Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Serafina]

Sera shot him a dark look and opened her mouth to give him the sharp edge of her tongue when there was a knock at the door. A moment later the nervous page edged in and catching the mood of the mistress within, awkwardly bowed and stammered an apology.

"P-please forgive me Miss, but the Lady D'Here is here," Serafina thought he might actually graze the floor with his nose with how low the next bow went before he scuttled out of the door. She shot Solgrin another dark look just to make sure he knew she knew he wanted to laugh, before stomping from the room. Violet watched her go in amusement then glanced to Sol with a shrug.

"At least we don't have to teach her how to strop like a noble," and then picked up their fans and followed suit.

D'Here's carriage made the one the Bandits had arrived in look like it was fit for a peasant. The monstrosity in white and gold before them was garish, large, and Sera couldn't believe it took only six horses to pull the damned thing. Inside was just as painfully tasteless as the outside with green velvet cushions embroidered in gold. The Lady D'Here swept out in a dress that seemed to match her carriage interior and gave a smart curtsey to Sera when she appeared.

"Oh, please don't curtsey Jasmine, we are to be friends are we not?" she smiled and the woman practically beamed. "I hope you don't mind but the Captain and my maid will be joining us, you can never be too sure of whether you'll need a good sword or a stream of drinks at these performances," she sniffed and the other ladies tittered at the joke.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin remained blank faced.

He was used to this sort of thing, or at least he had been once upon a time. A good chunk of his life had been attending parties, theaters, and assuring that the King and Queen were safe. There was something...ordinary in that, a return to what he'd once been.

Before the curse, before the gem.

Before everything.

He glanced briefly at the carriagemen, studying him for a moment before leaning slowly towards Serafina. "I'll ride up front, My Lady."

Solgrin kept his voice low, though if any of the others strained to hear they most certainly would. That was an aspect of the game of course, appearing to play the part of who he was supposed to be. In a way it felt natural, though that feeling itself offered only discomfort.

 

[Serafina]

"Yes, yes," Sera waved her hand dismissively, already striding off towards the carriage's open doors without a backward glance for him. Inside her chest her heart was hammering. She couldn't help but think of the last time people had gotten into a carriage with her and how one of those had ended up dead. How would they be able to recover their guise if they were attacked now, in the city with patrols on every street of city guards? This didn't seem a place where the rough slept and caused riots, though she knew there was no doubt a section of it that was dedicated to such a people.

She gave Sol a tight smile when the others weren't looking before the door was shut behind them.

Thankfully whilst hideous the inside of the carriage was sparse and incredibly comfortable. She suddenly realised how tired she was as she sunk into the chair; it had been a long day. Only that morning they had buried the dead and now she was attending the theatre with women who were vying for her attention with stories on this person or that. She stifled a sigh and begun to listen; maybe something they said would be useful.

 

[Solgrin]

The General pulled himself up besides the driver, giving him a look which could only be described as 'reading'.

After a moment he turned his attention back towards the streets ahead of them. The Driver seemed to flitter nervously in his seat, and then a breath pulled into his lungs. The Ladies in the back seemed to settle, and then moments later they were off.

Unsurprisingly the journey through the city was uneventful.

Only a fool would have attacked this carriage, for any harm that came to it would have been with unmatched rebuke from a man who had enough wealth to disrupt entire kingdoms. After a few moments they reached the theater, and ostentatious building that left even a few Fortresses feeling shame.

Solgirn pulled himself out of his seat before the Driver ever had a chance to, his armor clanking as he landed on his feet and pulled open the door. He bowed slightly, showering the due defference as he waited for Serafina to exit.

 

[Serafina]

Sera let out a quiet sigh of relief when the carriage pulled up outside the theatre. She wasn't sure how much longer she could have spoken with a serious face about the price of ribbons these days and whether velvet really was the new 'in' fabric. She shot Solgrin a look of quiet plea that lasted for less than a second before flouncing on inside with the rest of the women. Violet, who stuck as close as she could, looked dejected when she was expected to follow the other ladies maids to the poorer seats in the main circle whilst Sera followed the others up into the box. She felt a pang of guilt for her friend but she was sure she would have much more fun down there than Sera was about to up there.

