Birthright: Lord of Arda (14 page)

Chapter XXIV

Braden

The cold air brushed against his hair, a few strands fell onto his face and he brushed it back, only for more to fall back down. It had become untamed since they left Farnshire, much like his half-grown beard. He rubbed his fingers across the coarse hair on his face, he had no idea what he looked like he hadn’t seen his reflection in weeks. How Page had seen through it all and apparently recognised him as his father’s son he couldn’t figure. His father, a High Lord of Arda. Braden let out a short chuckle to himself. There was some small irony that he had turned up to the capital looking worse than a beggar, dirty and unshaven dressed head to toe in clothes which had seen their best long ago. He had discarded the battered shirt when he went to sleep and now stood on the balcony overlooking Alton bare chested, his legs covered by dirty brown trousers. The wind felt good against his skin, the brisk air raised the hairs on his arms, the sensation relaxed his tense body. His mind had raced back long into the night. When he had finally gone to sleep, his mother’s face and voice kept waking him up. The third time he had given up on getting more sleep and had made his way out onto the balcony, he watched the sky brighten, as the sun rose to the right and Alton slowly came to life beneath him. He could hear the sounds of the merchants, echo through the early morning as the sun finally rose over the edge of the basin filling the city with light. Looking closely to the right he could make out the small wall cordoning off Rupert's Square from the rest of the city. The neat rows of barracks and store rooms running horizontal to the outer wall. As Braden continued to stare out across the city, he rolled his father’s ring between his thumb and forefinger as it dangled from his neck. After Page had departed the night before, Troy had asked him directly what he was going to do. Alex and Ashe luckily for him had diverted the boy’s attention and they mostly talked about the stories that he and Alex had remembered earlier. He was thankful to his friends, for taking his mind off the matter, but now he really had to think about his future.  As if on queue, Braden heard shuffling steps behind him. Page stepped up to the rail next to him and looked straight out into the clear blue sky, taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before finally releasing.

“I come out here every morning. The view is just amazing, It was one of my requests when I took on the job with the King.” Braden stood silent. Learning his elbows on the rail he continued to roll the ring between his fingers.

“Braden, I am sorry for what I had to tell you yesterday. I understand it must have been a lot to take in.” They both stood in silence for a long time, looking out at nothing.

“Yes, it was.” Braden watched the old man stiffen at the tone in his voice, before relaxing and smiling down at him.

“Have you thought about what I said?”

“Did you expect me to think about anything else?”

The old man chuckled.

“I guess not, I would not have been surprised to find you missing this morning.”

“I did think about it, but then I realised that if I got caught in High Alton I would have been thrown in prison. I doubt the city guard would believe me, if I had told him I was the late Lord Drake’s long lost son.”

“You do remind me a lot of your father, he had your dry sense of humour.”

“Who said I was joking?” The old man looked surprised and Braden held the stern look, finally breaking into a smile before he turned back towards the horizon.

“What would I need to do? If I wanted this that is.”

“It isn’t that difficult, well, your part is not difficult. We would need to present you to the King and the rest of the council, present our evidence and then wait on the Kings decree. Once he does it is a simple matter of having him officially declare you Arthon Drake's son, then the hard work begins.”

"Hard work?"

"Well, as much as the King's word is law, only those who directly hear him can confirm it. So we will need to get everything written down. The removal of your bastardry, entry into the nobility, official ownership of titles, deeds and lands. We will then need to quickly form a household around you. And that is just the start."

“What if they don’t accept me?”

“The council may not, some will lose a lot with a Drake back in the council. But as much as they prance and preach about their power they have no real power in the decision. It is the King’s word which will decide the outcome. What do you know of the current affairs in the Kingdom, Braden?”

He could only shrug his shoulders, the politics of the nobility have never really interested or bothered him before, all he knew was that the Cranes ruled Farnshire and the King ruled the Cranes. He never needed to know anything else.

“The Kingdom is poised to spiral into chaos. The King has lost a lot of his legitimacy and power over the past few years, he was never blessed with a large stock of children to carry on his blood line. His first three children were still born, only a daughter and son made it to adult hood, Princess Ranier was married to a King in the north to protect our borders, she died in childbirth only seven months ago the child passing with her. And as I said yesterday Prince Renal died just over two years ago in battle with southern raiders, leaving his son the King’s grandson the only living heir.”

“I do remember all the soldiers wearing black a few years ago.”

“Yes the nation was in mourning, the Prince was well liked. Anyway that left us with a seventy year old King with a toddler for an heir. The King’s power resided on two things, the lineage of his forefather’s and the last known Arcane in Arda, which unfortunately for King Rupert passed away just over a year ago. The King’s position is now very weak, the nobility are splitting into two factions around the idea of a regency. The King is unlikely not to see his grandson come of age before he dies. If this happens, whoever becomes Regent will hold the power of the King which is a frightening thought when you see who is fighting for that prize.”

“Wouldn't the King pick the regent before he dies?"

"Yes, but the King is reluctant to appoint anyone for fear that they will be tempted to kill him."

"But..."

