give a low, clanking sound. In return, one of the man opposite gave a hushing sound, as if being afraid, they could be heard. But the boy just lowered his voice a bit more and continued.

“I’m curious, missy. How did they catch you? You don’t look like a homeless or beggar.”
“No, certainly not. I’m a medico and my name is Amelia.”
“I’m Aaron. A medico, huh? Strange, someone like that ends up in a place like this.”
“I was… assaulted… kidnapped… Other than that, I can’t remember anything…”

She lowered her gaze, biting on her lower lip, swallowing the lump in in her throat. How could this happen?! Her thoughts started to run in circles. Peter! Keona! Oh, she just wanted to be home! Oxi! Inara! Claire! Aly! Katharina! But none of them could help her. She was all alone!

“Oh, Sirani! My Lady Sirani!
Oldra! Tanora! Findari!
I beg you! Help me!
I know, you saved me once!
But as your sincere servant and to fulfil the task you gave me, I beg you!
My Lady Sirani! Help me!”

Her words were of an intensity, directly coming from her heart, and yet, a mere whisper. She tried her best, not to cry, however, a single hot, tear ran down her cheek. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice the heavy steps of a man, until his boots came right into her field of view. He crouched before here, lifting her chin with his dirty fingers. A rough, yet not really tall but broad-shouldered guy with a scar across his face, ugly, yellow teeth and dirty cloths. He laughed with a deep, dark voice.

“How cute! The gods won’t help you, lass. But you are lucky, we’ve just arrived. Now, be a good girl and behave! Or else, we will have to teach you some manners. And I would prefer to keep my wares undamaged.“

With another throaty laughter, he got up and turned, barking at some men.

“Bring them to the market…”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Edwin Caprarius

On, deck, the sun was merciless and the air felt awfully hot. Nonetheless, all five took a deep breath, finally leaving the smelly belly of the ship to see the blue sky. The harbour was bustling and full of ships under various flags. One of the men tied them all together to walk in a line, with Aaron at first and Amelia walking right behind him. Forcefully, they pushed the group of captives forward, escorting the track on all sides. Each of the men was armed to the teeth. Obviously, not only to hinder them to escape, as they seemed more focused to the surroundings, as if being worried, someone might steel their precious wares away.

Amelia kept her gaze lowered, peeking around from the corner of her eyes. With things like this, she could not even think of trying to flee. She let out an inaudible sigh, as they slowly made their way from the docks to the market, or rather a huge bazar. Merchants were offering all kinds of wares, from obviously stolen goods, from all over the world, to slaves, excelling each other in promoting their services in partly heavy accents. It was indeed very loud, colourful and many different scents mixed to an indifferent smell. It was overwhelming - and given the circumstances – frightening, alike.

How could she escape? Was it even possible?

Finally, they arrived at some kind of market stand. It was rather a low, wooden stage, within a colourful tent, that was completely open to one side. They pushed the group up the stairs, onto the stage. Each of them got tied to an iron ring that was anchored to the stage. An adipose, little man with a short beard and colourful cloths was waiting there, already. He had a mischievous grin on his lips and the gaze of a sly snake. After a short, whispered talk with the man with the yellow teeth, he began to shout out with a sweet tongue, what he had to offer.

Soon, he caught quite some attention and men started to gather around the market stand, staring at Amelia and the others with indifferent gazes. Among them was a young man, whose rich clothing clearly gave him away as an Albarian noble. Edwin Caprarius was by far not as strong as his elder brother Godwin. His talents were laying elsewhere, so to say. Yet, he was not apparently weak, either. The elegant, jewelled longsword on his belt was certainly not just for decoration. However, unlike his brother, he was more the conspiratorial type, like his father. Today, he came here to look for some cheap work force and a worthy gift for his brother, to his estimated success at this silly, little outpost in the Rough Lands – which was certainly inevitable.

His eyes fell on a young, seemingly agile lad, wearing shackles. He would do for hard labour and being this young, he should last at least a while. Then, his gaze wandered over the rest of the group, resting on Amelia. Something about this young woman caught his interest, besides her simple beauty. He could not exactly tell what it was, but something seemed off with her. Somehow, she did not seem like the usual, low, worthless ones. Although she kept her gaze lowered and was obviously trying to give a humble impression, she didn’t have the usual aura of impotent hopelessness. He smirked to himself. It was nearly a waste, to give her to Godwin. Well, he could decide on that, later on…

A few words and a well-filled sack of coins were exchanged and Aaron and her were cut lose from the iron rings and handed over. Aaron dared to grin. For some strange reason, this guy kept a loud mouth, seemingly taking nothing serious, for real.