The box, if it could really be called a box, was an extravagant thing that could have easily housed 20. The five women she had been with spread themselves out in their favourite spots but Sera's eyes fixated on the woman who had already been there when they arrived and the gem that glinted on her finger.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin followed on in after the girls, something that was not seen as too unusual.

Another guard was already standing in one corner of the box, his Family Crest marked plainly upon his chest. The old General recognized it of course, his lips thinning for a brief moment before he made his way into the corner and stood next to the man.

He did not change his expression as he took his place, though the man gave him a curious look.

"Oh shit. You're-"​

"Yes." Solgrin's quick and terse word cut him off, a slow scared eye panning towards the guard. He gave him another glance, and then he made a click with his teeth. "Ah. Family then?"

He asked bemused.

"Aye, youngest brother."​

Solgrin nodded his head. "Sent to guard the sister, eh?"

A quick nod followed in answer.

 

[Serafina]

"Lady Marie, this is our good friend Isabelle - she is an absolutely stunning singer."

It took Sera a moment to remember who Marie was meant to be and another to shake herself and pass it off as a snooty glance over the other woman from behind her fan. It had the desired effect for the singer's smile slipped just a little bit, her confidence and ego battered enough to make her want to prove herself. Their host caught the exchange too and hurried on.

"She has actually performed once or twice in your own fair city, M'lady and she'll be performing at the ball tomorrow night I believe...?" she glanced to Isabelle with her eyebrows raised and she leaped in with her own deep curtsy's.

"Yes I am your ladyship, and her Lady Jasmine is very kind to give me such praise. If you would like, I could perform a little now before--?"

"That shan't be necessary. If you aren't any good it would rather put me off going," Sera sniffed and sat down in the nicest chair with a flourish of her skirts. Isabelle's cheeks flushed and she opened her mouth as if to say something when Jasmine made a sharp gesture and took a seat beside Sera. "Why don't you tell me more about this play?"

 

[Solgrin]

The conversation that he and the other 'guard' held was a short one, though that was by his own design.

Solgrin knew the way these things went, and right now was not the time to make a new best friend. The boy would likely inform his father, and then would receive instructions on how to handle this situation. It was a typical thing, and one that would be used to his advantage.

He would just have to make sure to track down the boy once they were at the party.

It wouldn't be too difficult. "Don't watch them."

Solgrin advised the young man quietly, catching the boy specifically looking at the women. It was not a leering look, rather one could quite plainly read the concern. It was clear the boy hadn't actually done much guarding in his life.

"Watch the crowd, the stage, and the doorways." He gestured to each thing he mentioned in turn. "The girls won't be hurting each other, it's outside threats you have to be weary of."

The boy looked at Solgrin, then quickly nodded

 

[Serafina]

Serafina let out a quiet sigh of relief she managed to disguise as boredom when the curtains pulled apart and the play begun. She hadn't been sure how much longer she could have kept up with the pretence of being a snob. There were subtle things she thought she ought to know by the very rare confused look she got from one of the other women about this type of fashion or that type of ribbon. Thankfully, it seemed most of them thought whatever she said was the herald of things to come to their 'small' city. What even was a small city? She thought sourly to herself, but any irritation or discomfort was quickly forgotten when the play begun.

It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen.

This was nothing like the puppet shows or pantos the children put on back home. She found herself wanting to laugh, to cry, and a few times like she wanted to get out of the chair and throttle some sense into the young heroine. It was a struggle to keep it all inside. Jasmine kept glancing at her when she clasped her hands a bit too tight or gave a sigh she tried to pass off as boredom. In the end she begun tearing up her programme into tiny pieces as though she were bored.

She managed to wipe the tears from her cheeks when the play came to a close before the lanterns were lit again.

"Well," she cleared her throat. "Should we--?" The door behind them abruptly flew open and the young man who had been with Isabelle earlier strode in with a grin and a great, flourishing bow.

"Get a drink? I couldn't agree more My Lady."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin perked an eyebrow at the bow who swept inside, apparently enough so that the 'Guard' Standing besides him had noticed. Slowly he leaned over and whispered in The Bandit Chief's ears, clearly trying to impress.

