Hooves beat a tempo on the hardened ground as the three travelled. The sun had risen high into the sky as if to mark their place on their journey, casting a golden light over them.
‘And, fearing the worst, Pen the Mighty raced to the town, only to find that the giant, the same one that had sworn revenge every time he had lost to Pen. Had this time fended off the others of his kind, saving the town that Pen had promised to protect,’ Lan recited the tale to Luna with the ease of ingrained memory.
‘For you see, over time, the giant began to look forward to his battles with Pen. Even though he always lost, he learned from the fights, coming up with new plans and strategies to defeat Pen, and he grew stronger.’
So when the other giants followed him and attacked the village, he knew losing the town would hurt the sorcerer he had grown to respect and rushed to the aid of the same people who had turned him away. In the end, as Pen healed the giant, he thanked the Lords of Light for the town and its people being safe and that his friend, the giant, was also.’
Luna laughed, beaming at the ending all children liked, while Seras rolled her eyes.
‘If this Pen was so strong, why didn’t he just kill the giant? Then, the others would never have found the town.’ She asked, making Lan frown at her.
‘Well, if you had been listening. You would know the giant had hated the town because he felt they hated him. Pen had seen this, which is why he had always let the giant live. The tale teaches us that people aren’t always what they seem. Even in the scariest of us can lay a heart of gold, and the smallest of us can be the bravest.’ Lan said as Luna’s eyes danced with joy.
Lan smiled at that. Every child was told about the Tales of Pen the Mighty. Many were lessons meant to help build character, but Pen and the Giant had always been one Lan loved.
‘Maybe you are just bad at telling tales.’ Seras said under her breath, and Lan had to stop himself from gasping at the insult that every Crownguardener, even those that were bad at telling tales, would see as a great offence.
‘Maybe you are just bad at listening to them.’ he said with an exaggerated frown.
‘I… I liked it.’ Luna said in a small voice, the first time she had spoken since he had made the promise.
‘Well, that’s all that matters.’ Lan smiled. If Making her smile meant acting a little like a fool, Lan thought it was worth it.
‘But what are the Lords of Light?’ she asked as she scrunched up her little face.
Lan looked to Seras, wondering why they wouldn’t have taught her that much.
‘It’s what people in Crownguard call the Aspects.’ Seras said offhandedly, although it didn’t make it that much clearer for Luna.
‘Oh…’ she said in a small voice.
‘The Lords of Light are the first children of The Mother; the First Mother. The one that gave birth to the world and everything in it. In doing so, she relinquished parts of her authority to those who would become the Lords of Light.’ Lan started before, listing those he knew, starting with those he knew the least about. The Herald, The Weaver, The Justiciar, The Trickster and the Mage.
‘And then there is Eskathah or Eska, the Light Lord of War, also called The Warrior. She is the patron of warriors and soldiers and oversees battles. She sometimes even grants strength to some who embody what it is to be a warrior. Then there is Hathsdan, the Light Lord of creation, also called the Forge Master. He is the patron of crafters like my father, Smiths and others who make things.’ Lan looked to Luna, finding her attention fixed on him.
‘Who else… there is The Lady, the Light Lord of Love, Ainelin and her twin sister, Bayla, The Muse or the Light Lord of Tales and Songs. The twin sisters are said to be inseparable. There is Andymion, The Ruler or the First Lord of Light. And, of course, there is Cernos, the Light Lord of the Wilds, The Hunter and the First Son. My Patron.’ Lan said, and even though it was the first time, it felt good to say.
‘The First Son?’ Luna asked, ‘But I thought the other the… Andym one was the first?’
Lan smiled at that. ‘Andymion is the First Lord of Light, the leader of the Lords of Light. Cernos is the first-born son of The Mother. Born even before the idea of the Lords of Light, he was tasked with creating places in the world for the first humans to live safely. Something that we adventurers still do in his name.’
‘Funny, I thought you all were a group of madmen that liked killing things.’ Seras said, making Lan frown.
‘That’s not… well, okay, maybe some of us are madmen…’ he admitted, making Luna giggle, and Lan saw Seras’s expression soften like it had every time Luna had done anything but look petrified.
No matter the story, Lan knew in his heart that Seras cared for Luna. Lan thought as Seras noticed him looking and glared back, and he almost laughed before frowning as he scanned the tree line where Tyr’s impression had warned him.
‘Seras, stay close.’ He said without raising his voice.
‘What is it?’ Seras asked, even as she moved her horse closer to Lan’s.