“Oh! A free trip to Albar, again!”

But all he got for it was a hard slap in the face by Edwin’s padded glove. Amelia winced at the sight, trying to help the boy up, but was hold back by one of Edwin’s guards. Edwin looked down on Aaron, who was spitting out some blood as he got back on his feet, with a cold gaze.

“This is what you get for being sassy!
Better learn your place fast, or you will regret it!
Both of you!”

Then he turned to Amelia, grabbed her chin with a surprisingly firm hand and turned her to inspect her from different angles. Amelia tried to avoid it and turn her face away, but he was quite persistent, his lips curling into a cold smirk.

“Oh! As I thought… resistant, aren’t you?
Well, you will learn soon enough…
Take them to the ship.
We shall leave the harbour, tomorrow.”

[Amelia Rotholz]

The Secret of Bralenar

Finally, they had arrived near the outpost in the Rough Lands, setting up their camp in the protection of the dark, moonless night. For some strange reason, the magical teleport books, connected to Bralenar, didn’t work anymore, so they had to march all the way from Brimshire, instead of simply teleporting there. Now, the camp of the besiegers was laying between them and the outpost.

Selenlaya was rubbing her forehead as she waited for the scouts and her owl, which she had sent to Bralenar, to return. A strand of her braided, white hair with the slightly blue hue, kept falling into the elfess’ face, as her gold-shimmering eyes kept resting on the map in front of her. It has been a while, since she had been in charge. In fact, she got quite used to her new life in Brimshire and actually liked it. Being called as a reinforcement for the outpost was rather unexpected and so was the fact, that she was set in charge for this mission. And why did the portal books not work, anyway? Something was clearly going on here. Something way beyond the ambitions of some Albarian wannabe. According to the mages, something or someone was distorting the very mana lines within a wide area around the outpost…

Did someone find out about the real purpose of Bralenar?! The mere thought seemed impossible. However, if someone was to find out and Bralenar would fall, it meant a tremendous threat for Ar-Sikar itself! After all, it was the only direct portal to right into the myth-weighted realm on the southern half of the continent. And base of the only teleport stone within the surrounding area, as well.

Her thoughts were roughly interrupted, as one of the scouts reported back, telling of the ominous group within the camp of the enemy. Other than the Albarians, Selenlaya knew exactly, who she was up against – and it was far worse than expected: Amat-Aras! Though the castle had fallen, it was to be expected, their people were still out there, trying to get revenge… No to imagine, what could happen, should they actually make it behind the magical barrier of Ar-Sikar! With a hasty and slightly shivering hand, she started to write an urgent letter, hoping it would find its destination in time. She had to inform the queen…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Those Left Behind

Dworin

The ever grumbling dwarf was sitting at a table in front of the farmhouse, his right, splinted leg resting on a stool. His dwarven armour, laying before him, was sparkling in the sun, almost like a mirror, as he had polished it for hours, being lost in his thoughts, which were still caught by the report, he did send to Oxiana, the other day. His bitter duty: To inform him of his failure.

He had just one task!
Only this one task!
To protect the girl… and he failed!
He failed him, he failed Peter and his long-ear… and – probably the worst- he failed her!
He failed Amelia!

The fact, that he was set to stay put by his broken leg, made it even worse. He could not even help with the search for her, now. All he could do was sit here, take care of his gear and wait… Secretly, he prayed to Irmorom, the girl would be safe. But oh, if he just could get his hands on this rat! Only the gods know, what he would do to this scumbag! His fists hit the table, making the armour jump lightly, giving a clanking sound.

That man would pay…

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Peter

Slowly, the plough carved its tracks into the ground, as Peter was leading the old ox across the field. Life went on and the work had to be done. However, his thoughts were far away and full of anger, frustration and sorrow.

Amelia! Beloved little sister!
He had not been able to protect her!
He failed his father! He failed her!
What did he do wrong?!
Where was she? Was she alright?
Would he see her ever again?

He tormented himself, repeating the same questions in his mind, over and over. To think of the horrors, she might have to face – if she was still alive? No! He shook his head to himself in determination. He mustn’t even think of that! His hand searched for the necklace, he was now wearing under his shirt, sending silent prayers to the gods to protect her. She had to be alright! He had to belief it! His grim, dark gaze wandered over the fields, towards the town, where Keona was questioning Luke, since they were back from the woods.

