It was a cold day of spring, the ones with cold colours and beautiful plants. The maids and the servants were doing their duties and chatting a bit.

“Have you heard the news?” one maid said to the other

“No, what has happened?”

The other maid showed her some very luxurious clothes, they were stained by something, it was blood.

“Why there is blood?

“You must be deaf to not have heard the news! The count Regarl is death! It was murder in his castle!”

“Oh my god,” she said a bit surprised, for a count being murdered in his home wasn’t normal “who could have done such a thing?”

“Oh, then you must be really deaf! The king had given him the castle of Parumba[1], that was practically a death sentence!”

“Ah, what he had done to merit such a sentence?”

“He may had slept with the king wife or...”

“or?”

“Or might have accidentally killed the king favourite polar bear in a duel.” He paused for some moments “do you know what is the funny thing?”

“No”

“Duke Loren has come today by request of the king because ‘he wants to award his efforts.’”

“He is practically dead.” they both agree.

Not far from there Duke Loren had paused near a fountain and was eavesdropping the conversation the two maidens. “Well, I don’t have done anything wrong against the king, why he should kill me?” He thought “I was always a loyal servant and battle brother. I always respected him and the royal family. No, he doesn’t want to kill me. I am sure”

He traversed the castle halls and reached the throne room where the king was waiting for him.

He gestures for him to kneel.

“You know” The king began to speak “I want to award your many years of service by giving you a fief.”

A fief? Well, there are ma-

“The castle of Parumba to be exact. Is a really big castle that has much land attached to it. I suggest you transfer there. I hope that you don’t believe the voices regard that castle. Do you?” The king gave him a sharp look.

“Nhnoo, my lord” He said stammering.

“Good. Don’t worry about furniture and stuff, the previous owner, who sadly died not long go”

Not even two days ago.

“had brought with himself many furniture.”

“I will go there immediately my lord!”

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Even though he did his best not to look nervous he was freaking out, he was the last one of his blood if he died his entire dynasty would die with him. He was far too young to die and his wife still hadn’t given him any children.

 What he was to do? Was fleeing a valid option…?

No! He was loyal to the king and the royal family. And by the way, the king had no reason to want him dead. He never did anything wrong against the king? Had he?

He began to think about his past actions while he went telling his wife of the changing of home. 

She didn’t take it well.

“I am only 19! Only 19 and I will be a widow! Do you know how horrible is that?!? Please don’t go. Don’t…” she began to cry “I want you in my bed. I want to build a family with you, I don’t want… I don’t want you to die…”

“Don’t worry the king and I are good friends...  nothing wrong will happen to me, I am sure”

“Are you sure?” She said looking in his eyes. 

He wanted to tell her all of his doubts, he wanted to flee from the kingdom in some God forgotten pagan one fief county, but looking in her eyes, in her sweet eyes she couldn’t tell her that.”

“I am sure, now come with me.”

Even though that castle was cursed it looked beautiful. That castle was build in a different time, when the frontier and war were much closer home. It had cyclopic walls and a deposit who could feed the entire population for two years, long-range weapons on the walls, burning oil if needed, and a large forest nearby. 

It took him less than a week to settle in his new home, even though the fear of dying was a constant he enjoy life there. He hunted, he played games, he talked to the peasants, he managed the castle, he liked it. 

Obviously, he took many defence measures, he didn’t drink or eat anything that wasn’t tasted before. He had a knife under his pillow and carried always a sword with him. He made build a one-way escape route from his room. Security was massively increased and had always bodyguards with him.

“So are you seriously telling me that there is a ghost there?” He asked confused

“Yeah that house is... “ he came closer and whispered, “possesed.”

“Possesed by rats” he replied.

That was a house that no one brought, no matter how low the price became, because no one lasted more than one month there, they all died by some disease. He decided to cut it short, called a priest, made some prayers and burn the house. Many rats and insects burn with it.

Looking at the amount of free time that he had he decided to learn something, but what? He traversed his castle many times, looking at the various activities.

Learn how to make a clocks? No too hard and complicate for him.

Learn how to recitate? Nah he already learned that at court 

Write a book? No. He wasn’t a madman who would willingly pass dozens of his hours writing and rewriting the same paraghraphs?  

While doing one of his evenings walks he encountered a hunter bringing some rabbits back home. All the sudden the thought of passing hours tracking some footprints in the mod and dirt seemed to him something very fun to do.

He decided, he would learn how to hunt. He hired an instructor (the hunter that he had just encounter) and in a few weeks he had already hunted a deer (be it with much assistance), he was really happy.

One day, at the court of the king, a messager came running throught the halls as fast as he could do. He arrived in the throne room

“My king! Something horrible has happen”

The king looked at him.

“Duke Loren has died”

The king looked very strangely and confuse at him “wwWhatt? How? Why?”

“Oh my king the dear Duke had goone  hunting in the morning, as his usual. After many hours, seeing that he didn’t come back, scouts were dispatched, and… and… “ he cleared his throat “He was found by his horse, in a clearing in the woods. His face was calm, almost serene[2]…”

“OK, ok, I don’t want to know the details” the king said “go away I have to think”

The messager went away, the king eyes spoke of great rage and sadness.

Once the messager went away he broke in tears and started trowing objects across the room. 

“Five hundreed gold! Five hundreed gold to convince your wife, friends and servant to plot to kill you and you die in this way! DAMMIT!

Notes from the text:

[1] If someone got that reference, Kudos for you and let me know.

[2] Another reference, it’s in the same context of the last one, let me know if you got it.