The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 3)

The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 3)

…

Coastal Fortress Trelawney was a cliffside, fortified port that clung like armor onto the coast. At its base was frosted, churning seas and countless sharp stones. Reminiscent of a black beetle clinging to the side of a clay pot, the ‘head’ of the castle crested above the top of the cliffside, but most of it was below. Large structural supports, much like legs, stretched across the cliffside and embedded the structure onto the cliff. Ships entered the center of the castle, which was a ring of sheltered docks, with immense gates opening to admit ships and free them of the burden of enduring the frost and tumultuous winds.

“Ugly thing, isn’t it? It makes up for it by being defensible. Never been breached in my family’s history, and it lets us control the strait of Helena.” Lord Trelawney gestured at the walls of the castle. Many were covered in cannon, but three spires stood out from the rest. I recognized them as focal points for magic. The whole castle and its construction were most likely made to make use of natural magic found in the area, by gathering that magic and using it to strike down anything trying to cross the strait to the Empire’s lands. “The only real problem is food. The land’s not the rich and the weather’s always horrible, so we make up for it with large farms, but that means soldiering out and keeping it safe to not starve to death. Horrible weakness. My father would tell you the same. He died trying to keep it.”

“I presume that the weapons and protections of the coastal fortress take too much to allow for magic to aid in farming?”

“Yep, that’s exactly it, princess. Keeping everyone safe means we can’t use magic to grow food like everyone else.” He was glib with his words. Some of the crew tending to the ship grunted at his statement, while we pulled into the enclosure for the ship. The other docks in the hollow ring encircling the castle were notably empty. “Good trade and relations help a lot, but both are in short supply. Only your house sent aid.”

I could hear the smile on his face in his words.

“Now, you’ve got a ringer in your court when everything goes to shit.”

Alice’s green eyes were swift to turn upon him after his words.

“You will come to House Argelia’s aid, should you be called to do so?”

A dark chuckle left his lips, and quenched the sudden flame of excitement in Alice’s heart.

“Of course. A lot of bastards out there owe me a lot of money.” It was not a matter of honor, nor a matter of justice. Lord Trelawney would come to our aid for the sake of spite and getting what he was owed. The ship docked, the wings folded against the ship’s hull, and gangways came forth from the deck. We descended onto the only active dock in the expansive, expensive ring. This should be full of ships bringing supplies, especially after a devastating battle that left only one heir to an earldom. “If you fail, princess, I’ll be making a lot of money.”

We descended amidst the crew, whose wives and families met them happily on the pier, but after a few steps it was only myself, Alice, Lord Trelawney, and his steward.

I was briefly reminded of his age, as we reached a staircase flanked by two service doors. Unused pullcarts were lined up neatly against the wall. If the enclosed dockyard were at its full capacity, I could see ships being tended to, disgorging supplies with ease, and reaching warehouses connected to the rest of the fortress. The more that I looked around, the more I saw an investment of the Empire to protect us, which has been upheld by Lord Trelawney’s family for many generations as stalwart protectors.

“We did our job too well. People forgot what it feels like to be raided by berserkers on the backs of monsters, or tribes of wild mortals with bodies flush with primal magic.” Lord Trelawney must’ve noticed my gaze at the empty piers, and deduced my thoughts. I nodded at his statement, feeling a frown fall onto my face. They did their duty so well that their necessity was forgotten. “No choice but to kill them all now. Father’s going to roll in his grave. He tried to make everyone understand and get along, but that’s all down the shitter now. A real shame.”

I almost missed a step at Lord Trelawney’s words, and only Alice quickly helping catch me prevented it.

“Kill them all?” I repeated the words.

The lands of the frosted north were filled with foes of the empire since time immemorial. Small kingdoms dotted the far north, the frost and monsters surrounding them, making them the finest shapers of steel, and both the men and women of their people were tall and musclebound titans. They set upon the rest of the world in long ships, finding employ amongst the wealthy, and raiding coastlines to supplement their harvests and treasure vaults.

Then, there were the tribes that lived in the dark, frosted forests of these lands. They were a mortal race with pitch-black eyes, white skin, and silver hair with beautiful features. Some of their people married into nobility with ease and their bloodlines were strong with magics that pertained to frost. But those descendants paled compared their true kin here in these lands. They called upon primal magics and had mastery of ice to the point where they can walk naked in these lands with ease, and kill monsters in an instant.

Then, there were the people from the Fading Isle, a land where magic was abundant, where monsters could think and reason in their own, terrifying way, and where mortals were practically demigods one and all. A single champion with a herald once came to the empire and defeated fifty heirs to noble houses, collected gold rings form each one, just so that he could propose to his beloved. Theirs was a land beloved by the gods.

“Well, I’m exaggerating a little. Probably just three of every ten. four, maybe. Any more than that and gods get antsy regarding their followers being wiped. The trick is to just do the same damage as a massive, cataclysmic disaster.” Lord Trelawney intentions to them were simple and clear, as we reached the main gates, which gave us entry to dark halls barely lit by waning fires. Statues of previous heads of the house were arrayed against pillars. All of them clad in armor, all of them holding weapons, and all of them bearing scars on their faces. “Father tried to get alliances of marriage. Bribing them with gold. Cultivating lands alongside them. Treaties. You name it, he tried it, even to the point of offering me up to some ancient sorceress in the Fading Isle who had dozens of husbands already.”

“…If he succeeded, then the north would’ve been secure.”