That man would pay…

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Keona

Blood dripped from her knuckles, as she left the cell and it was not only that of Luke. She washed her hands at the water barrel, examining her wounds. She was not proud of what she had done, in there. Yes, she had lost control. Amelia being kidnapped, Luke’s cold, recalcitrant, arrogant attitude… all this brought back memories, long locked away within her heart. But she would not allow it! She would not allow; Amelia would share her late son’s fate!

At least, he finally broke down and gave away the sparse information, he had. Amelia was sold to some slave traders that used to have most of their business in Gynk. It was not much and she was aware, time was running against them. But at least, it was a lead! She already had sent a report to the queen – Lhira –, as well, as Nishadaa. She had to inform both, as Amelia was also bearing the secret family crest, being declared Inara’s sister and part of the family, by the queen herself. Before she left, she glanced back to the cell of the quickly build up prison. This was not over, yet!

That man would pay…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Caprarius Manor

It has been days, since they had left behind Gynk. At least, Amelia thought so, as she had not seen the sky in quite a while. After what felt like ages, they arrived at the harbour of Ann-Korr, just to board another ship, suited for traveling on a river. The journey went upstream, along the river of Eronin – or was it Erenin? –, parting to the south, along the Erin, until they finally reached their destination: A small peer on the north-western shore of the Erin Sea, a huge lake, located right between the Old Willow Woods and the Kharm Desert.

Caprarius Manor gave an impression, as if taken right off one of those majestic landscape paintings. At the end of a neat stone padded path, the huge, grand manor was enthroned above the lake, surrounded by a beautifully designed park-like garden. It was sunny and warm, yet not too hot and the light breeze had the leaves of the trees dance in the air.

Amelia and Aaron got pushed onto a less picturesque path, leading to an inconspicuous side entrance. Here, they got separated. Amelia was led to a chamber, right under the roof, where a hard bed, a bucket of cold water and the simple dress of a maid awaited her, as she was ordered to get in a more presentable shape, before she was locked in. The moment, the door was locked, she rushed to the tiny, dirty window. It could be opened, but even for her, it was far too small to get out. Besides, there were two floors underneath her. Even if she could squeeze herself through the tiny window, it was simply too high and she was really bad at climbing, anyways.

She had to play along and wait for a better opportunity, for now. But she would find a way out of here! She had to! With a deep sigh, she began to wash herself with the shivering-cold water, fixed her hair and put on the dress, making sure, her amulet of the tree-protecting dragon, the crest of Ar-Sikar, stayed well-hidden underneath the cloth.

She was just ready, when the door was opened and a young man, possibly a servant, ordered her in a rough tone to follow her. Amelia kept her gaze lowered and followed obediently, peeking around from the corner of her eyes, trying to memorize as many details as possible. Escaping could be even more difficult than expected. The corridors were bustling with servants and there were guards at nearly every door. She was led to a rich-furnished room, with elegant tapestries and carpets. Edwin Caprarius was sitting in an elegant chair, slightly swaying a goblet of wine in his hand. His eyes darted at the young woman, as they entered the room, and with a small gesture of his hand, he signalled the servant to leave them alone. He got up from the chair in a swift, elegant move, putting the goblet aside as he started to walk around Amelia in a slow circle, addressing her in an arrogant, typically aristocratic tune.

“Well, well… Now, you’re looking more civilized. Much better… pleasant, I must say…
Well, now? What’s your name, girl?”

Amelia kept her gaze lowered. She opened her mouth, just to close it again, remembering something, Oxi once told her: Sometimes, it is better, to keep your identity hidden. Lying was against her very nature, but here, it was necessary. Her thoughts went fast, as Edwin lifted a brow, impatiently. Yes, that was it! Her late mother’s name of birth! Still keeping her gaze lowered, she answered in a low, humble voice.

“M-Merle, Sir. Merle Almendis…”

“Merle… An awfully common name, as expected. Given your accent, you’re Salkamarian… but with a hint of Albar… Border region, I suppose? Oh, it doesn’t really matter…”

He smacked his lips, getting a seat in the chair again and reached for the goblet. His gaze was resting on her, inspecting her thoroughly. His voice kept the arrogant tune, yet, the way he continued had a cold, nearly cruel touch.

“Listen well, now! You are now my property, my possession. Your well-being is solely in my hands, now. You better don’t forget that. For now, you shall serve as a personal maid to my stepmother, and me, of course. So, you learn the way things go here. Until my brother returns, that is. We shall see, what I will do with you, then… Behave, and you will be fine. However, should you try to flee… always keep in mind: you can be easily replaced. Oh, and by the way: It is ‘My Lord’, for you! Got that?!”

