Ruben sits on the rumbling cart as it trundles toward the silos and looks up at the watchman, sitting on the great boulder overlooking the farm in the darkening sky. He doesn’t talk much, the watchman, but he keeps the farm safe and in these times that is all Ruben can ask for. The cart reaches the silo and Ruben jumps off, beginning to haul the wheat from the cart. By the time he is done the sun has begun to set. He looks up at the watchman one more time before turning his cart around to head home. The war is over now, his sons will soon be back to help keep the farm running. It has been lonely here, just him and the watchman.
The watchman sits atop the rock for a while longer. The shadows grow long around him and the wheat resembles a shadowy ocean, swaying in the breeze. There are many paths through the farm although only one that leads to the city. It is this path he watches now. It is this path he has been guarding for the last few weeks.
He thought about going to join the war with everyone else but he has fought in wars before, messy things, so much chaos and panic, and risk. A lot of risk. Guarding this farm all the way out here from bandits and brigands there isn’t a lot of risk. So there is much more time to focus on what he likes about war, the killing.
Two miles down the path a bandit hangs in a tree by his neck. His fall wasn’t fast enough to break his neck so he is still alive. Both his eyes and his tongue have been ripped out and his hands have been chopped off so no matter how much he scrabbles at the noose it won’t come off. Slowly, ever so slowly, he chokes to death in the night. Around him ravens croak and caw.
A mile down the road from that there is a river with a thick tree fallen across it. A brigand is tied to the bottom of the tree, a place half in the water and half out. The river ebbs and flows around him and often covers him completely, suffocating him beneath his gag. Each time the river rises so he must take in a deep breath and hope he can hold it. He knows that soon he won’t be able to hold his breath long enough.
A mile away from that, off the road and in a ditch at the bottom of the farm lies a third man, all his limbs have been cut from him and he is slowly bleeding out through the pitiful bandages the watchman put on him. He struggles to move but he cannot, he tries to scream but he is too far for anyone to hear, anyone except the watchman.
The watchman sits on his rock and hears the screams stop. He smiles to himself and hops down from the rock to head to the barn he has been given. He picks up his spear and his sword and his trusty shield, painted with the brown head of a boar.
Nollen and Ryne rode into the small town of Caulder around late afternoon. They booked a room at the inn and stayed there, eager to rest after their long journey on the road. They carried a great many packs and bags from their journeys in the Hallowed Realm. They’d been up and down it, fighting in the great royal army against the Uprising of Farro and his allies. When they’d left Caulder was a peaceful town full of friendly faces where only fat old Sault the town guard carried a weapon and no more than a rusty spear. Times had changed.
Old Sault was dead, killed by the bandits and vagabonds that had deserted one army or another and sought their fortune in the wild. The faces that frequented the streets and the tavern were long and weary, hardly the joyous ones of before the war. Many sons and daughters had gone off to fight and hadn’t come back and some of those that had come back had been lost to the bandits, either joining them or dying to them. Now everyone had weapons, and some had fought in the war and so knew how to use them. Nollen and Ryne were no strangers to weapons and kept their own close by. Things weren’t the same anymore.
They sat down at the tavern where a wandering minstrel was trying pitifully to brighten the atmosphere and bought drinks. Reneca, the old barmaid came over to speak to them. Her face was still smiling as it always was but it seemed far more lined and old than it ever had before.
“Good to see you boys back for a while. I suppose you’ll be off to your old man’s farm in the morning then?”
“Aye,” Nollen replied. “Dad’s been running the whole thing hisself all this time, he’ll need a hand bringing in the harvest.”
“And he’ll want some more folks out there who can hold a spear,” Ryne continued. “Thing’s’ve gotten a bit more dangerous since we left.”
Reneca agreed. “Aye, definitely. Last I heard though he wasn’t doing too badly, hired some eastern fella to keep watch, seems to be keeping the bandits away. I suppose it’s pretty far out for even bandits to go.”
The two brothers nodded, pleased. Their father was old and had never been the violent type, it was good to know he had some extra security.
“Can’t say the same for around here though,” Reneca continued. “We been hit twice now and we been hit hard. Hardly enough sprouts to go around and never mind wheat. The farms been having trouble producing much with so few hands and our last few carts never arrived. I know Ruben’s next lot was gonna go to the city but if you lads could bring some here folks’d desperately appreciate it. I know it’s dangerous on those roads, ‘specially with a cart full o’ wheat but it’d mean a lot to folks round here.” Reneca smiled her feeble smile and her eyes pleaded with them.