‘Just a little company.’ Lan said momentarily, wondering if running was the right thing to do before noticing the two large four-legged figures that were undoubtedly horses. Horses whose riders would have nets or some other snares.
‘Well, well, well. Isn’t this a happy little family with happy little horses?’ A rough male voice said before the owner walked from behind a tree, revealing a dwarf with a short beard and a tooth missing from his big grin of boulder-like teeth.
A moment later, the man was joined by two human men, and two more appeared behind Lan, the others eliciting a whimper from Luna. Which made both Lan and Seras frown.
‘Well, aren’t you going to do something, Hunter?’ She asked, looking like she was about to do it herself.
‘I am,’ Lan answered as he looked over the men. They were clearly not from Leeto. And the fact that they were looking at the horses more than Seras or Luna let him know they weren’t hired thugs.
After a moment, Lan sent a trace of mana to his eyes, shifting his sight as the world changed and flames burst to life in their chests.
‘Hmm, eight to twelve.’ Lan guessed. No doubt they were stable hands like many horse thieves were, which meant he had to worry about their high strength and body, as none looked like the thinner men tasked with catching any runaway horses. Those two were still on horseback, hiding in the trees.
‘Now look, all we want are the horses and coin, and then you can go. Sounds good, no?’ the dwarf looked at Lan. ‘Say that’s some nice looking armour. You can leave that and the sword, too.’
‘Look, boss!’ the meathead next to him said. ‘He is an adventurer but only a copper.’ The man laughed before he was joined by the others.
‘Know what, adventurer, how about you…’ the dwarf started before Lan cut in.
‘Horse thieves or bandits?’ Lan said cooly as the man stumbled over his words.
‘W-what?’ the dwarf asked.
‘I would like to know what you are talking about, too?’ Seras added flatly.
‘Well, if they are horse thieves and try to steal our horses, then I will have to arrest them and take them to the nearest city.’ Lan explained, watching as Seras came to the same realisation he had about how much attention that would draw, let alone something they didn’t have the time for. ‘If they are bandits, on the other hand, I can just kill them.’Lan shrugged as the men paled at his nonchalance and the mention of one of the Red Titles.
‘We ain’t no bandits!’ The dwarf shouted even as the others looked at each other nervously. Which was just what he wanted. To remind them of the consequences of their actions when they felt triumphant while showing them how unfazed he was.
Seeing that Luna was having difficulty following what was happening, Lan smiled at her.
‘Red Titles are titles that people who do certain unforgivable things are cursed with.’ Lan explained as the dwarf face turned red from being ignored, ‘like doing things that would make you a bandit,’ he said, feeling no need to go into detail, getting a nod from Luna.
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‘Does it matter? just kill them, we are wasting time.’ Seras asked, and Lan had to hide his smile as the men’s jaws dropped at her bluntness, which only fed into his attempts to discourage them.
‘Well, if they are just horse thieves and not trying to kill us, then I could end up with a Red Title myself.’ Lan laughed, even though he knew she knew that already. And if they were bandits, they would have no doubt shown it by then.
‘There are ways to hide a Red Title.’ Seras said flatly, looking over the man with disgust, sounding like she spoke from experience.
‘Hey, don’t forget that we have you outnumbered!’ the dwarf shouted.
‘That’s a good point.’ Lan mused, nodding at Seras, ignoring the man, knowing he wouldn’t risk becoming a pariah and forever marking his soul, even if he could hide it when there was still a way out. ‘Okay, boys, seeing as we are in a little bit of a rush, and you only “asked” for our horses so far. How about you walk back into the trees and let us be on our way, so I don’t have to find out if you are thieves or bandits?’ Lan looked the dwarf in the eyes, waiting for the moment he would make up his mind.
It looked like common sense would win out, but then the dwarf looked to the Crownbolts and licked his lips. Before the man could speak, Lan wanted to make another attempt but stopped as Luna pulled on his sleeve.
Lan looked down just as the dwarf signalled for the other to move, which Lan saw through Tyr’s eyes.
‘These are bad people.’ Luna said, looking up at Lan.
‘Hmm, I think you are right.’ Lan smiled, then Wisp Walked, appearing in front of the closest man, who staggered and fell back before he could react, his club flying into the air as Lan landed a spinning kick to his jaw.
Lan tracked the club through the air as his feet reached the ground, backpedalling to catch it, which he did. The act of which left him with his back turned to the second man, who closed the distance and swung with all his might, but the wooden mace found nothing but air as Lan appeared behind the man and knocked him out with his friend’s club.