With his words, his thumb was crossing his throat, gesturing to be cut off, with a cold smirk on his lips. Amelia swallowed and nodded slowly. That man sure was frightening and cruel. Her voice was slightly shaking, as she answered.

“Y-Yes, my Lord.”
“Good. Now go! You will be seen to your duties.”

[Amelia Rotholz]

In Search

Brimshire:

“Damn it!”

Keona’s fist was hitting hard onto the table, when she read the letter, that just arrived from Ar-Sikar. Bad news did just not stop, it seems. Obviously, the incident at Bralenar was more serious than expected and as a result, Ar-Sikar’s forces were set on alert. That alone would be bad enough, but what made her really angry was the order, she just had received. With things being this serious, she was told to stay where she was, since most of the forces, protecting Brimshire were currently fighting at the outpost! She could not believe it! She wanted to help with the search for Amelia, but with this letter, she was just ordered to stay put… and the queen also requested the same for Peter. The only good news was: Obviously, Nishadaa had sent her elite to take over the search…

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Gynk:

Byron Blake was probably one of the best of Lacy’s – Nishadaa’s – elite guard. Despite being a mere human, he was just as agile, witted and dexterous, as his mostly elven colleagues. Yet, the order he was given recently, was a surprise to him. He was sent to Gynk to search for the girl named Amelia, along with nine others – two of them were so-called shadows, the perfect spies, or assassins, depending on what was needed. He barely remembered the girl but he knew, she visited Temran once. But the way, Lady Dracu has issued the order made clear, this was a very personal and important matter to her.

According to the intel which they received from Brimshire, Amelia had been kidnapped and sold off to Gynkish slave traders, so, Gynk was the best lead, they had. Byron and his group had set out immediately, not wearing any symbols, banners or crests. In such cases, investigation was best done inconspicuously. However, he was aware, that time was not on their side.

Once arrived in Gynk, it took quite some coins for briberies to find the merchant who had probably sold the girl and even more wine to loosen the man’s sly tongue, just to find out, she had been sold to some Albarian noble. Unfortunately, this was where their luck came to an end, as well. For the sake of utmost discretion, there was no name, no crest, nothing given, except the prize for the wares.

A damn dead end…

[Amelia Rotholz]

A dept payed

It has been several days, since her talk with Edwin Caprarius. Until now, Amelia had no opportunity to leave the building, nor to send any kind of message. Taras, her little sparrow hawk, had gone missing, way before she had left Illarion – probably found a nice falcon lady to breed with – so that was not an option to call for help, either. But she was grateful, that Edwin seemed to be busy with some eerie people, roaming freely within the manor as they pleased, so he barely did call for her. Fortunately, Lady Anabel was of a rather kind and quiet nature, yet humble and obedient to the men of the house. She was the second wife of the old Lord Caprarius and mother to his youngest son, Baldan. Being the youngest of three sons, Baldan did not get much attention of his father, neither did his brothers seem to care much. As a result, the eight-year-old boy skipped most of his lessons and preferred to play outside, not caring much for position and rules. In fact, he became friends with cheeky Aaron rather quickly, all in secret, of course.

It was in the late afternoon and Amelia was helping with cleaning in the kitchen, when suddenly Aaron rushed in from the servant entrance. He was catching for breath, like he had run fast.

“Am-Merle! Quick! Baldan! He ate yew berries!”

The kitchen maid dropped a plate, shattering it on the ground. Pale, she turned on her heal, running for Lord Edwin. Amelia quickly grabbed a mortar and instantly browsed the kitchen shelf for certain herbs, telling Aaron in quick words, what else she would need. Yew berries were holding a strong poison. They could be lethal, especially for a child! With quick hands, she frantically prepared an antidote, based on coal brew and herbs, filled it to a clay jar and hurried after Aaron, out to the garden.

In the shadow of the yew tree, she found Lady Anabel, holding her son in her arms. The boy’s skin was pale and cold-sweated. His breath was weak but still constant. Amelia was kneeling next to her, but Lady Anabel refused to let her touch Baldan. The mother darted at Aaron in disbelief, barking at him with a voice shivering of worry.

“I told you to get help! This is all your fault!”
“Amelia is a medico, my Lady. She knows what to do!”

Right that moment, Amelia was grabbed at her shoulder and forcefully pulled away, just to be pushed to the ground. She was barely able to keep hold of the jar, yet somehow managed, to keep it save. Edwin Caprarius stared down on her with a cold, angry gaze.

