"Myrian has escaped?" Olaf stared incredulously from Huldain to Orei. "But how? I enchanted the prison myself – and Huldain, you forged his bonds! How could Myrian have broken out of that?"

The tavern they were in seemed quite high class; the leather armchairs and large fire place gave the patrons a sense of grandeur as they walked across the floor boards. Marius sat beside his brother, listening to the conversation. The companions had sat together, recounting the events which had transpired, leading up to their reunion. Once Orei had told the details of Myrian’s escape, Marius could tell from Olaf's reaction, that this was a serious problem – maybe even more serious than the Eldar who had destroyed his home. He sat in silence, waiting for Olaf to form a plan.

Olaf sat in his chair and took in what was around him. Thoughts of Myrian's escape circled his thoughts as his hands automatically pulled out his pipe and tobacco pouch.

Olaf's blue smoke trailed over this floor as he thought. It investigated the surrounding building, and not once was he interrupted by his friends. They all looked at him expectantly, even Huldain, who seemed anxious and worried about his older brother.

Finally, Olaf pulled himself out from his wandering thoughts and looked at his companions. "We must find Myrian and capture him before he causes any harm. Then, and only then, can we start on the other threat of the Eldar."

Huldain frowned. "Olaf, he has at least five days’ lead on us, ten by the time we get back. Horses cannot trek the mountains, so their speed can only buy us a day or two."

Olaf looked at Huldain, and pulled out one of the maps from his satchel; it was the map of all the northern kingdoms. Marius frowned at the title, wondering if not Alturine, then what was classed as a southern kingdom?

Olaf stretched out the map, and pointed to the eastern fork of the Mother-locke. "We will sail," he said. "We will take the eastern path of the Mother-locke River, and then take the Doflhiem canal into the Dwarven city. Once there, we shall take horses out of the southern gate and into Alturine."

They all looked at the map on the table; Huldain rubbed his beard, and Orei played with her nose ring, nodding.

Alun frowned at the map, and then looked up at Olaf. "How do we know he would have left by the southern gate?"

Orei chipped in almost automatically. "It’s the least guarded gate in Doflhiem, and it’s one of the closest from the prison. If he was going to leave the city, he would have left by the southern gate."

Alun nodded, now happy with Olaf's plan. Olaf looked around once more at his friends with a questioning look. "Any more questions, or shall I go and arrange a boat to take us to Doflhiem?"

With the affirmation from everyone, Olaf and Marius stood up and left their companions to rest, and enjoy the warm food and cool beer after their long hike to Trystem. Olaf strode out into the afternoon sun with a strange mixture of happiness and worry; he was glad to see his brother again, but now with the other one on the loose, he knew his work had just doubled. The Eldar were proving to be difficult enough without Myrian, but now it would be a race against time to capture one and defeat the other.

Marius was, as always, trailing behind Olaf's massive figure. People stopped and stared, whilst others clapped, cheered, or waved, trying to catch the old hero's attention. To his surprise, Marius saw that Olaf was not the only one who was being applauded, and as a sign of professionalism, he decided to follow Olaf's lead and focus on the task at hand.

The dockyards of Trystem, where the previous Jarl was set to rest, sat beside Trystem in a man-made port, carved out from the banks of the Mother-locke. Fishermen who had been bedridden and deathly ill a day before, now hauled their nets and sharpened their harpoons ready for their first day back on the job. Five large longboats sat in port, whilst two others could be seen on the horizon. Out on the river plying their craft, more boats were being built in an adjacent shipyard, where carpenters and builders were working together non-stop trying to restore Trystem's depleted fleet.

Olaf looked down at the docks from his vantage point at the gate, looking for any idle captains or boats to rent. He saw one in the last pier, the fifth boat. From what Marius could see, it didn't look very waterproof. Olaf stepped on board the leaking boat, and inspected the deck. The wood seemed old – very old – and holes littered the sides, giving a close up view of the water. The sails were patched, and the figure head, from what Marius could make of it, used to be a bear, but now it was scarred into obscurity. Olaf found the captain asleep. A cloak was wrapped about him, and a worn, weather-stained tri-corn hat was pulled over his eyes. Bottles rolled about underneath his chair, and water seemed to leak out from his boots which were resting upon the rudder.

To Marius's surprise, Olaf savagely kicked the chair from underneath the captain's sleeping body and sent him sprawling across the deck; the bottles skittered in every direction, and one landed beneath Olaf's foot. The captain spluttered awake, yelling, and moaning at the same time. He pulled his hat back from his eyes, saw Olaf, and his yelling fizzled into a low groan. The captain adjusted his hat, and wrapped his cloak about him, trying to form an illusion of stability. His blinking consisted of one eye sluggishly falling as the other eye attempted to stay open. He swayed with the waves, but in the wrong direction, and from what Marius could tell, the man was completely soaked.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Olaf leant down, and in a quiet but menacing voice, said, "Captain DeSanglier, I presume?"

Robert DeSanglier was, as Marius later found out, an alias of a pirate called William 'Cutlass' Carvey. Olaf had interrupted Carvey as he was attempting a raid on the High King's ship, and Carvey had jumped overboard, escaping with his life.

