LXIII. After taking off the burg of Fitz, and sad that they had left the goodwoman Eridda to suffer a sorry fate, Edwald and his fellowship sailed the Nullen Lake, powered by the rowing of the smuggler Alen, who was rather too strong for his age. Before them, the waters widened up beyond the eyes, and the skies blue and grey were mirrored upon them. Upon the second hour, the gales of a storm blew from the west and its dark clouds engulfed the skyline like a ranged of mountains above until they swallowed the sun. Master Alen could smell the scent of rain in the air afore time and smirked at the heavens as if daring a fight.

-“It seems Father Oenid*(1) is down for a barney!” he said, stopping the rowing, “He has blown His gales our way and now He tests me skill and might. You, big man,” he said turning to sir Hans, “Help me raise the mast. Me oars are of no use hereon, we must unfurl the sail now.”

And so they did. Master Alen and sir Hans raised the mast and unfurled the main sail, white as snow it was and the amids the tempest it seemed like a flag that stirred flouting the skies. The gusting winds swept the boat to the east and behind their wake followed the drums of thunder, and bolts were seen like slashing whips that flustered waves beneath their feet. Among the sudden flashes silver and white that boomed under the shading clouds, Edwald descried another ship coming their way from the west, twice as tall as their, two more sails it fluttered and gained speed as it drew nigh. This was one of the larger vessels moored in Fitz, so it was clear to him that onboard had to be the guards that had seized the goodwoman Eridda, ere they set off, and that they wished to hunt them down. Then a horned was blown which echoed down and above, and though master Alen was half deaf, this once his ears did not betrayed him.

-“That was the horn of the watch” he said, “I told that woman that it was too early to set sail. They must have spotted us ere the storm. I’m sorry, sirs, we have company. I’ve got to make a stop.”

-“Nay, ‘tis to late now,” Edwald said, “The storm is upon us, so we must go on.”

-“Forget it, lad,” Alen replied, “these are men of the watch; they will take us as rogues if we don’t halt.”

-“But that we are,” Edwald said unable to lie to him, “We are wanted men and if they catch us it will mean our end.”

-“Curse me, you forgot to mention that!” said the sailor crossed, “Now, they’ll think your business is mine too. I’ve got to many warrents already; they won’t spare me another if I don’t stop now!”

-“We struck a deal, old man!” said Edwald also angered, “Do you think that ring we gave you did not come with its risk? You better do your part, or else we’ll tell the guards that you belong to our company. Should they catch us, you will be first to die!”

-“Very well,” he said, groaning reproachfully, “We’ll have it your way, then. You better embrace yourself; we’re going to the eye of the storm, to the south. There, they will not dare follow us. We are at the Gods’ mercy, now!”

Upon saying this, the old mariner pushed the helm to the left and the boat turned south, and that sudden shift of route proved to save their necks, for had they kept that course for a moment longer, they would certainly have been boarded by the guards. But the enemy ship chased them on and followed them south. There the storm was fiercest and like a song of war, the clouds, swirling ominously overhead, rumbled deep and loud, the winds howled and whipped the waters of the lake into a frenzy of crashing waves that splashed on either side. The vessel strained against the wild onslaught, as if wrestling their way into the storm.

Behind them, the enemy ship, its sails billowing and drums throbbing, pursued unflaggingly. On its deck stood guards, fixed on apprehending Edwald and his men, but they were neither aware of the treacherous nature of the waters they sailed, nor did they have the keen knowledge of the region that Master Alen possessed. The old smuggler, a seasoned sailor who had spent his whole life cruising those tumultuous waters, stood at the helm of the vessel; his gnarled hands firmly grasped the wheel, his eyes were sharp like steel, and roaring at the wind he defied the skies above.

-“Bring it on, O mighty Heavenfather!” he shouted, laughing amidst blast and thunder, “Loose your bolts, blow your jolts, have the ether crumble and the foam jumble, natheless, you shall not sink me boat, I will not be humbled!” There was madness in his eyes and his chortle seemed to be echoed by thunderclaps.

As they sailed deeper into the heart of the tempest, the raging chaos worked in their favour. The turbulent waves grew in size and wrath, crashing against the sides of the ship with furious squalls. The enemy ship, unused to such treacherous weather, struggled to maintain its course, veering off at times to avoid disaster. With each passing moment, the gap between the two vessels widened. The enemy ship's crew fought desperately to regain control, but their boldness in facing the storm had turned against them. The frantic winds and towering waves relentlessly buffeted the pursuing ship, hampering its headway and forcing it to slow down.