"That's Venrick Al'phonse."​

The name seemed vaguely familiar, though Solgrin had to search memories that went so far back they might as well have been a haze. His lips thinned for a brief moment, and he found himself considering until finally something snapped into place.

Al'Phonse.

When he'd been in the city last they had been a minor Merchant house. Very minor, but with such boldness he had to assume things were different now. A thought that was almost immediately confirmed by the likes of the boy besides him.

"His father has quickly risen to esteem through trade, allegedly...dealing with the Pirates of Teth."​

Solgrin's eyebrows shot up, his head turning slightly towards the boy. "You can't be serious."

"It's just a rumor, but he's a bit of a...well, like father like son."​

The boy said quietly.

 

[Serafina]

Venrick tucked her arm through his before she could protest. At least, this time, her anger was not faked at the man's boldness. If they had been alone she would have thumped him round the head and told him what for... or at least had Sol do it for her. As it was he didn't give her much choice as he begun to drag her from the room.

"If I had known who you were at the park my lady I would have introduced myself sooner," he purred and an uneasy sensation crept up her spine. She kept her face the perfect picture of barely contained outrage. He ignored it. "Lady Jasmine here was telling us all about you over tea just this afternoon. You must let me have a dance at tomorrow's ball, I assume your cards are not full yet?"

"No, but--"

"Then I must claim the first dance. I'm sure someone of your..." He looked amused as he glanced her up and down. "Background, will have a few things to teach a humble merchant like me."

He couldn't know. Could he? Or maybe they knew a bit more about the stone than she had thiught...

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin remained stone faced.

It was an expression that he had mastered over the last few years. The only sign of annoyance came when his hand fell to the hilt of his sword. It rested their easily enough, though there was enough tension in his arm that it might as well have been a viper ready to spring.

He stood there stoic, unmoving.

Before he could ever intervene, not that he would have yet, the boy who had been standing besides him stepped forward. As he spoke Solgrin found the lads voice surprisingly stern, something that he had probably practiced in the mirror.

"Venrick, unhand her."​

Fingers laced around a blade on his hip.

"This is not proper decorum, and I'll not have it here or at the ball."​

Solgrin looked to the boy, finding the fire in him quite surprising. The way that he stood one could almost take him seriously.

 

[Serafina]

Venrick's smile had a sickly edge to it but he stopped at the young lads command and gave a mocking bow.

"Of course, of course. Forgive me My Lady, I did not mean to cause offense," Sera rubbed at the bruises she could feel forming on her forearm beneath her gloves and gave the stooped man an icy glare. She might have looked annoyed on the outside but inside she was shaken. But it was when she glanced as Isabelle that she truly felt unease. Was that... fear in her eyes? The two women locked gazes for a moment and then the singer dropped hers, painted a pretty little smile on her face and stepped forward to claim her brothers arm.

"Venrick what have I told you about that Scotch courage of yours?" she tsked and swept past Sera and out of the room without a backward glance.

"Well," she said to the stunned room. "I suppose some things never change no matter where you are; men can never hold their liquor."

The tittering broke the cold silence.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin smiled slightly, though just barely. His eyes were watching all of them, their expressions, the way they stood.

It was clear that there was some discomfort, but the why he couldn't quite understand. Lips thinned for a brief moment as he looked towards the 'guard'. He was still clearly upset about the whole thing, though Solgrin couldn't quite get it.

Perhaps Sera had picked up on something he'd missed.

The Nuances of the young were easy to lose out on.

After a few seconds of giggling Solgrin stepped forward, leaning in towards Serafina so that he could whisper in her ear. His words were quiet, enough so that the others wouldn't hear. "Perhaps suggest they return with you to the hotel."

He told her.

"It is better than some of their palaces, neutral ground." Close enough to it.

 

[Serafina]

His breath against her neck raised gooseflesh along her skin but she managed to suppress the shiver and the temptation to step back against him and the protection he offered against the bad feeling churning in her gut. She didn't nod at his words but pretended instead to assure him she was fine and he didn't need to go and cut down the man for any offence. That seemed to win him a few approving nods from the gathered women who flocked like hens around her.

