“Father, welcome back.”
Aloise Weber, the successor of Aaron, welcomed his father at an airship landing platform. Aaron had taken a leave of absence from Kamil’s court and arrived back due to an urgent letter from his son. He did not expect to be called back certainly. He did expect to be eventually back. He wasn’t abandoning his wives after all. It was just that it happened so soon after he passed his seat over to his son. If he was to leave for good, his wives may have followed him.
“Aloise, I hope it truly is an urgent matter. I am retired. I shouldn’t be called back like this.”
An occasion like this was unheard of. A retired head of a house was called only when the whole house was in tatters, which he did not believe to be the case.
“It is urgent but not in a conventional sense.”
“Huh? Explain yourself, son.”
“Please let us go to the manor.”
On their way to the Weber manor, many people recognized Aaron and showed their respect, which he replied with nods. The town looked lively with people smiling here and there.
“It looks like the town is in good hands,” Aaron remarked.
“Father, you built this foundation. I had little to do.”
It was indeed the truth. Aaron ruled Tantan for over thirty years. It had undergone both good and bad times and he handed it over to his heir once he felt that it was having a good time. He could certainly go on for at least a decade more. However, he opted to withdraw. It was always better to quit on high in his mind. In other words, it was better to depart when he was seen as a hero.
Once they entered the Weber manor which resembled a simple bungalow house with a green roof that was rusted copper, his two wives welcomed him warmly. One of them had darker skin, and she was the mother of Alban. She looked ethnically different from Aaron and his other wife. Her kind was the original settlers of Tantan.
“How goes the life, women?” he asked them gleefully.
“Peaceful as always,” one of them told him, smiling at him.
“Good, bring me a dish, will you? I haven’t had Tantan’s food in a while.”
“Certainly, dear.”
His wives brought his dish out personally, which was very much unheard of within the noble society. However, Tantan was very isolated, and they learned not to care too much about noble etiquettes when no one was around. After taking his time and enjoying his meal with his wives, the women withdrew inside, and his son sat down at the table with a bottle of wine with a maid placing a pair of cups swiftly for them to use. The son poured a shot for his father to drink, who took the cup gracefully.
“How is Alban by the way, son?”
Beaming a grin, Aloise replied, “He married very recently.”
“I see. Who is the woman?”
“Just a local woman as far as I know. He has chosen her specifically.”
Since he was out of the succession, he was free to wed whoever he wanted. It was quite likely that he chose personal preference over political benefit which could not be Alosie’s situation.
“I see, and you?”
Both of his sons were well into their twenties, meaning they were quite old for noblemen to marry. There were reasons for them to have remained single. One was that it was not absolutely certain who was going to inherit Aaron’s seat. Yes, he made it clear that Aloise would succeed but didn’t put it in writing. Thus, either son couldn’t marry anyone easily. Secondly, they never received any marriage offers, meaning they had to seek out. Tantan was so insignificant that their requests were outright rejected or ignored. Things were going to look different, however, with the new kingdom about to be established. At least, they hoped so.
“Tantan is not one of those who rebelled, so I’ve sent words to those who rebelled,” Aloise said.
In spite of the insignificance of the town, the Weber did not rebel. For the current generation, marriage contracts between those who rebelled and those who sided with the Fenchel wasn’t going to happen, meaning the Weber might have a chance at a marriage proposal to the houses that rebelled. For the Weber to step up in the pool of noble houses, it was very important for Aloise to marry a noble woman from another noble house. He couldn’t marry a local woman like his brother.
“If you like my advice, I’d send a letter to the Ros as well.”
“The Ros? They are unlanded, aren’t they?”
It was the house of Nestor’s wife, Rose. Theo, who was killed by Kamil, was from the Ros as well. They were unlanded but, with Rose Ros becoming the madam of Keviel, they were going to become semi-powerful.
“True, but they have a marriage tie with the Vogel. They are as good as landed in this generation. Additionally, this is something I can actually help you with once I get back to Ceres. As far as I know, the Ros has two unmarried daughters who are about to reach twenty years old.”
Aloise’s eyes lit up at once upon hearing his father.
