The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 13).

The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 13).

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Word count: 2500

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I made every effort to avoid Lady Aigen as much as possible.

Not that it was particularly difficult.

My days were spent killing monsters, consuming food, learning about the next set of monsters, and getting what rest I could. Entire swathes of time would pass where I would be left unthinking about anything besides that. The impending civil conflict back home was just an idea, let alone the annulment of my engagement by the prince. I was more concerned with surviving the gruesome pace set by Lord Trelawney… and getting rest and food.

It was embarrassing for me to admit, but between bouts of monster slaying, my thoughts wandered towards my next meal.

As funds continued to increase, as Father and Claire’s family invested more into the North, the hearty fare we were given was replaced by incredible food. Lord Trelawney stated that with trade resumed, it was imperative the people be given food that not only provides strength but also morale. I hadn’t understood what he meant until I sat after a long day and beheld a feast.

Clear soup with delicate poached fish and vegetables to start the meal. Roasted, well-seasoned whole birds carved tableside that ran with clear juices when cut and served alongside a gravy. Small fresh buns with butter and honey between servings. Steaks fried in tallow cooked to my liking along with potatoes and root vegetables cooked to perfect tenderness. Fresh salads and pickles were prepared by the table at my request. Pies and pastries were aplenty after the meal, but so was churned cream frozen swiftly by ice, which had sugar, spices, and dried fruit and nuts.

I had eaten well back home, and my family’s larder was befitting our status as a ducal house, but the meals I had now were aimed to promote cheer and raise spirits in these frozen lands. Back home, meals were exotic, meant to tantalize, and promoted a sophisticated palate. Spices from faraway lands, small game birds soaked in wine before being consumed whole, and pastries with fillings of spiced meats carved tableside well after they were cooled.

The meals were deliberate and delightful. Every dish is the chef’s intention and a celebration of ingredients. At the very worst it was good, and at the very best, my family would sing our chef’s praises and aid him in publishing the recipe to other noble houses.

Such meals were wonderful for a household dedicated to ruling. Dinners with neighboring houses were better with such meals. It showed our influence, our strength, and our reach. The meals were not gaudy imitations or flaunting of wealth. They told those who ate at our home that we not only had power but also the knowledge to use that power for things other than violence.

Here there were no neighbors to impress; thus, the meals were meant to embolden the people and keep them strong.

I hoped that I wouldn’t find myself preferring these sorts of meals.

Our chef, Bernise, would be at a complete loss if I asked for anything currently on the table.

She’d ask me if I was feeling well.

But enough of that matter.

Between servings, I spoke to Chloe, who provided me with information from back home.

“His majesty ordered the homeschooling of the prince after his decision. Despite his attempts to refuse, the royal guard was sent to enforce it. The houses that supported him were forced to oblige.” There were many powerful backers of the prince. Why would they not when they could see themselves rise high in society by following his commands? If confronted by the crown for possible sedition, they would simply say that they could not refuse my former fiancé. “The saintess was sent off to her mother’s church. We haven’t heard from her, but I presume that she is doing well.”

Chloe looked at me as she spoke of the saintess, and I obliged her unasked question.

“I hold her no ill will. In fact, I worry for her. She would be buried by duty if she became queen. Not only that, but she knows the intentions of the prince.” The roasted beef was rarer than I was used to. Barely changed from raw. I was surprised by how much I liked it until I realized memories and experiences from the creatures whose essence I took were coming to light. Only the Ogres cooked food, and they did it only for root vegetables. All the monsters I consumed ate their meat raw. “If I had the power, I would see her whisked away from the possibility of being queen, but that would only rally the prince’s faction.”

“They already use you as a symbol. They call you many things, my lady. A doll meant to give power to your household. A vindictive woman who would see a demigod slain for her own vanity. Many more things besides.” Chloe looked uncomfortable as she relayed to me the poor tidings, but I nodded and listened. “Some even insinuate that you’re some sort of witch that charmed his majesty, as though the empress wouldn’t kill him if he did such a thing.”

