The Once and Future Man - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Begin"

David drew his sword, holding it loosely in his left hand, while captain Mikel put on his helmet. He expected Harsk's man to charge in immediately, but he appeared to be more interested in putting on a good show. The man picked up his sword in both hands and spun it around in a figure eight pattern, the handle changing hands smoothly over and over. The crowd ooh'd and ahh'd while he sent the long blade around behind his back, then threw it up in the air only to catch the spinning weapon and continue the figure eight pattern. David wasn't sure if he was also supposed to be putting on some sort of display for the gathered nobles. He found himself being drawn into the hypnotic movements of the guard captain's sword, forgetting that they were here to fight to the death.

The lunge came without warning, Mikel brought his weapon up level with his chest and sprang forward with only the slightest crouch to hint at his intent. They had been standing nearly ten feet apart, but in the blink of an eye the two men were almost nose to nose. The guard captain raised his sword as he leaped, bringing it down in an overhead strike as he landed. The four-foot blade extended in his long arms made up the distance that hadn't been covered in his sudden jump forward.

Nobles in the crowd cheered, happy that the action had finally started. While Mikel's skills were impressive enough, they had come for a more deadly show. They leaned forward, not wanting to miss a second of the duel. Drinks and finger sandwiches sat forgotten in the hands of the viewers. It had been quite some time since anyone had claimed the Right of Honor. This duel looked like it would end quickly, but most of them didn't mind. A swift, dramatic finish was just as good as a long, even match. Mialana's cry of dismay could be heard above the other noise in the gardens, she couldn't bear to watch all her dreams for the future end in a flash of steel and blood. David could see Harsk smiling wide from his seat near the Queen.

The sword came down quickly at his head and David snapped his hands up just in time. Steel clashed against steel as his sword blocked Mikel's. He gave ground and blocked again as his opponent swung at his right side, followed by another blow to his head. Each time he managed to get his smaller sword up in time to block Mikel's great two-handed blade. The crowd roared in approval at his defense, he could hear Pold and Rael Lokke cheering louder than anyone, even Minister Sedden shouted her encouragement.

David and the guard captain were almost evenly matched in size and strength, only David's speed due to not wearing any armor saved him from Mikel's greater skill with a sword. Even still, David thought the man moved amazingly fast for someone covered in fifty pounds of steel. He dodged from side to side, making it harder for Mikel to see him in the limited vision of his helmet. The big sword swung in wide arcs to keep him at a distance, never allowing him to get in a strike of his own.

The open ground of the courtyard allowed him room to avoid most of Mikel's powerful swings. He kept the big man turning back and forth, trying to confuse him and create an opening to strike. David ducked behind a fountain to catch his breath for a moment. He peeked around the side of it to see Mikel take a two-handed swing. The blade crashed into the side of the fountain, sending chips of marble flying past him. David yanked his head back behind the fountain, keeping it between him and his opponent. He crouched down, sword in hand, waiting for Mikel to take another swing. If he timed it right, he should be able to get in a hit on his elbow when he struck the fountain again.

Seconds dragged on, David watched to make sure he kept the fountain between him and Harsk's man. What was he waiting for? Mikel charged forward and David got ready to spring to the side and take his shot. He waited for a swing that never came. The guard lowered his armored shoulder and slammed into the fountain at full speed. Water sprayed into the air as the marble dish tipped his way and fell apart.

Mikel recovered his balance after hitting the stone and raised his sword to finish things for good. David yelped and dived away from his hiding spot, shoulder rolling his way out of the garden bed that held the fountain. He spun on his heel when he landed, looking around wildly for his attacker. Mikel stalked away from the fountain, water splashing all over him as he stepped out of the garden.

Both fighters continued to circle, David blocking the heavy swings of his attacker and moving as randomly as he could to try to stay ahead of him. The spectators were enjoying every minute of the fight, there were calls to servants for more wine, wagering was starting to even out now that David had lasted so long. Mialana's hopes were starting to rise again. It was no sure thing certainly, but she couldn't help but feel relieved that he hadn't been killed in the first wild swing of the fight.