“Can I count on you?” His voice contained excitement. It wasn’t a bad deal for him at all. In fact, he’d be glad to have a tie with the Ros, thus the Vogel.
Aaron chuckled. “Is this why you called me over?”
“Actually…” He cleared his throat. “No, I called you for another matter… But this … changes things.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
He was being reluctant. Eventually, he spilled his beans on why he had called his father over.
“A messenger from Broln?”
“Yes, father. They are asking for any kind of reinforcement. They tell us that they are desperate for any kind of military aid.”
Tantan and Broln had never, not even once, done a trade because it would take over a month to reach either side on foot. Whatever trade potential there was, the risk wasn’t just worth the trouble in the past. Of course, it was now possible to trade between the two places with airships.
“Quite the wrong entity to ask, don’t you agree?”
The town was in no condition to start a military campaign after sending a small army of five hundred men during the recent Siwen invasion. The army did not return home; not a single man returned. It was a devastating loss for the town where all young men perished. It had since started a path to recovery with immigration. Sending any kind of army was out of the question for the town. Once was enough for a generation. Besides, sending an army of a few hundred wasn’t going to be any meaningful assistance against a monster horde.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“It seems the Duke has decided to abandon the city. This is why I’ve called you, father. Perhaps, you should talk to the Duke.”
“I am in no position to suggest anything, son.”
“But you are one of his advisors, are you not?”
“A very recent addition. You talk as if I hold any powers. I am certain that you know this. Is this why you called me over?”
“The thing is that, father…” He trailed off with a troubled face. “The people voiced their concerns and sympathized with Broln because they were in great distress before.”
“Veto their desire,” Aaron replied firmly. “It is your interest to look after your own people, not some other strangers.”
“I am going to but not directly. This is where you are supposed to come in, father. You would go on an airship and go to Broln and come back. You’d tell our people that the city is no more.”
“Even if the city stands still?”
“Yes.”
“I see…”
Aloise wanted Aaron to lie and get the matter over with.
“Not a bad idea actually. Better than turning them down outright,” he agreed while caressing his chin. “Why me specifically? You sounded as if you had a change of heart.”
“I chose someone who was expendable. I am sorry, father.”
Even if Aaron would meet an accident, like monsters attacking the airship, it wouldn’t have been a crushing loss, and he needed someone reliable. His father fit the bill perfectly apparently.
“That’s fine, son. You made a logical decision. Now, I suppose I am no longer expendable since I am a key to your future wife.”
“Which is more important.”
Aaron chuckled and responded with a smirk, “Indeed. So, what now then?”
He took no offense that his own son was going to use him as a mere tool because that was how nobility worked in a nutshell. In fact, he did believe that Aloise made the right call by fooling his citizens and using him as a scout to ensure that his people would believe his lie.
“I will still go, son,” he declared.
“But father -”
He interjected, “Fear not. I will take my safety to the utmost importance. In fact, I won’t even approach the city. As long as an airship flies toward the general direction, that will work, no?”
“It would indeed…,” Aloise responded while nodding slowly, looking convinced.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get on with it. Prepare an airship, and I will depart as soon as possible. Time is of essence, for you, I mean.”
Aloise grinned and said, “Are you sure you wish to depart now? You could spend some time with mothers and depart tomorrow morning.”
“Son, I’ve been with them for decades. I am fine with not being with them for the foreseeable future. In fact…” He approached his son and spoke in a whispering tone. “Sometimes, it’s good to get away from women.”
They both laughed and continued to drink for the next hour.
The two airships Tantan had were very old versions, and therefore it was going to take almost a whole day to reach Broln, which Aaron didn’t mind at all as he was sleeping half way through due to the wine he shared with his son.
“Well, that was a good sleep,” he said with a loud yawn while stretching. The airship was very comfortable to sleep in. In a way, it felt like being cradled very slowly. Of course, alcohol helped to sleep better. Pillowing his arms, he stared at the wooden ceiling of the room.