"If the drinks here are anything like that dismal performance I think I will pass," disappointment bloomed across the gathered faces and she smiled benevolently. "Perhaps you ladies would like to join me at my hotel instead?" Disappointment turned to excitement as the women uttered their delight and acquiescence before filing from the room in groups back towards the carriage. Sera hung back and touched Sol on the arm when the other guard left.

"I think he knows whats on his sisters finger," was all she could say in warning before quickly stepping off to join the others.

 

[Solgrin]

A flash of something colored his features, though it was gone almost as soon as it appeared.

For a few seconds he considered his options, what the smart thing would be. In the last five years of his life it had been easier, simple even. Following his impulses had taken him far. A cut throat, a burnt city. It would have felt right.

He knew now though it wouldn't be easy.

This was a city, these people had influence, power. Tel Amos was not a tiny village. It was not a wayward little town. A decade ago he could burn it, but a decade ago he had the support of an army and a nation. Now he was on the back foot.

Solgrin could not simply do as he wanted. He could not kill who he needed to kill and take what he wanted to take. He had to play this carefully, quickly. "This way, My lady."

The Bandit Chief said, his body practically buzzing with energy as he lead the girls down through the theater and towards the front doors.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina wouldn't let out the breath she was holding until they were back in her rooms; Solgrin was a force of nature in his own right. If he wanted something he would find a way to get it and until they were alone, until he didn't believe there to be an immediate threat to his prize, there was the risk of violence.

There was no sign of brother nor sister in the foyer where the drinks were being served and she prayed Isabelle had done the right thing and shoved him into a carriage bound for home. What nagged at her most was the look on Isabelle's face. That had been fear. And why did he keep the ring on his sister finger? The thoughts ran over in her mind as the women gossiped in the carriage all the way back to the inn. She made the odd noise here and there and pretended to be enraptured in their words but all she really wanted was to be alone and heading to bed.

It was a great fanfare when the steward appeared and realised some of the elite women of the city were gracing his masters establishment. The grandest room was cleared out for their private use and from somewhere a minstrel was produced to play for them. Violet hovered, bored, on the edges of the room whilst Sera took a seat in a low lying chaise lounge.

"Who was that man? Isabelle's brother?" the conversation died down a little and the women glanced at one another before Jasmine answered.

"No, M'Lady. Though he likes to style himself as such for some reason. He's her manager--"

"More like owner," one of the other women said with distaste.

"Slavery is outlawed here, of course, so he dotes on her in public. But most people know what really goes on..."

 

[Solgrin]

The Hotel, of course, was teeming with the band.

Most of them had taken off their armor and were now positioned in rooms, comfortable chairs, wherever they could be without anyone asking questions about what they were doing there. Guarding was not exactly their business, not really, but they could do it well enough.

Particularly when they Saw Solgrin wandering with a noble of his own. Most never offered a second glance, not wanting to give away any game that their General might be playing. "This city hasn't changed much."

Solgrin commented.

"I thought they'd at least build it different a second time around." The General mused as he sat outside Serafina's room in a large lounge chair. The boy who was acting as a Guard sat in the chair opposite, his posture far more rigid thatn Solgrin's own.

"After you burned it you mean?"​

The Bandit Chief smiled. "Exactly."

A small smile touched the lads face.

 

[Serafina]

The story went on.

Serafina couldn't have hid her shock even if she had tried. Thankfully it seemed to be the reaction the women wanted and even encouraged them to tell her more. Not just about Isabelle's 'brother' but a group of men who all seemed to have a say over the young singer and other women too. Apparently they all lived together in a manor on the merchant side of the city.

"It's most scandalous, but there's nothing anyone can do. The women all go along with their silly lies and there's no proof to the contrary," Jasmine finished and sat back, positively flushed with the excitement of having finally found something to impress her guest. Sera leaned back too and fanned herself dizzily with the feathered fan. The part not in shock quietly wondered what these women would think if they knew she was in a similar position.

"Are they all singers?" Another - Lucille - shook her head.

"But they're all blonde and about your age. Perhaps it's a weird fetish."

"It would certainly explain why he was so vulgar to you."

 

[Solgrin]

Unaware of the conversation going on inside Solgrin continued a subtle interrogation of the boy.

His questions were not as pointed as Serafina's, but they didn't need to be. It was clear that the young guard had come to relax, at least mostly. It was almost as if he felt some sort of Kinship with the Bandit Chief, a fact that was more than noticeable.