“We’ll try, you have our word,” Nollen promised. “Caulder and its people mean a lot to us and our dad. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help in whatever way he can.”
Reneca’s smile became far more relaxed and genuine. “I knew I could count on you boys. Be careful out there though, it is very dangerous.” She wandered off to serve other tables and the brothers turned to each other.
“Wonder what this watchman’s like,” Ryne said.
“Mmm, I wonder where he came from too. Dad don’t get a lot of visitors out there.”
They discussed the mysterious watchman and the many troubles Caulder and the farms were facing over their meal but were eventually happy to leave all those troubles to the morning and go upstairs to bed.
The town guard had been considerably strengthened since old Sault died and there were no bandit attacks during the night. The next morning the brothers got up and packed their things, making sure to have their weapons as close as possible and visible as well. It was much safer to win a fight through intimidation than it was through force.
They mounted their horses and went to set off from the inn when Lemmy, a scrawny man barely more than a boy who drank far too much and had been the only sore spot in Caulder in the old days, ran up to them.
“Uh... Nollen... Ryne,” he stammered. He wasn’t drunk or hungover as far as they could tell, he just permanently seemed to be unsure of himself.
“What is it Lemmy? We’re about to head off.”
“Y... yes. Y... you’re about to head off to y... your dad’s farm.”
Nollen nodded, somewhat frustrated.
“It... it’s not safe out there. It... it...”
Nollen sighed. “We know about the bandits, we’ll do our best to avoid them but-”
“N... not the bandits... n... no...”
Nollen frowned, there was something else dangerous out there.
Lemmy leaned closer which wasn’t ideal as he smelled funny. “I... I know people... people who aren’t great people... deserters, vagabonds... bandits...”
Nollen rolled his eyes, why wasn’t he surprised?
“B... but they’re all afraid to go out there... Out to your dad’s farm.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Of the... the watchman. The new watchman your dad got. There’s something not right about him, y... you should be careful...”
Nollen leaned back and Lemmy looked away, he seemed to be finished with what he wanted to say. “We’ll be careful,” Nollen said. Then they galloped away onto the road toward their farm, toward home.
It was a long way and in the old days it would take them three days. But now they were experienced horse riders and had ridden in the army far harder and longer than they ever had at home. By the time night came they were over halfway there, having passed the turnoff to Eagon’s farm and the old red tree stump by the river. They stopped riding at the Greengrove and tied up their horses there. They didn’t hobble them so they could be ready to make a quick getaway if necessary. They also lit no fire and instead sat in the dark feasting on the raw supplies they still had from their army days. Even having just one proper meal at an inn had made them miss the comforts of home far too much.
“I can’t wait to get back and have dad’s bread again,” Ryne reminisced. “I can still smell it, cooking in the oven.”
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Nollen nodded vigorously while he tore at his beef jerky with his teeth. “Mmm, that bread they forced into us at Elkring wasn’t the same. It was barely bread!”
“No it’ll be good to be back home. Sitting by the fire instead of in tents all the time. Also away from all that magic going on in Elkring.”
Nollen shuddered. “Ihhh, don’t tell me about it. Those bats, demons out of hell I say, and that sorceress. The further away from her we get the better.”
Ryne nodded definitively. “Yeah I know they were all on our side but that doesn’t make me feel much better about it. The oak tree in the castle was impressive though.”
“True, it-” Nollen went silent as he saw movement in the shadows around them. He leapt to his feet and drew his sword, Ryne quickly following suit, abandoning their meal to the ground. They stood back to back and turned to face the three bandits who were slowly circling around them. They wore torn and ragged clothes and looked half starved. One was missing an eye and it was hard to tell in the dark but they all looked like they had scars. Desertion hadn’t treated them well it seemed.
“Now now, no need to get all antsy,” one of the bandits said, his voice carrying along fumes of his pungent breath. The brothers tried not to gag. “We’re just here for what you got and we’ll be on our way. No need for anyone to get hurt, which I’m sure you don’t want since there’s three o’ us and two o’ you.”