“In the end, it comes down to the Ros…,” he mumbled. He wasn’t staying in Ceres for no reason after passing his seat to Aloise. He specifically chose to stay in Ceres for this event exactly. He foresaw that his son would have a hard time finding a noble wife, and he had his eyes on the Ros who, in his knowledge, had two unmarried daughters. Their ages were twenty three and twenty five. Rose Ros was the youngest child of their family, who got really lucky. The reason the two daughters remained single into their twenties was that they expected Theo Ros to be awarded a land. They fully expected to become a landed noble and wanted better marriage deals for their daughters. Alas, Theo was killed by Kamil, an event that threw a huge wrench into their plans. Thankfully, Rose’s marriage to Nestor eased their pains significantly, and they were going to move out of Lux and join her to Keviel. If Theo survived and was granted a fief, there would be absolutely no chance for the Weber to acquire a daughter from the Ros. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which side, because they were still unlanded, the Weber had a decent chance of a marriage proposal since their daughters were past the optimal marriage ages. Him being an advisor for Kamil was going to help in the negotiation in addition due to the fact that he could meet both Nestor and Rose in person.
“Well, beggars can’t be choosers…”
He had a hard time getting married in his prime as well, thus he was rightfully worried about his sons.
“Hopefully, the next generation will have it better…”
The town was on track to become more prosperous than ever before, primarily due to the invention of airships. It produced sea foods and copper. The latter wasn’t in demand, but the former was. It hadn’t been a decade even, but it was clear as day that money wasn’t going to be an issue for the Weber family in the foreseeable future.
“Well, one last job to do before I will be free to depart this world.”
He closed his eyes once again slowly, opting to sleep more. The airship was just so comfortable for him for some reason.
“Sir! We are nearly here!”
A loud voice woke him up from his long slumber. Opening his eyes at once, he hurried himself out of his bed and opened the door.
“Are we at the destination?”
“Yes, sir! We are almost at Broln!”
“Very good, turn around.”
The man looked dumbfounded and blinked his eyes several times.
“I beg your pardon, sir?”
“Turn around. We are heading back home.”
“But…, sir?”
Officially, they were sent to scout the city and make contact if possible. It was understandable that the man was confused by Aaron’s order to return home.
“Is the city under siege?”
Nodding, the man replied, “Yes, sir. We are seeing mostly orcs and perhaps occasional great bears.”
“Do you think the city will hold?”
“Uncertain, sir. But it does look like they are having a hard time. The walls are already overrun.”
“That’s good enough. We are heading back home now.”
Very reluctantly, he nodded.
“I do understand your confusion, but this was already discussed with the Lord beforehand. Do I have your words that you will keep this a secret?”
It took him a moment to make a reply. “May I ask why at least?”
“Do you really think we can assist them? We can send five hundred at the most, most of whom are immigrants and are settling down.”
Even if there was a guarantee that the army could come back, it was going to disturb the flow they had going. Neither Aloise and Aaron wished to touch it.
“Then why are we here?”
“To get confirmation that there is nothing we can do. There is nothing we can do as far as I can see. We agree on that front, yes?”
Grimacing, he was inclined to agree. He was a dark-skinned man, meaning he must have been a local. Only very few young men were left in the town when the army left. He was a son of a wealthy family most likely. That was how Gojar, Kamil’s now-personal chef, was spared from being enlisted as well.
“We are heading back and we are going to tell them there is nothing we can do. In fact, we should lie that Broln is no more.”
“Is that an order?” He looked right into Aaron’s eyes.
“It is.”
“I see. So be it.”
Aaron didn’t like that the captain was showing a bit of an attitude. But it wasn’t his problem anymore. He was temporarily appointed for this job after all.
“Turn around. Head back.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aaron made his way to the desk slowly and looked at the city in siege. The airship was turning around already, and the view of the city was getting smaller by seconds. As the captain said, the walls were already overrun, and whoever was left inside the settlement appeared to be making their last stands.
“No chance. They won’t last a day,” he remarked with a solemn look. He truly felt that there was absolutely nothing that could be done to save them. “The Duke may have a recourse but he has got his own problems. I am not about to suggest helping those outside of his jurisdiction.”
Unknown to him, by the time he would arrive in Ceres, the Age of Darkness would be over.