The fight went on and on, with neither side gaining the upper hand. David was starting to tire; he simply didn't have the endurance of a trained soldier. The lack of armor had kept him going a little longer, but it was getting harder and harder to get his hands up in time to block the incoming sword strikes. He could hear Mikel's heavy breathing inside his helmet. The big soldier was wearing down too, but his blows were just as strong as they were at the beginning of the fight.

As David sidestepped to Mikel's right, he was a second too slow bringing his sword up to stop the wide swing of the captain. The impact twisted the weapon in his hand and before he could regain his grip, the sword went spinning away from him to land in a clump of rose bushes. He leaped after it, as he turned his ankles crossed over each other and he ended up face down in the dirt. He rolled over to see captain Mikel advancing on him slowly.

Pold groaned loudly as the shining steel disappeared into the shrubs. Rael was regretting having placed his bet on the odd foreigner. Tears formed in Mialana's eyes. This was it; David would be dead, and they would have to stumble along blindly, trying to read all those books without knowing the language they were written in. She looked at Caelly for comfort, the young woman's smile was ear to ear, her eyes glistened with excitement. She glanced over at the Queen and her grin faded suddenly, she rearranged her face to look solemn. Caelly took the Queen's hand in both of hers and tried to reassure her. Mialana steeled herself for the inevitable, sitting stone-faced on her bench.

Kenterus Harsk leaped to his feet, crowing with exultation at his expected victory. "This is it, justice at last! Finish him captain!"

Mikel stepped forward, he loomed over David like a statue. The big man reversed his grip on his sword, holding the point down towards the ground. He raised the blade high, ready to drive it down into David's heart.

"Nowhere to go now, you miserable peasant. Kill him, Mikel!" Harsk yelled.

David reached down to his left hip, feeling the butt of the flintlock in his hand. Mikel lifted the sword higher, looking down at him, no emotion showing in his eyes. David drew the pistol with his left hand and pulled the hammer back with his right all in the same motion. He lifted it and aimed it at his executioner, he had no time to look for a weak point in the armor. The sword was on its way down when he pulled the trigger.

Krack! The pistol went off with a cloud of smoke and a gout of flame. The shot penetrated the captain's breastplate, going straight through his heart and out the other side. His face changed from expressionless to a look of total shock and surprise. The big man toppled backwards, his sword clattering to the ground next to him. A pool of deep red blood flowed out from under him, surrounding his body in a halo of crimson.

The crowd erupted in cries of confusion and dismay. What had just happened? What was that noise, and how had it killed captain Mikel?

David laid on the ground, his pistol still held up in a shaking hand. It had worked, he was alive! He dropped the pistol onto his own stomach but didn't attempt to get up yet. The assembled nobles were arguing loudly over what had happened. Jaym ran out to him and knelt down near his head. The young boy had retrieved his sword on the way over and laid it in the dirt next to him.

"Are you ok Master David? What did you do? I thought for a moment that you were going to be killed!" The boy had marks on his cheeks where he had dug his fingernails in too deep while watching the fight.

He sat up slowly, doing his best to assure Jaym that he was ok, though he didn't feel it. He was covered in sweat, and not all of it was from the exertion of avoiding being killed. Pold and Rael came forward to help him up off the ground. The High Priest almost sent him back down to the dirt with his congratulatory pat on the back. Both men were curious about what he had done, but happy to see him alive. Pold was happy because he genuinely liked the young man, Lokke because he had just won a great deal of money from his victory.

The Queen couldn't have been happier. David had survived, their guide to prosperity was still available to them. Her smile gleamed in the afternoon sun as she turned to Caelly to share her joy. The blonde lady's maid's eyes were wide, her breathing coming in quick shallow gasps. Mialana touched her on the shoulder, but she continued to stare straight ahead.

"Caelly?... Caelly!" The Queen shook her companion to get her attention.

The pale woman blinked her eyes and finally noticed Mialana next to her. She consciously slowed her breathing before responding, "I... I'm alright, your Majesty."

"Are you sure? You are even paler than usual." The Queen reached up to feel her forehead, Caelly brushed her hand aside.

"I'm ok, my love." Caelly whispered to her, greatly daring to be so informal in public. "Congratulations on the victory. I'll go get your gown ready for the feast later."