Meanwhile, Edwald and his men, though filled with fear and dread, witnessed their advantage. They saw the enemy ship falter, its pursuit gradually losing steam and thanked the Gods they had master Alen's able hands and mind on their side. But soon their victory tasted bitter in their mouths, for the tempest had not yet sundered and now they were under the watch of the storm’s eye. Lidless it was and it looked at them from above with pending doom in its black gaze. To Edwald it seemed that it wept, pouring its tears all over them.

It is important to note that many minstrels sang tunes about this storm, and if some of these tales are to be believed there was a man on board the enemy ship that put to verses the things he saw going their way. In the Lay of Ender the Bard, it is said that it wasn’t fear of the tempest what stopped the guards from chasing Edwald and his men, but rather a dread to venture into those parts of the lake, for it was told by many sailors of the day that there lingered the fabled Nullen Sea-Drakes, and it was the thought of them facing those terrible snakes what kept the guards at bay. Ender the Bard went even as far to say that he and some of the guards could see the sage scales of a monster’s tail whirling deep beneath the crashing waves. So they steered the helm to the left and lost the fellowship’s trail.

This sight could have otherwise been regarded as a mere myth, had the tutor Asadue not bolstered his telling in his journals, for he too claimed to have seen something huge twirl under the water right under the stare of the storm’s eye. Inspite of both accounts, there is little proof to attest they ever faced a sea-serpent that time, even though in their tales, bards often give that remark. What happened next, however, is something that baffles scholars even to this age. On their own, Edwald and his men, could have never weathered the storm, for the gales and waves the eye sent forth were too terrible to overcome, yet as if blessed by fate or else met with troubles unkown, the hull of the boat hit something like a rock, though they were far off any shores, and whatsoever it might have been proved to be of great luck, since it kept pushing the boat to the east until they were out of the squall.

Nullen Sea-Drake [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/928675464401281116/1118118208554152047/Nullen_Sea-Drake.jpeg]

So often as these stories are told, the minds of many engage in the business of embellishing these tales and making things up to let the same resound with more vigour and thrill. In the Lay of Ender the Bard—and countless more that go well beyond the times these things came to pass—there are hints of Edwald and his men facing the sea-drake with swords in hands and that, once they fled the storm, they met with mermaids that led their path to safer shores. Although most believe this to be true, in truth, the Hazagodian made no mention of this in his books. Instead, he said that, passed the tempest, they found themselves in calm waters again and the haze seemed to clear out as they sailed to the north and east.

Upon the fourth hour since leaving behind the storm, they came to the outlet of the Nullen Lake, where the River Mirn ran its way into the sea, and there the heavens turned grey again. This time there was neither gale nor gust, but rather a sweet drizzle of ice and snow that seemed unmoved like white sparkles before and above.

-“I do believe the worst is behind us,” said Edwald troubled no more.

-“That may be easy for you to say,” said the old mariner, “For me, the worst is still ahead, since I cannot return to me home. If ever I come back to Fitz, it’ll be as one, who’s gone rogue, and the watch will waste no time asking questions, they’ll be putting me behind bars if I dare show me face thereabout again.”

-“You needn’t go thither anymore,” Edwald said, “With the ring we gave you, you can buy another home twice bigger than your own.”

-“Aye, I may buy a house,” he said, “But it’ll take years until I may call it home, and still I might not have much time to start from scratch in other shores. A young man that has done wrong may move to the rim of the world and start a new life of his own. But I am an old man now, and I may not walk the earth for long, so not even this ring can buy back all the memories that in Fitz I have sewn.”

-“Do you regret having taken the ring then?” asked Edwald, stranged by the master Alen’s words, “There is still time, you could leave on us any shore hereabout and walk your way back too Fitz. Withou the boat few could tell who you were or are you too well-known in the town, that they won’t take you for another man?”

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-“Nay I had only a few friends…” the smuggler said, but then he paused, “Now that I think about it, maybe I only had just one; Eridda, was the only marrow in Fitz I knew by name. So I could go back, and none would notice that I had left.”

-“There it is,” Edwald said, “It seems that after all you can go whence you came.”

-“Aye, that I could” he said, though with a grim face, “But what good shall that do? As I said, Eridda was my only friend, and even now I cannot tell if I’ll see her again, any way. I could swear I had heard a whistle when we set off. So tell me, lad, was it really the wind or something else, instead?” Edwald saying no words only noded and master Alen went on, “‘Tis as I feared, so that’s that and I won’t be seing her no more. Besides, what’s done it’s done, so regrets will be of no use. Let us carry on, then, until we get you all ashore. Whither shall we go from here?”

