It took two weeks to pass through the forests of Esteril and reach the capital city, Lerrit. To call it a city was perhaps to invite the misconception that it was a large place full of people and grandeur. In many ways it was neither.

The land of Esteril being mainly forest could not support a large population. There were more people in Elseth than in the whole of the forest kingdom. What farmlands existed were either on the eastern coast or along the banks of the river Antrim and there was little surplus to feed bureaucrats and nobility.

As Esteril was a kingdom and wished to stay that way there was a need for administration and so there was a court at Lerrit. The king knew that his country was poor and imposed no unnecessary taxes or burdens on his people. There were no hangers on at the court. Everyone did something essential and many had more than one role.

To feed the people of Lerrit it was necessary to fish. The eastern ocean was a dangerous and unforgiving place but Lerrit sat in a natural harbour. The waters teemed with fish of all kinds. Some were larger than the boats that left each day. When the fleet set sail the population of Lerrit fell by a third.

Another third of the city were in businesses that related to fishing. There were those who cleaned and dried the fish, those who built boats and made or repaired nets and those who plied the river, taking the catch to Elseth and from there to the larger settlements of Setherland and the southern lands. That didn’t include the many inns and restaurants that served an almost exclusive fish menu.

Rialto was less than happy to be in Lerrit. The diminutive trader had never enjoyed fish and had to pay excessively for the privilege of eating poor meat. He kept muttering about the ease of importing meat on the same traders that took the fish to Elseth and did not wish to hear that it was far more profitable to trade other goods like cloth and metals.

Whilst Esteril was rich in wood and iron and of course fish, it lacked most other necessities. The people of the country tended to wear furs or leathers taken from the forest animals but these were not totally suitable for the warm summer months.

The reception they got as a group was better than ever and they were able to stay a few days and were even asked to perform at court. Although they were meant to be rescuing Elsebeth there was no possible way of them speeding up their journey without looking suspicious and so they agreed to do the show.

Nedric had no idea what life at court was like. In his imagination he pictured men and women in the most expensive clothing imaginable, dining on the finest foods and drinking the best of wines. In reality he found, that like with many things, he was sadly disappointed.

The castle was a spectacular sight, sat on a crag overlooking the harbour. The stone walls were carved from a reddish rock that contrasted with the yellow of the cliffs. Each stone had been hauled from a quarry about a day’s journey within the forest and the effort involved in creating the building that now presided over the city must have been tremendous.

They left one of the wagons at the inn they had used as a base. Putting all the equipment into the other wagon they drove up a steep and winding road to the castle gate. Nedric decided that anyone trying to invade would have a difficult time as the path was overlooked for almost the entire climb.

As the castle was surrounded on three sides by water there was only the one wall between it and the road. This wall was an impressive thirty-foot high and was considerably thicker than seemed necessary during these fairly peaceful times. The castle had been built a century before, when the coast was regularly raided by pirates.

At the gate they were stopped by a couple of rangers who managed to convey their need to inspect the wagon and the five performers without uttering a word. Nedric was getting the idea that most rangers were far from talkative and that Daiga was the exception.

After being cleared to enter the castle grounds, they drove the wagon through the courtyard and parked it near to the main entrance. Nedric had enquired of one of the castle staff and been told that the main hall was just in from the entrance.

They entered through two sets of double doors to find themselves looking across at the court. They were partly shielded by a wooden partition that separated this end of the hall from the main area. It was clear that here was where the servants arranged the plates and dishes before transporting them into the hall proper.

The tables were laid in a U, with the top table being at the opposite end to the servant’s entrance and tables running down either wall. This left a large space in the middle where the troupe could perform. Currently the court jester occupied this space.

The man was dressed in rag-tag patchwork of mixed cloths. Each cloth sewed to it’s neighbour to form part of a garment but also allowed to hang slightly free so that the material rose with every movement. He was a dwarf, his head seeming too large to fit on his body and his arms appearing far too small. Despite his deformity it was clear that he was extremely strong as he was performing a number of acrobatic moves that Nedric knew he would be unable to copy.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Whilst the court watched the jester, Nedric studied the court. The king was obvious, he sat in the middle of the high table laughing loudly at every pratfall and eating vigorously. He was a large man with a thick beard and looked more like a backwoodsman than a royal figure. Only the gold circlet on his head and the rich cut of his clothes belied the initial impression.

Next to him on one side was a petite but extremely attractive lady who was obviously the queen. She seemed only mildly amused by the jester’s antics and was talking to a ranger sat by her side.

Daiga whispered to Nedric. “We’ve got a problem!”

“What?”

“See the man to the side of the queen, the one in rangers uniform.”

Nedric nodded.

“Well that is Derk, Captain of the rangers and he knows all of us by sight. I don’t think our disguises will fool him.”

“What will you do if he calls you out?”

“Go back to our duty, we are officially on leave but he might not be interested.”

“Perhaps we will be lucky and he will be too distracted by the queen’s company to notice you.”