Before the Queen could say anything, the younger woman had already left the courtyard. As she looked around, she saw a few others that were in almost as bad a situation as her friend. Kera Sedden was frowning, though she supposed that was due to concern over the fallout of Harsk losing. Others were staring openmouthed at David where he stood chatting with Pold and Rael. Even she had no idea how he had managed to kill the guard captain. A long explanation would be needed the next time they had a meeting alone. She noticed that Lord Harsk was among the people staring in shock at the dead man on the ground, his mouth flapping open over and over like a landed fish. Only her uncle didn't seem the least bit alarmed by what had happened. The giant soldier simply looked curious.

The Queen cleared her throat loudly, reminding the High Priest that he was here in an official capacity, not just as a supportive friend.

Pold jumped slightly when he heard his monarch. He stepped away from David with a smile and cleared his own throat, "The Right of Honor has been satisfied. The Mother has chosen David of Am-err-icka as the winner. Both parties agree that no vengeance will be sought, and the matter is settled."

Harsk recovered quickly and was soon apoplectic that he had lost. He charged forward through the crowd of nobles until he was between David and the Queen.

"This will not stand! This is not justice! He cheated your Majesty, I don't know how, but he cheated." He yelled, shaking his hands in the air.

"Shut it, Harsk." Greeg rumbled deeply. "The Right of Honor says you can challenge someone if you think you've been slighted. It also gives you the right to have someone stand in for you. Once the duel starts, that's the end of it, one man lives, one man dies. He could have picked up a tree and killed your champion, or drowned him in a fountain, it doesn't matter. The Mother decided that you were wrong, and your man died for it, accept it."

David holstered his pistol and walked towards Harsk with his hand out to shake. The indignant Lord backed away, looking as though he thought that he too would drop dead if David touched him. Harsk backed into a low retaining wall and fell into a bed of foxglove. David lowered his hand and kept going until he was standing over the fallen noble. The look Harsk gave him was almost pitiable, almost.

"Who are you, really?" Harsk was unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

David thought about letting him off easy for a moment, but he couldn't. There had been too much unnecessary hostility from this man already. He hadn't heard a single redeeming thing from anyone else about him either. He thought of how he had reacted to Jaym on their first trip to the palace, and of what Rosha had told him about her time at the Leaping Horse. He didn't have to like it, but if this man was too scared to be anywhere near him in the future, his life would be so much better off.

He leaned down close so only Harsk would hear him and locked eyes with the man. He widened his eyes and stared intensely at him as he whispered, "I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright."

Tears were leaking down Harsk's cheeks and he scrambled back with his hands to get further away from David. Considering the religion of this place, he couldn't have picked a more disturbing bit of pop culture to drop on his fallen enemy. He only hoped it would keep him away and keep any more of these stupid duels from happening.

David stood up and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear this time, "Make sure your man is buried well, he didn't deserve what happened to him here."

There were several nods of approval from the crowd at that statement. The Queen's chamberlain announced that all were welcome to a feast to celebrate the future of Wellon that evening. David stepped away from the flowerbed, Jaym and Corval were by his side.

"If you'll follow me Sir, the Lord General has a room set aside for you to clean up before the feast." The palace guard smiled and pointed the correct way out of the courtyard.

The crowd broke apart and went their separate ways in twos and threes. David didn't see the Queen on his way out, or the other ministers that had been with him in the immediate aftermath of the duel. He followed Corval through the palace, Jaym trailed along behind him.

After a twisting walk through hallway after hallway and up several flights of stairs, Corval opened a door on the left and stepped aside. David and his servant entered the room and the guard told him to relax for a while, he'd be back to help him dress for the feast and take him back down.

"You did great Sir. I've never seen anyone hold out for so long their first time in a real fight. If not for that fall you could have kept going until he tired out more." He said.

"I was lucky. If not for my gun, I'd be dead right now." David replied.

Corval shrugged. "Everyone that lives is lucky. Duel, barroom brawl, or full out war, anyone that makes it out has to have a bit of luck. That's the way us soldiers see it, anyway. And I might be asking to borrow that 'gun' the next time they send us across the water. I could use that kind of luck."

David laughed and thanked him for all of his help getting ready for the duel. Corval left and then he was alone in the room with Jaym. By the look of things, they were in the tower that was closest to the sea. It was small sitting room, just a few chairs and side tables, with a curved bench against the row of windows. David unbuckled his sword belt and tossed it into a corner. He sat down in one of the chairs and put his head in his hands.