I almost laughed at the thought of that.

“Her Majesty would do that.” I agreed with Chloe with a small smile. My mind wandered towards her majesty. She was my supporter. A woman who helped me with my lessons as I served at the palace. Young ladies of high standing were expected to know how to handle a household, and the royal household expected much. I spent much of my childhood there at her service and felt only apprehension at the monumental tasks that lay ahead of me. But she always lent me her ear and her time, despite all that lay ahead of her every day. “If his highness were younger, she would be able to let him have it, but if she punished him now, it would shame the crown.”

“The crown is shamed enough. What’s a bit more?” Alice decided to chime in, and Chloe looked at her aghast. Alice just looked over at Lord Trelawney, where the duke was sitting, enjoying a hearty stew. The boy just raised up a thumb, and that was that. He was always out of his armor in the evening, though it was always looming over his shoulder, ready to encase him in a moment. It was still difficult to believe that the boy wearing a suit vest, cravat, and shorts with knee-length socks was Lord Trelawney. “See? Lord Trelawney agrees.”

“Lord Trelawney does not officially agree with any statement that besmirches the crown. Lord Trelawney, however, does not punish others for their words and thoughts. Action or planned action, however, is something else entirely.” The words were perfectly rehearsed, lacking entirely in expletives and vulgarities, and the staff serving us sighed in relief upon hearing it. He considered his practiced words for a moment before a smile split across his lips. “I do, however, not approve of the crown prince’s actions towards my erstwhile student. Enough to send a letter vouching for her innocence and talent for the crown to read.”

The head butler was quick to lean forward and try to dissuade him, but he raised a hand.

“That was a joke, Riban. I know better, even if I don’t want to. This place needs decent relations with the crown.” Lord Trelawney sighed before looking my way. I stiffened in my seat, but more importantly, I became aware that I was mid-chew as he moved to address me. He simply rolled his eyes, and I enjoyed my food before swallowing. “Anyway, I think you’ve got a decent shot at becoming empress. I’ve got a gut feeling that the prince’s siblings are moving in the background and securing alliances, too. The wheel of progress is starting to spin, and a lot of people are going to grease its axle.”

“If you have such fears, why not share that with them instead? If you were to involve yourself in the conflict, everything would change.” Chloe suddenly asserted. She gazed at Lord Trelawney and didn’t flinch under his gaze. Again, I was aware of how she was able to summon courage to face him. It astonished me, even though I knew she trained her whole life to fight at the front and face monsters. “Your power and strength would allow you to stabilize the nation. Stop countless deaths from occurring. With your support, Lady Argelia can rise to prominence, and the threat of her household and you may see her wed to a better prince.”

Lord Trelawney could’ve answered in many ways.

He could’ve said that leaving the North would see his lands destroyed by his many enemies here.

He may have said something along the lines of seeking vengeance for his family.

Instead, he answered in a very, very Lord Trelawney way.

“Make me, or send somebody who can.” Lord Trelawney sent a vicious grin Chloe’s way. She glared back at him with gritted teeth. He was very much like a predator toying with his prey. Not because he was a child glutted upon immense power thanks to slaying so many monsters, but because he was a petty rascal in a position of authority and power who was confronting a straight-laced lady-knight. Chloe had neither the means nor the methods to surmount this challenge. “So, either start killing wyverns on your own for a few years, or start getting very, very pious.”

Then, he stuck his tongue out at her and laughed.

I desperately wanted to tell Chloe to stop, that provoking him further would only lead to her downfall, but it was too late.

She fell for the trap.

“What of duty? What of honor? How can you claim to be a lord without the desire to protect the throne?” Chloe contended.

In Lord Trelawney’s place, I would’ve attested that I was doing my duty as duke and that he was holding back all the monsters of this continent from reaching our lands. Honor and duty were both fulfilled by that singular action, and Chloe would’ve been stymied.