-“Take us to Berecy,” Edwald replied, “There the havens should be safe, since it belongs to the domain of lord Tyén. He is a just thegn, but even there we are still wanted men. So we must be sure to go gently and with care to not give our names.”

Upon having settled an aim, Edwald and his fellowship lowered the mast and rowed their way down the River Mirn. None spoke, but in their minds they held monologues of their own. Edwald thought of his brother—as it was often the case—while sir Antuel wondered what the fates might have in store for him. Of the pondering of the other men, little is told in this tale, and yet there is great insight on what the Hazagodian came to meditate, since the things the smuggler Alen said, had a deep resonance in him. He saw himself in the old man, for, in another time, he had asked the same questions as well. We must remember that Asadue was not born in the realm; he came instead from lands far away, where he had lived another life under another name. In his journals, this was the first time he ever wrote of his past and he recalled his earlier times with a rueful prose and heart.

“To my comrades, the words of master Alen might have been redundant” he noted, “But to me, there was much in his speech that cut deep in my bones. I was born in Thardys and raised there as the son of a mighty lord. I met with countless people—the rich and poor—and made many acquaintances among both. In my time in the library, I was keenly fond of my mentor, Ahwen, he was a learned man that taught me most whereof I know. When he passed, I thought I had no one left, for my father had left the Emerald of the South and I was given to the my cruel uncle’s care, who, though had little love for me, took me under his wing to lay claim upon my father’s state and title. Even in the dark days of my youth, I found I still had some friends that shared in my joys and struggles. But also to them I was forced to bid farewell. At first, I thought I had some role to play in my uncle’s games. Yet, when it became evident that he no longer had any use for me and fearing he would otherwise have me slain, I was compelled to leave the city and that must needs to leave my life and friends behind so that I might survive.

“This pained me greatly to do, for to start another life in foreign lands among strange folks was a prospect to which I did not want myself resigned and to forsake all those, who with the passing of the years I had learnt to love, was a thought that troubled me even more so. Thenceforth, many times I rued having fled the city I had once called home, for the fates did not prove to be so kind to me in days later on. I roamed the dunes for many days from dusk ‘till dawn until I saw cities again, countless hardships I went to endure; I worked as a serf, then I was sold as a slave and when my youth came to an end I found myself as a thrall in one of the wealthies houses of the Realm of Men. These days, ever I thank the Gods for all the things that befell me, for had naught of this happened; never would I have met the man who now calls me mentor and sage. Elbracht esteems me and I love him too well, still, had I have the chance to remain in Thardys among so many a dear friends, I cannot say if I had the strength to have chosen another fate.”

None of this he shared with his fellow men, but he kept to himself, and on they rowed letting only the wind speak in their stead. The Nullen Lake lay behind while before the running waters of the River Mirn rushed their way to the open sea. On each side of the banks already the first month’s snows had claimed lordship over the lands which sloped ever up to the top of hills both left and right. Upon the third hour they slid north, past another another two they veered south and ten miles later they sheered north again, until, come the night, they were nigh the mouth of the Mirn, on which northern edge lay the city of Berecy. From afar it seemed only as a single star that met halfways between earth and sky, yet drawing nearer, they discerned that it was in fact a lighthouse standing tall upon the strand. Many houses were gathered thereabout, and ships were moored there that bore the semblances of the ones they had seen in Fitz and it seemed there were ships from every corner of the Mallen Sea; some came from Arganlond of Ardor, others from Beltos of Colmeth and a few came from the city of Culgarost, which Hank was pleased to see, for they bore the colours of the king.

Edwald saw that all the berths were already taken, not that he cared, for they were not to land in any quay where names and business would be asked. Instead, they found a hithe somewhere apart from the bay, and only a few people tarried there; mostly drunkards that after one too many mugs of ale payed little mind of whom came and went. Edwald and his fellowship were relieved to be back on land and glad that they were free from most of their worries at last. Yet even as they dragged the boat ashore, they were approached by two men, one was tall and thin and had a tablet and quill in hand, and the other, not far behind, was short, plump and carried sword, which, it seemed, he did not know his way about. The two men in question were dock warden and a guard, whose duty was to inspect all cargo and stowage of the ships that sailed thither parts.

-“Oye, not so fast, sirs” the thin man said, “These are no docks, ‘tis only the river bank. So you better loose your boat and land somewhere near the main wharves.”

-“We tried,” said master Alen, finding the best excuse he could, “all quays are full, so we had to take this hithe as our landing spot.”

-“Alright, I can see that,” the short man said, “The docks are always cramped by this time o’ day, yet ‘tis too late for any ship to sail. Where do you come from, sirs?”