"Oh, Sir, you were brilliant! The way you moved around, you didn't get hit once! And what did you do at the end? I was sure you were a goner and then all of a sudden there was a bang and Harsk's man was on the ground. Where did all that smoke come from? What was that funny smell? Did you kill him with magic?" Jaym was rambling with his excitement.

David lifted his head and looked at the boy standing in front of him. The sword he had given him was still strapped to his back, the grip showing prominently behind his right ear. He knew that this was a harder world than the one he had come from. This boy had lived in the streets after he'd seen his whole family die. He assumed that Jaym had seen others die too, before he'd come along and hired him. David hadn't, however. Other than the news or in movies, the closest he'd been to death had been seeing doctors rush to a room where someone was coding while he was in the hospital having his tonsils out. He'd been to funerals of course, but never anything where someone was actively dying. And to have it done at his own hands...

He rushed to the bench and threw open one of the windows. A moment later and his breakfast would have been all over the floor instead of plummeting to the cobblestones below. He continued to hang his head out the window until the spasms in his stomach had let up. Jaym came over with a glass of water he had poured when his boss turned around and sat on the bench. David accepted the drink gratefully. The boy always seemed to know what was needed and was in the right spot more often than not. He didn't think Jaym would understand, but he had to try to explain how he felt about it.

"Are you ok Sir? Did you get stabbed in the fight? I don't see any blood." The boy was looking him up and down, concerned.

David waved him over to stand in front of him. He leaned forward and took another sip of water. "No, I'm ok, physically at least. What do you feel about what happened Jaym? What do you feel about the man that died?"

Jaym thought it over for a moment before answering. "He was a bad man of course! He tried to kill you."

"It's true he tried to kill me. But I was there to kill him too, and he wasn't there by choice. I don't know what kind of man he was. He worked for a bad man, but maybe he was ok? Maybe he had a wife and kids at home waiting for him to come back. Maybe he had an elderly grandma that he supported by working for Harsk. Knowing all that, how do you feel about what happened?" He asked.

"I... I guess I don't know Master David. I feel a little bad for captain Mikel, I think." The boy replied.

"Good. I know you want to possibly become a soldier one day, Jaym. But take it from me, killing someone is nothing to be proud of. This world is a hard place, and you'll have to defend yourself when necessary. That sword you carry around should be the last thing you use to solve a problem, not the first. If there had been a way to talk my way out of fighting captain Mikel, I would have. Now I have to live with the fact that he'll never go home again. All because a rich guy didn't like that I gave Rosha a job." He watched as Jaym thought that over.

"It's all Lord Harsk's fault. He should have fought you himself if it meant that much to him."

"I agree. But in the end, I don't think I'd feel any better if I had killed him either." David said.

Jaym sat down on the floor in front of him. He pushed the glass back into his boss's hand and David took another sip.

"Do we have to go to the feast Master David? I don't feel up to it all of a sudden."

David smiled at him grimly, "I don't either, but I don't think we can get out of it."

****

Caelly was alone in the Queen's bedroom trying to get her things ready for the feast. She darted around the room like a hummingbird, unable to focus on one task for more than a few seconds. The Queen's dress lay on the bed, shoes were piled on the bench at the end of it. Jewelry boxes and bureaus were opened all over the room. Caelly was supposed to be picking out items for her monarch to show off to the gathered nobles, but she just couldn't concentrate. She paused with a silver tiara in her hands, three diamonds hung on slender chains near the peak of it to mimic the three stars on Wellon's banner.

The end of the duel kept replaying in her mind over and over. She would begin a task and the smoke from David's weapon would flash in front of her. She could almost smell the burnt, not quite rotten egg, smell of it again. Each time this happened Caelly dropped what she was doing to cover her eyes and shake her head. Her mind just couldn't get past what she had seen. It was too strange, too... alien, for her to deal with.

She had never been a fan of the handsome foreigner, not even on his first visit to the palace. His gift to the Queen was displayed prominently on a chest of drawers by her bed. Light reflected off the horn on the horse's forehead into her eyes, making her shudder.