“You’ve heard that rumour as well then. It might be true but I doubt that he will be that distracted, you don’t become Captain of the rangers easily.”

Nedric was left to worry that his group of five might well turn back into a group of three. He hoped not, the two rangers were more than just fighters. They had shown initiative, humour and a desire to help beyond their duty. Nedric thought of them as friends.

There was a noise from behind Nedric and he looked around to see a number of servants enter the room through a door opposite to the main entrance. They cleared away the soup bowls and brought out the main course. This was mainly fish of various sorts, although there were various cooked birds arrayed around the room.

With about a hundred people in the room and a blazing fire taking up about eight foot of one wall, Nedric expected the room to be warmer. Perhaps it was the forty-foot high ceiling that meant that the room was still a lot cooler than he would have liked. Juggling was always harder when his hands were cold. At least he could stand by the fire whilst Bethan did his bit and have a chance to warm up; there would be no opportunity for him to practice before they started.

When the nobles had started to show that they were near the end of the second course, the steward indicated Bethan to bring the group forward. The normally loud soldier started off in a more subdued fashion than was his want but as he got more into his speech he relaxed and the show began to resume normality.

Perhaps the thing that Nedric would remember most about the show was the poor behaviour of some of the lesser nobles. Whilst the whole of the top table were most attentive for the whole of the show, some of the people on the side tables found it necessary to give a running commentary to their friends on how this show compared unfavourably with ones they had seen in other courts. One man went as far as to throw his fowl bones at Rialto, rather than to the dogs lying beneath the tables.

Nedric was confident that the man in question was not making himself popular with the king as he saw him frown at the gesture. Nedric determined to make this minor noble a laughing stock in front of the whole court and had the show to do it. When he called upon the man to lie on the floor and have knives juggled over him, the man became incredibly shy and would not move from his seat. After impugning his manhood for a while, Nedric instead asked Derk to participate in the trick and the offer was accepted.

There was a brief horrifying moment when Nedric realised the enormity of what he had done. If he were to make a mistake with the king watching, he would be looking at either a very long life spent incarcerated or a very short life. In the end he decided that he was confident enough in his own abilities that there was no risk. With the whole court applauding he was happy when the trick was finished and he could take his leave.

It seemed that Daiga and Scabad had also been taking note of those people who had been less than complementary about the show earlier on. They picked on two of the loudest as targets for various sharp objects. After the lead ranger had participated, there was no way that any of the other nobles could refuse, although it was clear that the targets were less than pleased with the prospect. One of them had to leave rather rapidly after a dagger missed his ear by a couple of inches.

As the show progressed the audience became more enthusiastic and respectful. Rialto’s second spot was greeted much more warmly than the first and when the performance ended there was a large amount of money thrown into the middle. Nedric spotted a couple of golds amongst the coins he picked up. The group packed away and left quickly.

As they passed through the gates the wagon was stopped by one of the stern-faced rangers. He looked at the group and announced he had a message from his captain.

“Derk says that the show was most amusing and that it was a shame that some of those knives missed their targets. He appreciated the music, the tales and the juggling and would like to see a repeat performance. He also said that has no idea what a pair of rangers were doing in fancy dress and throwing weapons at their rulers, he would like an explanation.” The guard paused.

The group were exchanging glances, they were wondering whether to remove the two guarding rangers and make their escape as quickly as possible. The guard obviously sensed this and held his dagger so that they all could see it. He continued.

“Derk also said that the explanation could wait until you had done whatever you were trying to do. He trusts that his rangers will always act in the best interests of Esteril and its friends.” With that the ranger broke into a smile and offered, “Good Luck.”

* * *

The group decided to leave that night, before Derk could change his mind. From Lerrit they travelled northward along the coastal route. Many travelled this way as there was no easy route through the forest and they managed to join a merchant caravan that they met a day or so after they started. It meant that they travelled a little slower than otherwise but they didn’t have to worry about forest bandits. The merchant had a number of guards who looked nasty enough to cope with a small army.

Over four weeks after leaving Lerrit, they crossed the border into Cantherin. They said their farewells to the merchant, who invited them to join his train any time that they were passing that way. They agreed they would and then headed in the direction of Nothering.

Although a priesthood almost as fanatical as those that ruled Nothering had originally founded Cantherin, over the years this group had lost power and now the place was under the sway of large merchant families. In some ways it reminded Nedric of Setherland, although power was held in much fewer hands and the nobility were fairly powerless.

Other than traders, Cantherin also supplied a lot of the mercenaries that were required in nearby countries. Perhaps this was because the traders liked peace and didn’t want too many aggressive people around. Whatever the reason, the five men met very few people who wanted to cause them problems.

They headed generally west and slightly north, mainly stopping at villages and small towns. They were well received and made good money as they crossed the country. Nedric could see that this life could be a good one if you were prepared to travel.

It didn’t stop him remembering their purpose. When they drew in sight of the Nothering border, a month after they entered the country, he knew that the real task was still ahead of him and that the danger to them all was yet to be faced.