"Yes, it’s treason, but if the person who kills him becomes the Regent, as long as he covers his tracks, well, who is going to deny him? A three year old boy King? Anyway this is a discussion for another time, not now."

Braden took a deep breath, the air was slowly warming as the sun began to rise higher into the sky. He could hear the others moving in the main room, he looked back as shadows began to move. One appeared out of the darkness, quickly darting around the corner, Braden smiled as Magnus caused Page to jump as he bolted into sight. Braden lent down and stroked him under the chin before rubbing him all over his face, the lion cub pushed his hands away with his paws but Braden continued to scratch him as he rolled over onto his back. They continued for a couple of minutes before Magnus jumped back onto his feet and began cleaning himself. Braden hadn’t realised he had been laughing with the cub. He knelt there for a long time looking at the black lion cub before Magnus gave him a curious look in return, Braden had forgotten the old man was there, lost in the moment. Before he could get up, Page knelt down beside him and offered his hand out towards Magnus. He watched the cub sniff the old man’s hands a few times looking back and forth between him and Page before finally pushing his head up against the old man’s hand.

“I still cannot put into words how, I mean, a Golden Forest Lion to even see one, is a rare privilege.”

"You know what he is?"

"Yes a Golden Forest Lion, I’ve read a few books about them, they are fascinating creatures. They are born black as night and as they age first they turn pure white then finally when they reach adulthood they turn into pure gold. The fur is as hard as iron, they grow to be as large as a war horse and are said to be the most loyal of creatures to their family. They are spotted only once or twice every ten years, no one knows how many of them are in the world. Why don’t I lend you the book, it’s by Librarian Seymour Korr, who spent half his life studying them?"

“Umm, thank you, he is the one really good thing that has come out of this trip.”

“Don’t let Ashe hear you say that.” Braden looked up as Alex stepped out onto the balcony. He had thrown away his old shirt and the years of smith work showed on his body, his own torn and tattered trousers were in slightly better condition than Braden’s but you would still find better on a beggar.

“It seems you both need new clothes, I can’t have a Drake appear in rags. I will get some clothes sent up to my chambers, they may not fit you perfectly Alex, you are not a small man but they will have to do. I will have someone sent up this evening to get you both measured for something a bit better.”

“Page, thank you. What do you need from me now?” The old man smiled at him, it seemed as if a light had ignited behind his eyes.

“For you to turn up at the council chambers in three days, but for now not much. As I said, I will do the rest. But perhaps go out and see the city, there are some interesting places and people to see here in Alton. I would advise to keep Magnus here in the Citadel. I will leave you the documents proving that you work for me, along with a couple of names of people who might interest you. But for now I must get going, I have a lot of work to do.” Page walked back into the room. Passing Ashe he adverted his eyes as she pulled on her top and was out of the door before Braden could thank him. Alex stepped up beside him.

“Someone has a spring in their step.”

“That’s an understatement.” Braden replied.

“So I am guessing you have made your choice then.”

“No, I have given myself three more days to think about it.”

Chapter XXV

Alexander

The steam filled the room, obscuring anything more than a few feet away from Alex. He took a deep breath, he could feel the warm air sink into his body. The warmth helped him to relax and he could feel the tension pour out of his body, as a young man rubbed his shoulders. His hands were like iron as they pushed on another knot in his right shoulder, he grimaced and pushed his clenched fist into the stone bench as the knot was slowly worked away. When finally the pain subsided, Alex looked up to see Braden in a similar amount of pain, as another man worked on his back. Looking around he could see six more men sitting in the steam, half of them getting their own bodies worked on. The baths in the Citadel were a definite blessing to him and Braden, after their long journey. He felt a little sorry for Troy, who wasn’t allowed in because of his age. Ashe had gone to a separate smaller section reserved for the women. The thought flashed through his mind, of all those women, dressed only in towels like him, his body warmed and reacted to those thoughts and he had to rearrange the towel to make sure no one noticed. The young man stepped away from Alex and stood waiting while Alex rolled his loosened shoulders and exhaled in bliss. The young man knelt down on one knee lifting Alex's foot onto his knee and placed his two thumbs under the middle of his toes and pushed hard. The resulting crack sent stabs of pain up his leg and spine. He let out a yelp, which drew a few chuckles from nearby men. The young man continued cracking his foot. When he was done, he placed it down on the floor Alex winced but was amazed at how good his foot felt. He hadn't realised how bad his feet were, the young man took his other foot and did the same, before standing up and making his way to the next man who had entered the room. He turned to see Braden with displeasure written across his face, as the young man behind him dug his elbow into his back forcing the knots out.

"Your back is terrible, I have never seen anything this bad outside of the tourney." The young man said as he switched elbows digging it once again into Braden's back.

"I would advise you to either stop whatever it is you’re doing or hire someone to get rid of these knots daily. That’s all I can do today without bruising your back."