“True, but he didn’t succeed. Instead, they took treasure and bribes from us and the empire’s enemies, then chose our enemies. Well, except my fiancé. Whore she might be, but she didn’t take the deal. Someone else from the Fading Isle did though.” We walked through the hall and reached the most recent statue. The last head of House Trelawney wore a suit befitting an audience with the king, but wore a cuirass underneath his fine jacket and greaves and gauntlets as well. A sword hung at his left hip while on his right was a small wand. His features were more kind and less stern. Lord Trelawney stopped before him, along with the steward, and both bowed with respect. “Maybe, if we had more assistance from the rest of the empire, it’d have worked. Now? I guess it’s more accurate to say that I need to teach them a lesson that their whole society will remember forever.”

We passed the long, defensible hall with easily-collapsed pillars, and entered the fortress, while Lord Trelawney’s words echoed in my head.

The doors opened and a simple, neat, and warm foyer opened before us. Paintings hung on the walls of children in their youth, smiling, as children grew to full young adults. There was a couple as well, smiling and holding each other close, with one child, then another, and another, until it was a young Lord Trelawney was swaddled in his mother’s arms with all his siblings smiling alongside their father.

He stopped and bowed his head, before heading to a trolley pushed in by servants. On the trolley was heated wine and fresh bread.

“Lady Argelia, I offer you this bread and this cup. Under my roof, you will have nothing to fear. You are my guest alongside your retainer. This I swear as lord of this fortress and land.” My neck tingled faintly at his words, but there was no imprint let alone scar from his earlier efforts to teach me. I took the warm bread and wine and readily consumed it. It was a small roll of fresh wheat and heavy with grain. Still, the baker’s efforts and time was clear. The crust was crunchy instead of hard and the crumb was dark, but still soft. The wine was mulled with spice, as well. This was a meal that came from limited larders, but they did their best. “I welcome you and offer you my protection and hospitality.”

He gave a bow, his armor somehow making no sound as he did, and when he raised his head after I curtsied… he offered a light joke.

“I’m afraid that I have more of the former than the latter, but we’ll make do.”

Shaking his helmeted head, he looked at the steward.

“Get them situated. I’ll be going on a patrol.”

“My lord, I need some time to rest.”

“Don’t worry, this isn’t for the treasury. It’s for combat.” His words were glib, but I was reminded by his earlier words. His intentions were clear. Though his words were light, the task he was about to set upon was heavy. I paused at that thought. The passion and idle coarseness to his words on the ship and at the inn were nowhere to be found. None of that were present since he crossed the threshold past his ancestors and fallen family. “I’ll be back before dawn.”

With those words, he turned away and ascended the main stairs, to a set of doors flanked by two tall portraits of his mother and father.

He opened the doors with one hand on each, and they opened without a sound, into a dark hallway where he stood alone with the moon faintly beyond him.

 All the servants present and the steward bowed as the doors began to close.

Then, for the briefest instant, time slowed to a crawl as something primal within the back of my mind told me to flee or to fight.

Through the gap of the closing doors, the red cloak and hood came off, and revealed a fully armored figure. Armor that was bulky and large, evoking the image of a mighty knight covered in powerful armor, despite being a vessel for Lord Trelawney.

That image began to break and warp before my very eyes. The metal plates shifted, segregated, and became thinner and revealed sharpened edges. The whole armor thinned and elongated, becoming a lanky and gaunt figure. Massive, gauntleted arms turned into two pairs and then three pairs, with the fingers of the gauntlets unfurling and becoming long, thin claws. It doubled its height and became an emaciated, terrifying figure covered in blades, and its visage warped as well. For a second, it glanced back over to us, and instead of the plain visor with ruby eyes, I saw a snarling, roaring maw of molten metal with blazing, predatory eyes ablaze with scarlet light.

Then, the doors closed, and I managed to breath one again.

Alice suddenly coughed and struggled to remain standing, only managing to do so, as the Steward of House Trelawney placed a hand on her shoulder. A faint glow came from his hand, and she caught her breath, only to look to him for an explanation.

A sigh left his lips.

“Allow me to apologize on the young master’s behalf. Once, he was the brightest and kindest of the family. Diligent and coming up with so many grand ideas. Now, he turns all his talent towards retribution and terror.” Steward Matthew extended a gloved hand my way, and I placed my hand in his. Suddenly, a creeping chill in the back of my mind faded. “He does not know his rage and hate comes clearly to those from the mainland. Here, detecting the intention of others with magic is not the norm.”

Alice was trained to be sensitive to even the faintest hint of aggression to better protect me. When she stared at Lord Trelawney as he ceased holding back, she must have seen his true, unbridled emotions.

It had shaken her to the point of nearly making her flee from my side.

I took a step next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, and was gladdened as she took several deep breaths and nodded.

“We shall take your words to heart, Steward Matthew. We will refrain from trying to glean intent with magic here.” The elderly man gave a bow of gratitude at my words, before gesturing for us to follow. He cast an orb of light to lead us, after opening a hallway. Lanterns lit in his presence, and dust banished away. It was a modest guest wing of the castle within the sprawling fortress. The hall was quiet and cool as we followed him. A question arose in my mind. “Steward Matthew, do you support your lord’s current course?”

A steward of a household is meant to advise the lord of the land, and in this case steer them away from schemes that would bring harm to the land and the people.

The lord of a household leading a one-man war against three other nations without the Empire’s support certainly sounded foolish.

Steward Matthew’s response to my question was immediate.

“There is no one who can stop him. Not here, not in the Empire, and not amongst those whom he wishes to destroy.” The tiredness in the old gentleman’s words was replaced by a cold spite towards all others, and a quiet pride in his lord. “When our lands our secure within two seasons time. Their reckoning will arrive and we will have our retribution.”

A part of me wanted to ask if it was right of them to put such a task upon a 14-year-old boy.

I stopped myself before I asked, as we passed another painting in the hall.

It was Steward Matthew, along with five other men in fine clothing, and Lord Trelawney late father sitting around a council table… smiling together for a portrait as fine friends playing cards.

That was the only answer I needed.