“Amelia?! Wasn’t it Merle, huh?
And…a medico?! A woman??! Don’t make me laugh!
Didn’t I tell you to learn your place?!
You are a maid, a servant, a slave! Nothing more!
I have sent for a real healer. He should be here within half an hour.”

Amelia got back on her feet, holding onto the jar with the antidote, protectively.

“That will be too late!”
“What was that??!”

Edwin yelled at her as he already raised his hand, ready to give her a slap, but it was Anabel’s voice, begging with tears, that stopped him.

“Let her try! If she can save him, I don’t care for who or what she is… but please! I can’t lose my son!”

Edwin stared at his stepmother, then made a waving gestures, before grabbing Amelia’s free wrist, to literally toss her before Anabel.

“If he dies, so will you, girl!”

Amelia quickly reached for Baldan, carefully pouring small sips of the mixture into his mouth and made him to swallow it. Shortly after, he was winding up, vomiting forcefully. Amelia let out a sigh of relief. Seemed, he had eaten quite a bit, so it was all the better, most of it seemed to be out. After having the boy drink some more sips, she had him brought to his rooms. There, the called healer took over and Amelia was locked out. Of course, the man could do no other than confirm the treatment. It was certain, Baldan would make it and just needed to rest. But as expected, no one had a word of acknowledgement or gratitude for Aaron or her.

Later, Edwin called her to his study. He yelled at her for lying about her name and for being insolent enough to act as a medico and daring to speak up to him, earlier. Of course, he did not let her go without some hard slap in the face. Later, when she saw to her duties with Lady Anabel, the woman kept silent at first, when seeing the bruise, Edwin had given her maid. Amelia was already on her way to leave the room, when Anabel finally, yet hesitatingly broke the silence.

“Merle…. No, Amelia… Say… where did you learn that?”
“Well, what Aaron said, is true, My Lady. I am indeed a medico, trained by a druid, on the far peninsula called Illarion.”
“That is far to the south, isn’t it? How come, my stepson bought you as a slave, then?”
“I was kidnapped and sold off, my Lady.”
“Do you have family?”
"I do, my Lady. And a lot of others, that are very dear to me.”

Amelia kept her gaze lowered and answered in a low, humble manner, the whole time. Yet, the sadness and sorrow was clearly to be heard within her voice. Anabel slowly gave a faint nod, her eyes full of sadness and, for the first time, gratitude. Then, she waved a hand, motioning her to leave.

It was the hour before dawn, the time when the night was darkest, when someone quietly knocked at Amelia’s door. It was Aaron, telling her to get dressed quickly. She followed him along the corridors, keeping in the shadows. For some reasons, there were less guards than usual, which made her wonder. They snug out and down to the peer. To Amelia’s surprise, there was no guard to be seen, either. Only a female figure in an elegant, hooded cloak, that pointed to a small, simple boat. It was the whispered voice, that gave her away, giving an unexpected surprise. Lady Anabel!

“You saved my son, both of you.
With this, we are even! Now go!”

Without any more words, the Lady headed along the stone padded path, disappearing in the darkness. For a moment, Amelia stared after her in disbelief, before whispering a hushed Thank You. Aaron and her quickly climbed into the boat and vanished into the night, silently…

[Amelia Rotholz]

Dead leads

So, the slave trader was a dead end. However, Byron and his men did not give up that easily. They kept asking around for a woman, fitting the description of Amelia, a boy in iron shackles and a man, fitting the description of said Albarian noble. It did take them quite a while, but after what felt like thousands of questions, they finally got another hint.

It was in the harbour tavern, where else? One of the dock workers remembered Edwin Caprarius. After a good mug of rum, the broad-shouldered man started to tell of his unpleasant encounter.

“That arrogant, aristocratic prick, with his hilarious attitude? There are a lot like him, but this one, I would not forget so easily! He had his guard pushing me aside, so I landed in the basin! Lord Whatnot… Who cares? And aye, there was a boy in shackles and a nice looking lass with him. I think she resembles the description of the one you are looking for. Poor thing… The flag? Albarian, of course… That’s all I can tell…”

Just great! Albarian nobles were a dime in a dozen…

[Amelia Rotholz]

In the wilderness

Amelia was leaning against a fallen tree, sitting on the ground, her knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around them. Her feet were hurting from walking all day. After rowing and drifting all night, they had left the boat behind and followed der river of Erin upstream to the north, until they reached the rim of some woods, short before sunset. How lucky she was, to have Aaron along her side. In fact, he was not fleeing from his masters, after being caught and sold, for the first time. As a result, the 16-year-old boy knew pretty well how to survive in the wilderness. Right now, he was roasting some small animal on a camp fire.