The young man stepped away, offering another treatment the next morning, if Braden was feeling less sore. After a quick roll of the shoulders and stretch of his back Braden stood up and began walking to the next room. As Alex stepped through the threshold, into the next room he was met by the dramatic drop in temperature, it felt like a slap across his face. The circular room was dominated by four crescent baths surrounding a metal tree Alex gave Braden a weird look, there was no-one else in the room, no attendants and no other patrons. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Braden hang his own towel on the metal tree before stepping off the edge into one of the baths. Alex didn’t look any further or catch his friend’s eye, which he would later wish he had. Hanging his own towel up, he felt the chill run up his body before he also stepped off the edge into pool.

It was like a sucker punch to his stomach, to his face, to every part of his body as it hit the freezing water. The air seemed to be forced straight out of his lungs as he shot out of the water. He took a deep breath, the warmer air felt like fire inside him. He spun his head around looking for Braden, as he pulled himself out of the cold water his own face contorted at the cold. Alexander quickly swam for the edge of the pool. Dragging himself up he snatched the towel from the tree and frantically began rubbing himself all over trying to get some warmth back into his body. Alex looked up at his friend, who was doing the same.

"Why on earth would anyone want to do that to themselves?"

"It apparently helps with your muscles and also wakes you up after the lounging in the steam room."

Alex huffed at his friend, before he wrapped the now soaking towel around his waist and made for the exit. As the two dressed in the warmer changing room, Alex continued to grumble about the pool, he honestly believed he had lost a testicle for a number of minutes after he had jumped in.

"Stop complaining Alex it was only a little cold water."

"I know, but by the gods Braden, that was ridiculous. Anyway how did you know to just jump in?"

"When Bronn took me up to the Roost a few times we use visited the baths."

"Lucky for some. The best bath I use to get was the in the river, dad hated using the coal for anything but heating iron. How do you think they are getting on?"

Alex stopped tying his boots and stared down at the leather, he had thought about them every night. He knew Cornshie would have accepted them with open arms, the three towns had always been a close knit group. People moved between them frequently throughout their lives, Alex hoped that the thugs who attacked hadn't followed them there.

"Alex, we are here now, you’ve done what you said you would do and you have got me to Alton. If you want, you can head back to Cornshire, I'm sure Page will be able to help you and you could take Troy back as well."

"Ha, and leave you here alone. You wouldn’t know what to do without me. Plus I don’t think Troy will leave you or leave Magnus's side for a while yet. The boy has grown fond of you, he used to look up to you, when you worked in the butchers and since you saved his life you’re almost like a living god to that boy."

"I think he just likes playing with Magnus."

Alex waved it away, he knew his friend was fond of the boy as well but let it drop. As he stood up and stretched, he could feel the fabric stretch and almost tear, the clothes Page had brought were almost correct in length, however, the shirt made him walk like a scarecrow as it was so tight across the chest. He was tempted just to rip the shirt so that he could move, but as it was a gift from Page, he decided against it for now. The two headed back to the front of the baths, handing over the coins to the two young men, before heading out into the fresh air. They walked in silence for a while, heading back towards Page's rooms, the Citadel was full of servants running backwards and forwards for their masters, Alex wondered if any of them were Page’s men. Alex felt a little uncomfortable, there had never been long silences like this in the past between them, but he knew that Braden had a lot on his mind, so he understood why, but he still didn’t like it. They finally reached a garden that was empty, it was only a few minutes away from Page's room so he wondered why no one was here.

"What do you think I should do?"

The question was unexpected, Alex was happy that the silence had been broken finally, but wasn’t sure what his friend wanted to hear.

"I'm not sure Braden, it's your choice."

"Yes, but what would you choose?"

"Well, I could get use to the Baths, the massages, the food and the servants as well as all of this."

He opened his arms and looked around at the spectacular garden In front of them. He looked back at his friend and smiled, Braden's face was devoid of emotion, which hurt Alex more than anything else.The silence continued, Alex kept looking at his friend who just stared off into the distance. The silence was broken by two women walking across the garden, both were carrying large baskets of what looked to be dirty clothes. As soon as the two spotted Alex and Braden, they stopped their conversation, the closest of the two looked them both up and down before continuing their conversation in hushed tones.

"The women here are also a lot better than back in the Shires or the Roost." His friend smiled again at the comment, hopefully Alex thought he was getting through. They took a seat on one the empty benches which lined the courtyard.

"Do you think anyone in Farnshire knew?"

"Knew what?"

"Who I was?"

"Thinking about it, yes I think I do."

His friend looked over puzzled, Alex smiled, more to himself than to Braden. For once he had figured something out before his quick witted friend.

"A man turns up to Farnshire, a skilled swordsman who only wants to train one person in the entire town. A man, who seems to be a better swordsman than any Knight in the Roost, a man who seems to know your mother. When you leave for Alton he hands you a sword which is a mark of one of the nine greatest Knights of your Father’s house, and happens to teach you to fight like one of those knights. I think that someone did know."

"Bronn... he did always seem to be there no matter what happened."

"Like a watchful guardian over the heir to a High Lordship."

"But then, why didn’t he say something and why did he only turn up when I was fourteen, thirteen years after my father died."

"I don’t know, you would have to ask him yourself, I guess. Maybe he didn’t know about you until then."

"I guess I will."

"So have you decided yet?" His friend just gave him an exasperated look, before he stood up and made his way back down to Page's rooms.