“Father, why are you sending me to this man, can’t you see him for what he is, this bronzen demon?” said James. He was the hair apparent for the duchy of Warde, a tall boy at the age of fourteen, his hair black as the feathers of a crow, the green eyes looked calm despite the apparent anger of the noble. His nose was large and hooked. The features of his face were neither sharp nor soft. His body was lean.

“This man you are talking about is a Marquis, and you know why, without him you would be an orphan, not only once.” Said the duke, he looked the same as his son, only bigger, and more bulky. Only a stump remained on the man's left arm.

They were standing in the ancestral crypt of their castle, the room was only illuminated by a small orb of fire hovering above the duke's shoulder.

The old man had brought his son there to send him off to his squirehood. Like he was sent off by his father, who was sent off by his father and so on for no one could remember a time where it was different.

The duke began to speak again after a pause “And i have promised him my firstborn son as a squire”

“Why would he want that? Was the march not enough for him, and he seems… so strange” said James.

“Glory, honor, prestige? I don’t know what his goals are, but I have promised him and a promise has to be kept” said the duke, leaving no room for further discussion.

James already had said farewell to his Sister and his tiny brother, and his ancestors. “I will do as I asked but, please tell Rich why I left, he is too slow to understand '' said James, just thinking how his older brother will feel made him sad.

He walked into the dark to find the old way out of the crypt. Once the light of his father could not reach him, a tiny flame appeared in front of him, showing the way to the exit. For the entire way he clenched his fist around his sword handle.

Behind him the duke watched until he could no longer see his eldest and a bit longer. He let out a long sigh and went back to work.

Eathel wanted to scream, he was no step closer to finding his friend, or his teacher. Whatever happened Asser seemed to be at the roots of it all. It made no sense to him, why would the Medicus, recommended by his uncle, all of the sudden make Ed disappear? He did not know and it made him furious. You would know what to do, he spoke to his friend in his head.

He did not know what he could do, he knew if he went into the deep alone there was no way he would emerge ever again. He could not tempt his fortune this way.

The first time in a long time he went voluntarily to the training yard, it was only to let out his fury. The unfortunate training dummy did not stand a chance. His slashes left deep cuts where they once had only left tiny knicks, his strikes were better aligned with his sword's edge leading to a clean cut every time.

His eyes began to shine the more he thought about Ed, he hit the dummy with no regard to his aching body, the sun moved about him, the clouds progressed on their way, but eathel could not snap out of his focus and the longer it did the brighter his eyes shone.

After he had decimated his first enemy Eathel made his way to the second and then to the third.

He made his way to the fourth; it was the most defended yet it was covered in chainmail, and held a shield before it. He aimed his first hit so it would open up his target, he hit the shield on its edge with enough power that it was thrown to the side.

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It tried to close the shield again but was too slow. Eathel went for the killing blow, his sword went in a straight line to where the dummy's heart would have been. Just a few fingers before his target, turned the dummy tho the side to evade the deadly attack in its entirety.

What?

The short moment of confusion made him stop, he took a few deep breaths, his eyes lost their glow, and he finally saw the dummy for what it was. Before him a man stood, ready to draw his sword. By the outfit Eathel recognized him although he could not remember the name, he was one of the officers of the guard.

“My lord, what happened?” The guard captain had watched Eathel for a while until he decided he had to interrupt his training.

“It is nothing, anymore.” said the boy. “Why have you come?”

After that the guard commander told him that when the hired help left, a tall boy in precious clothes snuck out with one of the treasured bronze swords. After they tried to get him back into the castle. The boy said that his father would cause them problems if they did not let him leave on his mission, given directly by his father. Not wanting to make their lives harder than it already was, they let him leave.

“They told me this after they had a while to think about it, I apologize for their failure.” The captain ended his tale.

“Who did you say the boy claimed to be his father?” asked Eathel.

“Brayden, your fathers steward” came the answer.

Could it be.

“I was told that the guard had heard that i have punished Edmure. '' Stated Eathel now thoroughly confused.

“I also have heard these rumors, I also have heard that, he fell from the walls into the Farryn, the only reason I came to inform you was because my man swore that they had seen him.” said the captain.

“Thank you” Eathel dismissed the captain.

He slumped down onto a bench once the man had left. With his head in his arms, and a massive headache, he thought. After a short while he stood up, he made his way to the only man who probably knew what was going on. He paced through the castle steeling his resolve for the confrontation.

He finally arrived at the lonely tower, just like the first time he visited a black dove left the building. He made the familiar way. He was getting more and more furious, as he arrived he stormed through the last door, not even noticing that it was already open.

He saw the old man sitting at the table, absolutely serene and even more so in comparison to the angry youth.

“You are late,” said the Medicus.” Your father will be disappointed”

If he wanted to make Eathel even angrier he succeeded. The boy unsheathed his sword, he had to restrain himself not to destroy anything in this room, his arms trembled from the tension building in his muscles.

“Where is he?” was all Eathel said.

“Who”

“Do not act like you do not know what is going on” said eathel through his teeth. “It has to be you”

“He went through the gate, and disappeared. Like the guard commander told you. He will not come back, instead the son of your fathers knight will arrive. To meet you.” Said the Medicus, “And then he will become a squire of your uncle.”

Eathel understood what the plan was. “But why?”

“Have you not noticed?” Asser stood up, and came closer. ”Have you not noticed, after you emerged from the deep you were more, you became like our ancestors. And like you also Edmure did.”

“So he would have accompanied me anyways.”

“Yes as a servant who would be sideline for all the nobles of the Iron devils” spat Asser, Eathel could see the vitriol in the old man's eyes.

The youths blood turned to ice again after he calmed down. “I am only going to say this to you one time old man, so listen. Never and I mean never insult my mother again.”

Since he was a child Eathel hated the insult, used for his mothers people.

Asser told him everything he had, and Brayden with the help of the passage knight had concocted to get Ed to be a squire.

He did not like the deceit, but he kept quiet just nodding to everything the Medicus said.

Eathels first instinct was to tell his father, but he wanted to talk to his friend first, and to give him a chance to explain.