However, Amelia’s gaze got lost in the dancing flames, carrying her thoughts far, far away. She saw Peter waving at her as she walked the path along the fields towards Galmair. A memory of one of his visits there. That day, they spent all day outside, first working on the fields, later in the woods, gathering fruits and joking around. It had been such a beautiful day… Then, the scene changed. It was Peter’s and Keona’s wedding ceremony… Would she ever see them again? Her thoughts kept wandering back to Illarion….

Oxi… who had become a father to her, like Inara had become a dear sister to her. Indeed, her family bounds had grown far beyond blood! What would she have given for a hug of her sister or Oxi’s warm voice, welcoming her home! One after another, the faces of her dear friends kept coming to her, now… Claire, Yridia, Cynthia, Aly, Katharina, Fergro… Oh, how much she missed them! Her thoughts kept lingering on memories… Singing together with Cynthia… playing princesses on the fields with Claire, until they realized, Lady Katharina was watching… Long talks with Yridia… She did not even notice the tears, that silently searched their way down her cheeks.

“Ami? Amelia? Are you alright?
Please, don’t cry... I’m really terrible with crying girls…
We will find a way to bring you home.
Now, come on, try to eat at least a bit.”

He was holding out some roasted meat to her, giving her a wry smile. Right the moment, she wanted to reach out for it, they heard some strange sound, like twigs cracking under a boot. Amelia froze in her movement and Aaron jumped back on alert.

“Who’s there?!”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Claims of the past

It was early in the morning, dawn still died the morning haze into a vibrant red, when Peter got ready for his daily work on the fields. Keona was still inside, sitting above some disturbing reports. Obviously, some boats had crossed the river, last night, bringing people from the Albarian shore, who seemed to build some camp at the outer perimeters of the fields. However, Peter’s thoughts were far away… Amelia. It felt like ages, since she had been abducted and according to the reports from Temran, even Nishadaa’s elite was led to a dead end without any real clue about her whereabouts or well-being. He sent silent prayers full of worry to the gods, begging to get her back, save and sound, when suddenly someone from town called for him. The you man was catching for breath, as if he had run all the way out to the farm and he brought disturbing news.

Minutes later, Peter and Keona hurried to the town hall, There, the gathering was already ongoing, chaotic and loud, mumbling and muttering everywhere. People made room for Peter, as they obviously expected him to take one of the three seats at the front table. Everyone’s gaze rested on a man of rather small stature with colourful, yet elegant clothing, who was accompanied by two guards. All of them were bearing colours of Albarian nobility, colours, well known to the oldest generation of Brimshire, from past times. It was the colours of the House of Alethair, which recurrently hold Brimshire as part of their lands, within the past centuries.

The little man stayed calm and had an indifferent, faint smile on his lips. His clothes resembled those of a herald. His gaze rested on Peter, as he passed him, waiting for him to take his seat, before he presented a parchment, bearing the crest of Alethair, to the obvious council of the three men, laying it on the table.

“I’m here to announce, that the House of Alethair claims, what is rightfully theirs. The independence of Brimshire is a mere bureaucratic mistake, that shall hereby be corrected. This is a copy of the certificate, which proclaims Brimshire as a part Albar, and further the lands of Lord Alethair, declared more than 200 years ago. Lord Alethair, in his greatness, will see mercy to this mistake, provided that the people of Brimshire will acknowledge the rightfulness of this proclamation. Of course, House Alethair will give protection to all its vassals. Without a doubt, you will agree, that this is for the best of everyone, given the rough and insecure times. We await your answer within two days. Consider yourselves as informed.”

He bowed lightly with an arrogant grin, which made the gesture feel rather mocking than polite. Some wanted to stop him, but the guards had their hands resting on the hilts of their swords and Peter, as well as Keona, motioned everyone to stay calm. Without further words, the herald turned and left the building, marching straight out of the front gate.

Mumbling arose within the hall, some voices angry, others insecure, some even scared. Keona stepped to Peter’s side, whispering to him that they probably just had waited for the people of Ar-Sikar to weaken the defence and now try to seize the opportunity. They could not know, that Nashadaa’s elite was on their way to Brimshire. However, that did not mean, they could win an open war. What they needed, was a strategy…