The now Captain DeSanglier attempted to keep a calm exterior, before throwing a hidden knife at Olaf, and making a dash for the river. Olaf dodged the knife with astonishing speed, and grabbed the Captain's leg just as he was in mid jump over the side. Carvey cried out as he smashed into the side of the boat. The dockyard guards, who had just been sworn in and were ready for excitement, came over to see what the fuss was about.

Olaf hauled the Captain back onto the deck of his ship, and looked up at the two guards who were boarding the boat. "Gentlemen, I believe you are just about to arrest the infamous pirate, Bill Carvey. Tell your Jarl to send a note to the High King with his head."

Marius had never seen Olaf act so heartlessly; even when he had cleaved up most of the old garrison he had seemed more empathetic. Carvey screamed and kicked as the two young guards dragged him away. Marius watched them go, and turned around to see Olaf testing the rudder. He offered no explanation of his actions, but Marius surmised that Olaf was not overly fond of his enemies escaping.

Olaf had decided to claim the pirate's boat for his own, and headed to the dock master's office to sign the appropriate paperwork on a captured vessel. Half an hour later, and the boat was theirs. Olaf hummed to himself as he tucked away the documents into his overcoat. He had sent a small cabin boy off in search of Huldain, Alun, and Orei with the dock number and vessel. Olaf had named the boat "Go Fast" in the vain hope that it would live up to its name.

Together, Marius and Olaf stood on the docks looking at their new boat. It didn't inspire much confidence, and now that it was theirs, it looked worse than before; the holes appeared bigger, and the sails seemed to be just rags in the wind.

Olaf shrugged, and then sighed. "Well, lad, it looks like it needs some patching up before we set sail. Let’s go over to the ship yards and see if we can't get some help."

They headed back into the main dock area, and then headed right into the shipyard; the sawing of wood and hammering of nails surrounded them as they walked between the large boats being made.

They found their way into the centre, and saw a man standing next to a low table looking at plans.

Olaf strode up behind him, and cleared his throat. "Hello there, good man. I was wondering if you could perhaps allow me to borrow a few men so that I may get my vessel out into open water as soon as possible."

The man simply waved Olaf away, and said in a shrewd voice, "’fraid not, mate. These are my men, and not even the Jarl himself will command me to give them leave. We are far behind on our work since the sickness, and now we need to work harder than ever."

He turned, still looking at a diagram, and then let it fall as he saw Olaf. "Of-of-of course you, sir, can have all the men you need, sir; free of charge, sir."

Olaf bowed his head, as if only acknowledging a kind gesture. "Why thank you, my good man. My boat is the in the last dock; I would like it in a good sailing condition by midday tomorrow."

The man simply nodded, and continued to murmur his apologies and assurances that Olaf's boat would be in fine working order by tomorrow.

Marius walked beside Olaf with a small smile on his face. Olaf looked down at his pupil, and frowned.

"What?"

Marius looked up at Olaf, and his smile grew. "Wherever we go, we either get into fights or end up with free things, like beer or a boat."

Olaf himself smiled at this, and nodded. "Yes, I suppose we do. You really should pull your head in Marius; there is no knowing what sort of trouble you could cause next."

By the time they arrived back at the docks, Alun, Orei, and Huldain were sitting on barrels looking up at Go Fast with worried expressions.

Huldain watched Olaf walk up the pier, and shook his head. "Where on earth did you find this thing, Olaf?"

Olaf indicated to the dock they were sat in. "Right here, of course. I have a group of very helpful ship builders coming to fix her up into a fit, fighting fashion."

Orei nodded, but she had a plain look of panic on her face, similar to when a small child is confronted by a big spider. "I was just going to say, for everyone's common knowledge, that Dwarves – as a people, not just individually – aren't rather fond of water, probably because we don't float too well."

Huldain laughed, and slapped Orei on the back. "Not to worry, princess. Olaf will protect you; every boat he has ever been on has only sunk once."

This did little to comfort Orei, and even Alun and Marius looked at each other nervously. As they walked away from the docks, Orei seemed very nervous about their voyage, and Marius had to admit that he was not completely confident with the boat himself. Alun also seemed quite unconvinced by the Go Fast; it didn't inspire thoughts of plain sailing. However, trusting Olaf and Huldain to carry them safely, he stayed quiet, hoping that all would be well, and they would arrive in Doflhiem ahead of time. They entered the main town just as the pirate William Carvey was being led up the steps towards the executioner's block.

The Jarl stood on the podium with the firm belief that he was judge, jury, and executioner.

Wulfred drew his blade, and called out to the amassing crowd, "People of Trystem, here kneels the dreaded pirate, William 'Cutlass' Carvey. He has been found guilty of murder, thievery, and treason to the High King; his sentence is death."

The crowd erupted in celebration as the Jarl spaced his feet apart, and raised his blade. He brought it back down, flying through the air until a sudden squelch and thump heralded the end for Cutlass Carvey.

Marius watched the head roll, and was silently disturbed by the joy the mob took out of death. Olaf watched with his expression guarded, and Marius felt that this would be closure for some past quest that he had undertaken. Alun sighed as the head was being bagged and the body was hung up by the feet as a warning to other pirates. He looked about the square for a pub, and then signalling to Orei and Marius, he walked in that direction, leaving Huldain and Olaf to follow.