The brothers stayed silent. It had always been a possibility and they thought they’d been prepared but now here they were and they didn’t feel particularly prepared. Sure they knew how to fight but so did the bandits and every other time they’d fought there’d been someone more knowledgeable than them telling them what to do. What did you do when you were outnumbered in the middle of the forest? Their basic army training had been surprisingly lacking in that aspect.
“Now we don’t want to be here all night so why don’t you put down those weapons and we can come to an arrangement.” the same bandit spoke again.
“We don’t have anything,” Ryne said nervously, trying to watch two bandits at the same time.
The talking bandit walked over to the horses who were shying away from these strangers. He grabbed the rope tying one horse to a tree. “Not any more you don’t.”
“Take your hand off that rope,” said another voice from the darkness. The bandit’s eyes went wide and they all spun to see a man sitting on a rock a little distance away with a spear and a shield.
“I... I... You-” the bandit stuttered, backing away from the horses.
The man stood up, his spear and shield held so naturally in his hands, and walked forward. The bandits walked backward.
“I think that we should-” the talking bandit said, then he ran. The other bandits ran too, disappearing into the dark trees but the talking one didn’t get far. He collapsed with the man’s spear through his leg before he got two steps away. He lay on the ground moaning in pain. The man ignored him.
“I am Craegan, the watchman of Ruben’s farm,” he said to the brothers. “This group has been causing trouble for travellers all up and down the path so I’ve been dealing with them. There will be more, though I suggest you pack up and head to the farm now, you’ll be safe there.”
“Thank you,” Nollen said. “We’re Ruben’s sons back from the war. We’ll head off immediately, would you like a ride?”
“No, I’m going to stay out here for the night and see if I can track down any more. You go on ahead, don’t wait for me. I’ll deal with him,” he nudged the bandit on the ground who was crying into the grass.
The brothers nodded to each other and quickly packed up their temporary campsite. Craegan the watchman retrieved his spear and began trying to question the bandit. Through all the tears and moans of pain he didn’t seem to be getting very far.
The brothers mounted up and the bandit seemed to suddenly realise what was happening. “No!” he cried. “P-p-please no! Don’t leave me with him!”
Craegan looked up at the brothers and shrugged. They shrugged back and galloped off into the night. The bandit shouted after them, pleading for them to come back but his cries soon faded into the distance.
They reached the farm where their father was asleep so they went back to their beds for what little remained of the night and fell asleep immediately. They woke up in the morning and found Ruben who was overjoyed to see them.
“Boys! You’re back! What did you get back last night without telling me?”
“You taught us never to wake you up, you always said a farmer needs as much sleep as possible!”
“Bah! I might have made an exception for you two getting back! Come come, sit down for breakfast, I’ll bet you haven’t had any decent bread the whole time you’ve been away.”
They sat down for breakfast and exchanged stories of all that had happened. Ruben didn’t have much to tell, only his story of the watchman who had shown up out of nowhere desperate for a place to stay. Ruben had been suspicious of course, he’d looked just like a deserter, or someone running from something at least, but he hadn’t had it in his heart to turn him away. So he’d taken him on and had been glad for it, no bandits or brigands could get the better of Craegan it seemed.
The brothers had a great many stories to tell, from their training to their different posts all over the Hallowed Realm, to their different battles including the legendary one at Castle Elkring with magic and mists and sorcery. Then they had the story of their return through Caulder and Craegan saving them in the night. When Ruben heard of Caulder’s plight he instantly agreed that his next harvest should be sent there instead of the city. Caulder wouldn’t be able to pay as much but that was none of Ruben’s concern, he’d make ends meet somehow. Luckily for him Craegan seemed to want as little pay as possible. Ruben was suspicious that he would’ve worked for free if that had been an option.
The next few days they spent gathering up as big a harvest as possible, enough to feed all of Caulder. The brothers wanted to help Craegan guard the farm but by the time they were done in the fields they were too exhausted to spend the night chasing down bandits. Craegan, it seemed, didn’t need any help. How one man could defend the entire farm as well as he did and strike fear into the hearts of so many bandits they didn’t know and he didn’t tell them. He didn’t talk much, Craegan.
The harvest was ready quickly, Ruben had already gathered most of it, and they set out the next day after a celebratory feast. It felt strange to be leaving again so soon but they’d be back much sooner this time. So they hitched up the horses to the cart and set it trundling off to Caulder.
