Lord Greyheart

Kael makes his way to the palace, nodding in greeting to the few people on the street this early in the morning. Once he arrives, he walks straight towards the audience room, where Lord Greyheart will be waiting. A guard at the door salutes him, a gesture Kael returns, and then the door is opened, allowing him to enter.

The audience room is large and currently empty, it being too early for the usual crowd of lesser nobles and petitioners to have arrived. At the far end of the room is a large, gilded oaken throne, raised slightly upon a dais. To the right of the throne stands Bernal, his massive axe grounded in front of him with his hands resting upon the pommel. The older man is wearing his usual armor, heavy and ornate, though Kael knows from experience that it doesn’t slow Bernal a bit.

Seated upon the throne is Lord Greyheart himself. Older as well, he is a big man, nearly as big as Bernal, with a kind smile and piercing grey eyes. He is in decent shape as well, though less so than his oldest friend and most loyal champion. There is a reason for that, though, easily visible when Kael sees Lord Greyheart standing to greet him. His right arm ends abruptly at the elbow, lost in a battle long ago. It was this wound that warranted the creation of the order of lord’s champions, at the insistence of Bernal.

Kael approaches the dais, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. “I am here, at your request, my lord.”

Lord Greyheart chuckles. “Oh, get up, Kael. It’s just the three of us here. No need to stand on ceremony.”

Kael rises to his feet. “As you say, my lord.”

Lord Greyheart glances at Bernal and smiles. “Always so proper. You could learn from him. Proper respect and all that.”

Bernal grins. “Oh please. If I ever called you ‘my lord’, you’d probably pass out from shock.”

They both laugh. “Fair enough. And I’m too old for that kind of thing. Probably cause a succession crisis when I died of surprise.”

Bernal rolls his eyes. “Yeah. Maybe get yourself an heir first?”

Lord Greyheart grows serious. “No jokes there, Bernal.”

He turns back to Kael. “So. Bernal tells me you’re settling in with your new companion. How is she?”

Kael is surprised at his interest. “She is well, my lord. Quite well, actually. She seems…happy.”

Bernal smiles. “Told you he was the right choice, Vince.”

Lord Greyheart nods. “You did. And I agreed.”

He addresses Kael again. “That’s good. Take good care of her. And let her take care of you.”

Kael nods. “I will, my lord. I must ask, however. Were you aware of her…abilities?”

He nods in return. “I am. It’s one of the reasons she was given to you. I take it you experienced it?”

Kael shrugs. “You could call it that, yes. It was…an experience. But it seems to work. I have questions, though.”

Lord Greyheart smiles. “Of course you do. I’m afraid I may not have answers for you, however.”

Kael nods. “I expected that. Do you know where her power comes from? I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

Lord Greyheart sighs, frowning. “Few have. It’s a rare thing, and dangerous. It’s a result of her bloodline, as I understand it. Much of it comes from her mother, who was strong in elven magic. Died in childbirth, unfortunately.”

Kael looks at him curiously. “Interesting. And her father?”

Lord Greyheart shakes his head. “That must remain a secret, I’m afraid. I’ve said all I can on the subject.”

Kael bows. “Of course, my lord. I apologize for my curiosity.”

Lord Greyheart waves a hand dismissively. “No need to apologize. Just please take care of her. As has been said, she is special, in a few ways.”

Kael nods. “I will, my lord. She is special, I agree.”

The older man smiles at that. “Anyways. To business. I have a mission for you.”

Kael bows. “I await your orders, my lord.”

Lord Greyheart sits back in his throne. “As you know, we are not a particularly large nation. More of a city-state. And some of our neighbors have grown…belligerent, of late. We have evidence that one of them perpetrated the…incident, the other day.”

Kael crosses his arms. “Attempted ****? Who would dare?”

Lord Greyheart shakes his head. “Every nation has enemies, Kael. It’s the way of things. Regardless, it seems that this particular enemy has tapped a local bandit group. Up until recently, they had merely been a nuisance, attacking merchant caravans and the like. The guardsmen have been working on clearing them out. But this latest offense demands more vigorous action.”

Kael nods. “And that’s where I come in?”

Lord Greyheart smiles grimly. “Indeed. I want you to head out on patrol with the guard party tomorrow. Take out the leader and shatter the band. Make an end to it. Can you handle this?”

Kael bows. “Consider it done, my lord.”

With that, Kael is dismissed, sent to go make his preparations. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another ****.