The young lady's maid sat down on the bed, careful even in her distress not to wrinkle the Queen's dress. She had been hoping Harsk's man would kill him quickly, setting things back on a more normal course. There was no worry that the Queen would bow to pressure and marry the arrogant Count, of that, she was sure. With David out of the way, they could have settled back into their lives, richer than ever. Before the duel, she had begun to hate David as competition for her lady's attention. After, her hate was now almost overwhelmed by fear.

In her time at the palace, she had witnessed executions, accidents among the workers, even a murder as they were passing an alley in the royal carriage. She had never seen anyone killed like captain Mikel. Just a loud noise and some smoke, and then there was a hole in his armor big enough for a quarterstaff to fit in, and he was dead. Mialana may have been convinced that this foreign monster was touched by the Mother, Caelly thought the Father was a better explanation for this devilry.

People in the palace weren't particularly observant, that she had seen in her time there. Even her beloved Queen didn't pay heed to the signs of the Father's influence in the world. In the northern mountains where Caelly was from, everyone took the malicious intentions of the Father seriously. Anyone even suspected of courting his favor was immediately ostracized. After five years in the palace, Caelly still wouldn't leave her room on nights when only the red moon moved through the sky. Who other than the master of the crimson moon could give someone the power to kill men with just smoke and noise? If David was in league with the Father, she couldn't let the Queen near him again.

The door of the room opened, causing Caelly to jump and smother a squawk of surprise before it escaped her throat. A lady's maid didn't lose her composure just because a door opened. She set down the tiara near the neckline of the dress on the bed. She stood up and smoothed down her own dress as Mialana rushed into the room.

Her Queen was full of high spirits, bounding over to her and wrapping her up in a hug. Caelly hugged her back dutifully, trying not to get lost in her love's good mood. When they separated, she could see that Mialana's smile was as wide as it could be. She was thrilled with the results of the duel. It would be difficult to show her the real danger of what had happened, but Caelly had to try.

"Your Majesty..." She started.

"Oh Caelly! Is this not wonderful? David made it through the duel. Harsk sent the best man he had, and he still made it through alive. The language experts from the guild are progressing with learning their Eng-lish, and soon he can show them the other things in his books! Harsk was so terrified after what happened to captain Mikel, I may never hear from him again. I could not have planned a better result for this foolishness." The Queen tossed herself onto the bed in Caelly's vacated spot, flopping back onto the mattress.

The blonde woman knelt down by the bed in front of Mialana. She took both of the Queen's hands in her own, the older brunette sat up and looked down at her curiously. Caelly took a moment to get her thoughts in order.

"My love, what happened to captain Mikel is exactly why you shouldn't have anything more to do with David. Take his money if you must, but expel him from the kingdom before he corrupts everything!" She pleaded.

"What? How could he corrupt the kingdom, what are you talking about Caelly?" The Queen asked.

Caelly stood up and started pacing the room. She laid out everything for her ruler: David's sudden appearance in Wellon, his strange knowledge, the way he killed Mikel, and how the Father's influence lay over all of it. She was in tears by the end, desperate for Mialana to see the truth. The Queen sat in silence, taking it all in. When she was done, Caelly stood in front of her, biting her lip.

"So... You think David is an agent of the Father, sent here to... bring down the kingdom?" Mialana rubbed her face with her hands. It had been a long day already, and now this from her closest and most trusted friend, was just too much.

"He is evil, my love, sent here to temp you with everything you've ever wanted. You should kill him now before it's too late." Caelly's eyes were wide with fervor.

Kill David? Had she gone mad? Mialana knew her friend was more observant of Wellon's religion than anyone else in the palace. She had been trying for years to get her to leave her room on red nights without success. This was too far though. She thought about telling Caelly the truth about David, but it wouldn't have helped. It wasn't her secret to reveal. Even if she did explain everything, how would it change Caelly's mind about the Father being behind it?

"There is no way that I could kill David. What would I even say? That I need to have him put to death because my servant is afraid the red moon is controlling him? Get a hold of yourself Caelly. He is no more evil than any other man, and a good deal less compared to some I can think of." She would peg Lord Harsk for being influenced by the Father before David.