Craegan came with them, much as he was needed on the farm, they all knew he was more needed with all the actual wheat. So the three of them set off, slowly trundling down the road back to Caulder. The brothers tried to strike up a conversation with the watchman but he wasn’t having it.
“So, where are you from?” Nollen asked.
Craegan shrugged. “Mullindore.”
“Where’s that?”
“The Eastlands.”
“And what brings you out here?”
Craegan shrugged again and was silent for a while. “A great many things that I’d rather not go into.”
That was the end of that conversation.
The return journey took a lot longer than the one day and night that they’d taken on the way there. The cart was slow and with all three of them and huge piles of wheat the horses could only go so fast. So they trundled along for a day and then made camp, lighting a fire this time which made everything feel much homelier. Craegan had slept much of the day and was now guarding the cart and campsite. Before he went to bed Nollen made one last attempt to strike up a conversation.
“So what is it that makes them so afraid of you? Are you some mighty warrior? A barbarian hero out of the Eastlands?”
Craegan shrugged. “Something like that.”
Nollen looked at him, he had to admit he didn’t look much like a barbarian hero out of the Eastlands. He was big but not that big, strong but not that strong, and he had a homely feel to him, something friendly and comforting even though he was always out in the dark and the wild. Nollen shrugged and went to sleep, he hadn’t known Craegan that long but with him guarding them he felt much much safer.
Craegan wandered off into the night, making sure to keep close to the campsite. He found no bandits to murder which was disappointing.
The next day they set off again and made good progress. The brothers talked normally among themselves while Craegan slept. Things were starting to feel like the good old times again. They were safe on the road, delivering a cart of wheat to the folks of Caulder. They were home, it was finally starting to settle in. It was different of course, it would never be the same again they knew, but they were home, that was all that mattered.
They camped one more night also without incident and then set off once more, arriving in Caulder around noon. The town rejoiced and Reneca came out to give them both hugs. Many people wanted to meet Craegan which seemed to make him uncomfortable, he talked even less than he had on the road.
“Excellent work boys, excellent work!” Reneca said. “I knew you two could do it. I knew you’d be the ones to pull through.”
The brothers grinned. “Ah it was nothing, anything for Caulder.”
“Be careful though,” Ryne said. “Make sure you keep that wheat well guarded. Our dad’s watchman won’t be here very long and neither will we.”
“Oh I think we’ll be okay,” Reneca said. “We just had some new folks show up in town, real soldier types you know. I’m sure they’ll keep it safe till we can use it. Come on I’ll introduce you.”
They were dragged along to the inn where a group of five men were clustered around a table talking to Lemmy of all people. Next to Lemmy they looked even bigger than they actually were. Huge and muscled and decked out in all manner of leathers and gambeson with more weapons each than the brothers would have known what to do with. They looked over at the group of them walking in and Lemmy’s eyes went wide when he saw Craegan. He tried to leave but one of the men grabbed him and dragged him back without bothering to look.
“You must be the mysterious watchman,” the man said. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
Craegan shrugged.
“We work for a mercenary company. A very exclusive mercenary company. We came through here looking to pick up a few deserters, some vagabonds, help them turn their lives around you know. Bring them back in line.”
Craegan shrugged again. “I’m not a deserter.”
The brothers weren’t entirely sure that was true but they weren’t about to undermine him.
“Oh no I’m aware. No it turns out that all the deserters and vagabonds around these parts are afraid of you. Someone like that, working as a watchman for a farmer, your talents are wasted. We could offer you a lot more, someone like you could really go places working with us.”
Craegan shrugged once more. “I like working here.”
The man grinned. “I’m confident we can change your mind.” He handed across a piece of paper which Craegan held in front of him to read. The brothers read it over his shoulder, it was a contract from the Company of Silence, a mercenary company based in Raharus. It offered one hundred gold a year, the brother’s eyes went wide. That was almost fifty times what Craegan was earning working for their father. No one would turn away a deal like that. They would lose him and with him all the security and safety they thought they had regained. They knew how lucky they were to have him, who else could they find to control all the bandits around their farm? They looked at each other in terror, what could they do?
Craegan handed the contract back and looked the man dead in the eyes. “I like working here.”
A few days later the brothers and the watchman return to the farm. The brothers get back to working on the harvest while the watchman gets back to hunting down bandits. With everyone coming back from the war there are more people on the roads so he has to be more careful with how he hides his kills, but he is okay with that. He just has to get more, creative.