Lord Trelawney’s response was to make a show of yawning and rolling his eyes.

“There should be plenty of honor and duty back there without me contributing what little that I have. They’ll handle it.” Lord Trelawney provoked with a faint smirk, interrupting feigned discourtesy. Chloe was rankled further and practically shook in place in rage. Her hand went to her plate, but she stopped herself before doing anything to her food. She had that much sense, at least. “All those knights and nobles over there who have so many subjects and so much time will surely have enough duty and honor to go around.”

Chloe opened her mouth to retort but closed it and looked at her plate.

Lord Trelawney frowned at his attempt to goad her failing, but I just sighed in relief.

He had inadvertently ruined his own ‘fun’ by reminding Chloe that she had not moved to aid me.

So, I managed to find my tongue.

“Chloe, let it rest. Lord Trelawney is not yours to sway. Not only that, but my family owes him immensely for his generosity and aid. Even with the resumption of trade between our houses, our debt to him is immense.” I spoke, and Chloe’s gaze held a bit of sorrow. However, I gave her a stern nod and signaled for her to regain her composure. It was a familiar movement. One that I sent her so many times as a child when she came to my defense at the slightest of insults. It was terrifying that I wanted to forget all those moments just because of a single event. “I apologize on her behalf, Lord Trelawney. You have the right of it. The nation must save itself, or it will all simply become yours, and I know you do not desire it.”

Lord Trelawney huffed, obviously disliking that his fun was taken from him, but he let it go.

Chloe was silent for a while, but she ate steadily to make sure that she would have strength for the coming day.

Allowing me to eat the rest of my dinner in peace.

Though I did aim a glare at Alice to inform her that I was aware that she made that conversation occur in the first place.

…

I awakened in the middle of the night with Chloe and Alice at the foot of my bed.

Both were armed and anxious.

I realized why as the castle suddenly shook, and a shiver went through my body from the wave of magic that washed over me.

“What’s going on?” I got off my bed swiftly and started getting into my clothes. To save time, I had my clothes for training at my bedside. Alice helped me into them, and I gave her a coat. I took my dagger and catalyst in hand while following them both out. “An attack from the natives of this land?”

We left my room and entered the large common room and beheld the land outside.

It looked like the sky was falling.

Glittering, large orbs of frost fell from the night sky and slammed into the fortress’s arcane barrier. The venerable protections of Coastal Fortress Trelawney withstood the attack. Falling at great speeds and with immense weight, the bombardment of crystalline comets found no purchase against the defenses of the fortress.

But that mattered little.

“There in the upper left. Lord Trelawney is fighting… something.” Chloe spoke, and I followed her pointed finger. Through the bombardment, in the night sky, there was an armored figure that I recognized as my teacher high in the sky. He was an indomitable fortress surrounded by flickering, near-invisible blades that barely caught the moonlight. His attacker was some sort of monster. A winged, avian beast that was vaguely humanoid that flew through the skies with grace… and fear. “He appears to be winning, but it would be best to move to the dock.”

The dock was where a ship and crew awaited me, Chloe, and Alice. One was present at all times now, staying despite having offloaded their cargo and taking on more, to provide us with an escape if needed.

Lord Trelawney had joked to ring a bell on our way out to let him know if we were ‘washing out’ of his training.

I was unfamiliar with the northern term, but I had disliked it a great deal.

Now, though, I cared not.

If Lord Trelawney was facing something he could not kill instantly, that meant that thing was something that could challenge him.

I had no desire to be near such a battle, so I nodded to both Chloe and Alice.

Unfortunately, as we moved to the door, the woman I’ve been desperately trying to avoid entered the room.

Lady Aigen, in full war regalia, came unannounced to a place she was told to avoid while Lord Trelawney was busy.

It took all that I had to not leap out the nearest window and call for him.