Fate - First Reply A Walk Through the Snowy City Streets

[Llewen Merrick]

The city of Mardus was greater than Llewen could have imagined; he did not realize that this was the Kingdom to which he owed his loyalty and station as a Knight. The towering walls, especially those of the great keep, loomed over him as his brown Palfrey, Rosemary, slowly walked through the streets, seemingly as nervous as he was about meeting with the King (to his knowledge, a King still ruled Mardus, but he had never visited the capitol before), and doubtless she was as exhausted as he was from the faster journey they had made along the old road from Castle Merrick.

He was tense, and the crowds of people relative to his home didn't help. At once Llewen felt very visible, exposed even in his simple green tunic with the white Griffin crest of House Merrick. He felt this was a foreign place despite it being the seat of power of the monarchy he served. And while it did capture his attention, his mind was still heavy with his current task: asking the King for a tax exemption. The thought of it had his mind racing with the other realities of his station. He not only had no money, he was also unskilled with the very sword and lance he carried, and had no friends, nor did he have any arrangements for a marriage. He was the last of his line, to his knowledge, the sole Merrick remaining in the short lived history of his line.

But how did one find any of these things? His parents had died when he was only 13, and for 5 years he built a relationship with his subjects, only for multiple poor harvests to betray his good efforts. He needed outside intervention, and any gain for him, be it friends, business, alliance, or marriage would be a large step forward. But he had little to offer those friends other than his sword and his body, both of which were woefully underequipped to deal with the many dangers of the land.

The falling snow betrayed the location of a beggar on the road ahead of him. Many citizens passed him by, but Llewen stopped for a moment to observe, as the man's unbearable poverty struck a chord with him. He could not offer the quilt his peasants had given him, as they were expecting it back, and for good reason: the cold weather was upon them, and it was unforgiving to all who were not adequately prepared.

The man shook a small mug, which Llewen assumed to be filled with the merciful gold of passersby. For a moment, he deliberated, knowing that the paltry sum of gold he himself had was insufficient to pay his taxes. That being the case, why couldn't he spare a copper for the poor man? Would that one copper be the difference between mercy and shame?

Llewen chanced it, dismounting and reaching into his light purse to give the man a copper. The man seemed thankful, but almost immediately returned to shaking the mug. Llewen remarked on how similar his own predicament must appear to the many nobles of Mardania.

Then, Llewen mounted his horse again, and began the slow walk again as he stopped paying attention to the world around him and the snow began to pick up again, obscuring his vision on top of his distracted state of mind. How would he meet anyone, anyway? He had no wisdom of such things--perhaps for once, fortune would need to smile on him.

 

[Aluicious Rosebury]

Perhaps, the man needed a change in fortune.

Rosebury despaired ever winning the wager. Was humanity still as selfish as ever? Did anyone care? Was a man so focused on himself that he wouldn’t spare a thought for a man in need…a beggar perhaps? Honestly, the disguise was flimsy but the faerie didn’t need much. Men only saw what they wanted to see, nothing more and nothing less. He shivered, and rattled his cup. How ironic he sat here by the side of the road in a ragged old cloak while men watching them in the House of Coins exchanged piles of money the longer he sat there.

A clink in his cup drew his attention. Ah! He could hear the groans and cries of victory from here. As for him, he’d won a share of that bet. At least one man wasn’t so heartless. He sprang up behind the lone soldier on his horse, turning the cloak inside out. It revealed a silk jacket of orange and gold, lined in fleece to keep away the cold. Likewise, the rest of his clothing seemed to have changed. A good pair of doeskin boots, a red silk vest with a gold watch chain leading toward a pocket, and deep burgundy pants.

Rosebury hurried to catch up with the man, shaking snow free from his pale hair and looking up at him with gold eyes. “Good evening. I must say, thank you for winning me that particular wager. I was getting a bit nervous no one would drop a coin into that hideous little cup.” he held up the man’s copper, and flipped it in his fingers to a gold coin. “Even human lords can be generous on occasion, it seems.”

Llewen Merrick

 

[Llewen Merrick]

It was perhaps most accurate to call Llewen a bumpkin; his experience with magic was limited to parlor tricks he had seen when he was a child, and legends his mother used to tell him. As such, it took him several moments to assess what had happened, and even then he felt the need to ask a few... clarifying questions.

"Forgive me, but you must have me mistaken for someone else. I gave a coin to a beggar on the street..."

He looked back, then paused, wrinkling his brow. No, surely not... who is this?

"I think I understand now; you were begging under false pretenses. Your skill with disguises is impeccable. I am glad that my generosity has inspired you and won your wager, but you must forgive me, for it would seem you are wealthier than I am based on your attire. I am Lord Merrick, of Castle Merrick, and the last of my short-lived house. I am at your service."

Llewen adjusted his tabard, as if it might make him seem more official, but it was impossible to hide that he was most likely the poorest knight in the land, if not the world.

He cleared his throat.

"With whom do I share the honor of speaking?"