As the man dropped to his knees before falling face first, Lan once again mused at how much of a boon seeing through Tyr’s eyes was as he would never have tried to bait an attack like that otherwise.
The last two thieves charged at once, and Lan ran to meet them, which took them by surprise even before he Wisp Walked above them, throwing his body into a spin and whipping the club off the back of the first’s head, making the other stumble, giving Lan enough time to drop to the ground and land a knock-out blow on the back of his head.
‘Looks like you are the one that is outnumbered now,’ Lan grinned like a wolf at the dwarf, who looked like he would pass out from rage, before looking to Seras and Luna and making a run for them.
He didn’t make it far, as even as Seras reached into her bag, the club collided with the dwarf’s face, flipping the man once before he crashed into the ground.
Groning, the dwarf cupped his bloody nose as Lan got back on his horse.
‘Good to go.’ he smiled at Seras and Luna, getting a frown from the former while Luna beamed at him.
As Lan met Seras’ eyes, it looked like she would say something about leaving them alive, but a nod down towards Luna from Lan stopped her as she sighed and kicked the horses.
‘Do you think leaving them is the right thing?’ Seras asked once they were safely away from the group, who no doubt regretted the choices that had led to them meeting Lan. ‘what if there are more of them and they come after us?’ although she made it sound like a question, the hidden rebuke was clear to Lan.
‘We’ll be fine.’ Lan smiled. From what he had heard from wagon drivers, Horse thieves only chose targets they could scare into not fighting back. If anything, he had gone a little further than he needed to. ‘plus…’ he smiled to Luna. ‘how are they going to learn to be better people if we don’t give them a chance.’
‘Like Pen!’ Luna beamed at him, and Lan realised he didn’t want this girl he barely knew to see him as someone who could kill other people as much as he didn’t himself.
After an hour and a few more stories, Lan somehow found himself with Luna asleep in his lap as they rode.
‘I don’t think I have ever seen her fall asleep when others are in the same room, let alone on someone. She seems to have really taken a shine to you.’ Seras noted.
‘You think?’ Lan asked. ‘Maybe I am just treating her how I wish someone had been with me.’ Lan said both to Seras and himself. More than once, as his younger self lay in his room, covered in cuts and bruises, he could have given an arm just for someone to talk to him like an average person.
‘Is that why you keep helping us?’ she asked.
‘Mostly.’ Lan answered, not trying to hide where he stood now that Luna was asleep. ‘Of course, there is also the fact that I took the job.’ He shrugged.
‘Of course,’ Seras repeated, her words dripping with disapproval.
‘Should I not?’ Lan challenged.
‘I couldn’t stop you if you choose to or not.’ Seras shrugged. ‘I just find your kind’s obsession with coin bordering on the obsessive. It’s rather distasteful…’
‘If it was about the coin, wouldn’t I be able to make a lot more by handing you back to Olon?’ Lan countered.
‘Then why?’
Lan paused momentarily, ‘I won’t pretend to speak for all adventurers, but I know that taking on a job is a promise for me. A promise that no matter how big or small the job, every one I do protects or aids people. This time, those people just happen to be you and Luna.’
‘Is that why you didn’t seem to care about not telling you about what we faced? Was it because you would have helped us anyway?’
‘I never said I didn’t care.’ Lan laughed. ‘If you had gotten a different adventurer and they were hurt or killed because of you, I would have been pretty upset. And if I had known what we faced back in the city, I wouldn’t have let you leave and told the guildmaster that you were trying to get me to start a war with a prince, but now? It’s my job to see you safe to your destination.’
Seras rolled her eyes at that, and Lan smiled. ‘Come on, even in Leeto, you must have heard of the Adventurer’s Heart?’ Lan joked, bringing up what he was starting to believe was what the Tales meant as the Hunter’s Song.
‘We don’t…’ Seras stated flatly. ‘none of our trappers would choose this life… Most are slaves.’ She added offhandedly.
Hearing that, Lan’s next words died in his throat.
‘What?’ Seras turned to look at him fully. ‘is that strange to you? There are slaves in almost every aspect of life in Leeto. I should know as I was one.’
Lan just stared at her until she frowned.
‘Would you mind not looking at me like that?’
‘Sorry.’ Lan looked away. Lan knew of the slavery in Leeto and how it differed from the indentured servitude contracts in Crownguard, which was often hyperbolically called slavery, but he had never thought it was a part of every aspect of Leeto.