"My father has said Tel Amos must keep growing, but the more it grows...the more things..."

A sigh escaped the young man.

"I don't know, Sir. It seems strange to me. We've already gone beyond our walls, and since the great fire...well, things just seem to be growing again and again. It seems odd to me. There seems to be a...push for it."

Solgrin nodded, musing. "All cities grow, but Tel Amos seems to be doing it faster than most."

A hand reached up, gently scratching through his beard in thought.

There was something else at play here, but he could not quite put his fingers on what. Politics had never been his game, it was a battlefield he wasn't familiar with. Yet the current of Tel Amos had shifted, to where he could not have said.

 

[Serafina]

Such ghastly conversations, no matter how deliciously dramatic, were ones that fine women wanted to hold for long and so the topics shifted from the scandalous to the mundane. Most of it was centred around what much better men there were and how she would have a chance to meet them at the ball the following night. They were quite agreed to strike Venrick's name from her dance card and had a whole list of different names she should seek out. In the end it was agreed that Jasmine would wait for her outside the grand assembly hall in order to escort her in and introduce her.

By the time they finally left Sera felt like she would be married by the end of her trip.

She collapsed onto the bed face down with a quiet groan.

"I don't know what you found so horrible, considering everything else we've been through Sera. Really," Violet sniffed.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin's own conversation continued, though most of it grew more inane.

He learned about the power struggles within the noble families, how things were dancing back and forth, and how the merchants were making more and more money. It seemed that the old nobility was slowly beginning to fall, their wealth dwindling.

There was an anxiety in the air, and more than a few shady deals had been made. It was all too common, and Solgrin remembered seeing it a dozen times over in a dozen other cities.

The only difference here was that it was happening so fast.

As the ladies left Solgrin bid goodbye to the young lad, cautioning him to watch himself. After a few moments he knocked on the door to the room, though only after ensuring that the Hotel had actually been vacated by the noble ladies and their guards.

 

[Serafina]

Violet wrenched open the door then purposefully stood herself in the doorway to bar his entrance, her arms folded over her chest.

"She's tired, leave her be," she drawled and ran her eyes with barely disguised distaste over his uniform. Her lips twisted. "You know, it's a mockery for someone like you to wear--"

"Violet!" Sera's voice sounded from deeper within the room and made her friends mouth snap shut. "Let him in and leave it alone," with a quiet huff and another dirty look Violet pushed open the door and then went to step back over to Sera who was half undressed, fiddling with the skirt cage which gave the city its weird fashionable shape. Violet threw herself into a chair in the corner and continued to scowl whilst Sera gave a victorious noise of triumph when she undid one knot. She glanced up at him with a tired smile.

"Are they gone?"

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin only raised a single eyebrow.

Briefly he wondered how much the girl actually knew about him. Unlike Serafina she had not been isolated in a way, able to float around the others and speak to them. The question was...had she?

From what he knew of her it was not likely. She'd made friends, of a sort, with some of the bandits, but mostly had stuck to her own little circle. It was unlikely she knew of who Solgrin was, what he had once been. He watched her with a frown, but didn't say anything.

Killing her in that moment was easy.

Tempting.

For a few seconds Solgrin lingered in the doorway, then slowly he stepped forward. "For now."

"There's more going on in the city than we were told." Though whether that was malicious or not he didn't quite know.

 

[Serafina]

The bustle cage fell to the floor and Sera stepped out of it with a thankful sigh.

"The other ladies had a lot to say too," she began fumbling with the strings on her corset and then glanced at Violet for some assistance but the other woman avoided her gaze. Instead she got to her feet and muttered something about getting some food now she was done serving and flounced out. Sera winced when the door slammed shut behind her. She bit down on the inside of her cheek and then glanced to Solgrin instead. "Would you mind?" she turned her back to him and motioned at the lacing in her hands.

As she waited she continued.

"Apparently the believed some of the Merchant men to be operating some kind of slave trade under the guise of being kind benefactors to poor women. They find them in whorehouses or small villages and tempt them with promises then have them do all types of things. It's made their wares incredibly cheap but the nobility can't prove anything whilst they're being edged out of their industries."