A Mercenary during Peace

My back hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me and smearing my clothes with mud. Gentle raindrops hit my face as I looked up into the dark night sky. “Get lost, you bum! No coin, no food.”, the innkeeper made a few more rude gestures before the two massive bouncers shut the door I had just been thrown through. I remained on my back and sighed deeply, “Is there nobody who might take pity on a bum like me?”. I considered just staying there, slowly sinking into the mud until only the tips of my boots would stick out.

‘Pathetic’, there it was, that voice, the voice of war, ‘You were rich, feared and respected only three years ago. Now you let two meatheads throw you around like a dishcloth. Go in there and kill them, NOW!’. I shook my head, that wasn’t me anymore. Even if it was, the world had no use for someone like that. I slowly rose, slipping in the mud a few times before I finally made it to my feet. There was really only one place to go now. I had visited every Barony of the Kingdom Generia, every place where my name had held even a sliver of value, except for the Barony of Feldvale.

During the War of Red Clouds, Feldvale had been mostly in the background, providing bread and gold rather than soldiers. I had figured it would be the Barony where my name held the least weight, so I had never bothered to visit there. Now it was my only option. I couldn’t find my bag or my sword anywhere. During the War, I would have torn apart this whole town in search of my trusted blade, but I couldn’t find it within myself to care. I still felt the dagger I always concealed on the small of my back and decided it was good enough. I turned away from the inn and started walking.

Every step was a battle as my boots sunk into the mud and had to be pulled out with a wet smack. Still, my body kept moving forward. It was now the only thing I had left from my time in the war. Gold, respect, comrades, even my sword, all of it was gone. Only my body, even slightly malnourished, was still a well-honed weapon capable of much more than any normal man. I had become so familiar with mud, that walking through it felt like greeting an old friend.

I walked for days, catching rainwater in my hands and ignoring my rumbling stomach. Day and night, rain and sun I walked until I left the Nightpass Barony far behind. The people I met on my journey avoided even looking at me, whispering warnings to their curious children and speeding up their pace until they had long passed me.

I was about to take another step, when a gloved hand shoved my chest. I stumbled back and, awoken from my trance, looked at the person who had shoved me. It was a stunningly beautiful woman with silver hair wearing a quite risqué outfit that showed her to be part of the faith. Her eyes looked at me with confidence and a healthy amount of disdain which, despite my being a good foot taller than her even with her heels, made me feel very small.

She stood between to massive boulders that framed the street. A skilled mason had carved the words “You are entering the graceful and noble Barony of Feldvale” into the larger rock. “And what are you supposed to be? I could smell you long before you passed that hill. Then you ignore me when I speak to you.”, she threw me a piercing glare over her now crossed arms, “Give me one good reason why I should let you enter our noble Barony.”.