-“The burg of Fitz,” answered the smuggler, for there were no others cities around the lake.

-“Aye, the Old Crow’s nest,” said the guard, “I have heard you’ve not been bearing well o’ late. How are you, people, faring o’er there?”

-“Every year’s worth than the next” replied the mariner, “The war humbled the burg and like a husband that has jilted an affair, the town is a godsforsaken place nowadays.”

-“‘Tis a sorry thing to hear, I’ll give you that,” the dock warden said, “But with the new lord up in Fyore, mayhaps better days are ahead. Anyhow, I shall have you names.”

Without reproach and leaving no room for doubts, Edwald gave the monikers they had chosen some time ago. Master Alen gave his own name and when sir Hans was asked, he simply said:

-“Hans.” and though that was true enough, he was not afraid of using his name, since it was rather common among the Graythmen. The trouble came when it was sir Antuel’s turn, for then they realised they had not given much thought on what to call him. He understood that, even in those shores, it was not safe to tell who he was. But since he had little knowledge in common names, he chose one which he knew well instead.

-“Mine is Carth” he said, and all knew that had been his brother’s name.

-“Carth?” the dock warden said, “That surely is a noble name. Are you some lord of sorts, or else a knight of fame?”

-“O, How I wish! Alas, I am neither,” sir Antuel replied, “‘Twas merely my father’s choice. We used to live near Fyore, and it seemed to him that if I had a fancy name, mayhaps some lord or gallant should notice me among the rest and take me for a squire or else an aide.”

-“Clever man, he was!” said the short, plumpy guard, “I’ll be sure to do the same, should me wife give me another male. Though, you surely speak quite quaint, as if you were born in some fancy place. Do your lot all talk like that up in the Gryphnest?”

-“Nayh, only ‘dis lot,” he said, shaming himself, for though he wished to hide his lettered tongue, he only naked himself as someone of higher birth.

-“You do sound odd, m’lord,” the tall man said, “in fact, all of you do and don’t be mistaking that I don’t see that you have the bearing of uppity folk, safe that one o’er there, who looks like a slave. Where do you really come from and what’s your business here?”

-“Never mind the tongues or looks, anyone can fake them both,” said the smuggler ready to save the day, “These men come from Fyore. Come to your senses, man; they are who they say! If they were lordlings of any sort, why would they travel with the likes of me, and not moor some fancier ship in the bay?”

-“You’ve got us there, I’ll give you that” said the guard, “But what about that swarthy fellow of yours, shouldn’t he be in chains? Why does he look like a free man?”

-“Aye, Asadue here is a good slave,” said the smuggler, without knowing that this annoyed him, “But chains are too costly nowadays and so we sold them to buy some bread instead. Yet don’t you fret, you can rest assured he will not run away.”

-“Aye, he better do as you say.” The thin man said, “O’er the past month some fool has got in trouble, setting loose a few slaves in Hebrom and Belém. Even to these parts a couple of those mules have found their way, and every now and then they preach in the market place. They say, chains are gargs of the past and that better days are ahead for bondsmen. You see, we have got enough on our plate, so you better keep an eye on this one or else he may join the rest.”

-“We’ll sure do. At any rate, good night to you, sirs.” Master Alen said, bidding the two men farewell, but then he turned to Edwald and his men, “The Gods were good that these two were craving death. The tall lad was weary and half a sleep, while fat one had a ale in his breath. Were it not so late, they might have kept asking questions ‘till the sun is wake again. You are safe now, but, come the morn, I cannot say if you shan’t. Anyhow, I’ve kept my part of the bargain, so our deal is at an end. Here we must part ways; I’ll be off to some far off haven, where I can start again.”

-“You have been very kind and brave, good Alen,” said Edwald, “I hope you find a new home and that Father Oenid blows fair winds your way.”

-“Nay, let Him blow his gales and bolts to me,” he said and then he smirked, “I’ve given a thought to it, and since I cannot return to Fitz, maybe it’ll be best that my home becomes the seas. Let farmers and kings die in their lands, while I withstand the ties of squalls, and when times come to say goodbye, let the waves call me to the next life.”

Saying then no more, they bid farewell to the old man, and sliding like leaves on a stream he sailed away from sight to the open sea. Master Alen, in later years, would become the stuff of songs that told of his adventures in the east and north. The Tales of Alen the Tar has a tome of its own in the libraries of the man and often is it read among the lines that the old smuggler boasted to have met lord Elbracht more than once. It is from this tale that much of the things herein said have been borrowed and though, no doubt, embellished by the prose of bards, in the accounts of tutor Asadue, much of it has been verified.