‘Sorry…’
‘Why.’ Seras raised an eyebrow. ‘I am not now.’
‘H-how?’ was all Lan could manage, getting a sigh.
‘After I was enslaved, I was bought to keep the office of a nobleman named Rookrose clean as I was small and quiet. As I aged, the noble’s attention toward me started to change. But it was already too late for him. As being made to clean his office, I overheard all of his dealings and how to manage a baronet. So one night, after falling asleep, I slit his throat and left him to be found in the morning. Funny enough, the only thing his foolish wife and son cared about was being able to manage the upcoming tax so they wouldn't be removed. Something they were all too happy to leave to me as long as they could keep wasting coin, not caring when I started to do more than just the taxes. When they finally realised what I was doing, I was already the new Lady Rookrose.’
‘Just like that?’ Lan laughed.
‘Of course. I ensured the correct amount of tax reached the duke, so why would he care who was calling themselves lord Rookrose?’ Seras shrugged. ‘In fact, after I dealt with the old lord’s creditor, I increased the amount, so he was rather happy with me. After a year, I found out that one of the previous Lord Rookrose had been a great alchemist, so much so that with their notes, I was able to join the prince’s retinue.’ Seras finished as if she hadn’t told Lan one of the most outlandish things he had ever heard.
‘What?’ Seras frowned.
‘I didn’t think my opinion of Leeto could get any lower.’ Lan said, not caring to think through his words at that moment. To his surprise, Seras bristled.
‘Do not forget that is my homeland you speak of.’
‘You are defending it? Aren’t you running from a prince of Leeto as we speak’ Lan scoffed.
‘Of course, I am defending it, or do you think Leeto is made up only of the princes. Or maybe you just didn’t notice that your own kingdom has slaves, too?’ she shot back.
‘it’s not the same.’ Lan countered, having to work to keep his voice down.
‘Oh, and how is that?’
‘For a start, children can not become indentured servants, and even a person bonded to work off unpaid debts or crimes aren’t owned by those they serve and will be freed unless their crimes are heinous enough.’ Although Lan had mixed feelings about it, he knew many people saw the chance to repay their debts through servitude as more honourable than begging.
‘And you really believe that?’ Seras ask with a smile full of spiteful mirth. ‘Do you think your oh-so-noble Lords and Ladies follow those same rules? Do you think they do not find ways to enslave people? Are all of them so pure that they bathe in Light?’
The words hit Lan like a punch, as did thoughts of Dell, who had used the bond between master and apprentice to torment him, Larence, who had tried to destroy his life just a day ago, the magistrate, and all those they could be connected to. No, Lan couldn’t say that. Then he thought of Lily, who took care of children who had no one else, The Guildmaster, who had stood by him and Lord Oscar, who had stopped a war before it could begin through his sheer authority.
‘I can’t say that there is a chance what you say isn’t true. But I wouldn’t call any that would do so real nobles.’ Lan stated without a hint of doubt.
‘Even if that is the case, so what?’ Seras frowned. ‘In Crownguard, you will always just be a hunter, and they will always be better than you. In Leeto, you could rise to the Third Circle with your power and more training. The boot on your neck might be shinier than mine, but all those in Leeto and I can rip it from our necks and take its place. Can you say the same in Crownguard? No. True freedom can only be found in Leeto.’
Lan just looked at her. So this was how those in Leeto saw themselves? trapped if they couldn’t do anything to change it… Lan thought before pausing. Or was it just what someone who had tried to rise told themselves.
She was a world of contradictions, praising Leeto while running from it. Even if she believed everything she had said, Lan, of all people, knew just the flaws in her thinking.
‘How many daggers pointed at your back do you gain every time you rip a new boot from your neck? And how long have the princes and the dukes held power? Better yet, how long have their families? Are you really limited only by your ability or their whim?’ Lan asked, making her frown. ‘As for power? I would not want nor know what to do with it. At least when it’s not the power to choose how I spend my life.’ he said, looking at his tag. ‘That is all the freedom I need.’
‘You don’t want power?’ Seras scoffed before Lan locked eyes with her.
‘You should understand that, after all you did for power, you threw it all away for her.’ Lan looked at Luna, who must have been exhausted to have slept through all of that.
Seras’s eyes fell on Luna, different emotions playing across her features before they softened, and she looked away, ‘Let’s just get to Grisham.’