She tried a different tactic to counter the blonde's argument. "What if it is true, hmm? If the Father was behind him, why would it take so much work to change things here? All of the information David brought with him is locked behind a language that only he can understand right now. Surely the Father is able to print books we can read to make the temptation that much more appealing. Or, instead of us going to all the trouble to change things here, the Father would send someone that would destroy other countries with their knowledge allowing us to take them over. Can you not see that you are worried over nothing my love?"

Mialana reached out to touch Caelly but the thin woman backed away quickly. The Queen looked up into her eyes and saw that she was furious.

"I don't claim to know how demons think, or what their plans are. But if you aren't willing to see what's right in front of you, then I can't help you." With that she turned abruptly on her heel and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

This wasn't the first time they had fought in their years together. Caelly was always the more passionate, some would say hotheaded, one out of the two of them. Mialana hoped she would calm down quickly this time. There was too much to do for her to just sit around and sulk like she usually did. The Queen rang a bell and another serving girl entered the room. She explained that Caelly wasn't herself and had the girl dress her and do her hair.

Why did she have to pick now to go into one of her moods?

She knew Caelly was jealous of what David was able to give her, and the realm. Hadn't they already settled that between them? She had no interest in him personally, as she had explained many times. The Queen watched in the mirror as the serving girl combed out her soft brown hair so that it flowed down her back in waves. There was nothing wrong with the girl's technique, but the silence of the moment grated on her. There was no familiar banter or discussion of the day's events, as there would be if Caelly was the one behind her.

In a few moments her hair was done, and she was ready to go down to the feast. As she exited her bedroom, she looked across the hall at the closed door to Caelly's room. Though she hardly ever slept there, it was kept for appearances sake, and for times like these. She paused for just a moment, thinking she might knock and ask her friend to come down, to be amongst other people and see there was nothing to be afraid of. Her hand was inches from the door when she lowered it without knocking. It was no use, Caelly would come around when she was good and ready, and not before.

****

Whatever David had been expecting from the feast, this certainly wasn't it. There was no long table covered in food, no mugs of beer sloshing around, no shouting and laughing coming from the benches. He walked around the throne room thinking he was at a high-end cocktail party instead of a medieval feast. There were chairs around the outside of the room, though no one sat in them. Servants moved around the open space carrying trays of finger foods, others poured wine whenever anyone held up an empty glass.

Corval had come back an hour after leaving him in the tower room. He'd brought a set of clothes for David for the evening. Jaym sat on the bench by the windows and giggled while his master was dressed in tight brown pants, calf high boots, and a white linen shirt. The sleeves were puffier than anything he would have chosen to wear, but at least there weren't any ruffles or lacy frills at the cuffs. The guard had assured them that their weapons would be safe in the tower room, Jaym had been reluctant to leave his sword out of sight. They'd followed him back down through the maze of the palace to the throne room. Yet another servant announced him as he entered, everyone had turned to cheer and clap politely, but conversation quickly went back to normal.

David had no interest in eating, even after losing his breakfast out a tower window, but he grabbed a glass of wine to be polite. Several people he didn't know came up to him to toast his victory and he was forced to actually take a drink. The wine wasn't bad, a sweet red. Jaym trailed along behind him, sneaking bites from each tray as it passed. David couldn't blame him, at least one of them might as well enjoy the evening.

More and more people came up to him, either to raise a glass or to shake his hand. Introductions were made, but holding onto all of their names and titles was like trying to hold sand in his hands. The next day he would be lucky if he remembered a tenth of them.

As the night went on, it seemed like only women were coming up to introduce themselves to him. While palace etiquette prevented them from propositioning him directly, they left no doubt each of them would be open to courtship or even a less aboveboard arrangement. David did his best to be polite and say no without ever actually saying no. He imagined if he had been in the same position in a palace of medieval Europe it would have been the fathers and uncles offering up their female relatives to him instead. David thought it was better that these women were making their own decisions about who they pursued, but the simpering and empty laughter was grating on him.

He was surrounded be another group of fortune hunters, one of whom would be embarrassed the next day when told how lewd of an offer she had made to the handsome foreigner after too much wine, when Rael Lokke stepped in to save him. The rakish minister greeted each of the women by name and pulled David away from them. A few teased Lokke that they hadn't given up on him either, he laughed charmingly and bowed low to them.

The women all gave him a genuine laugh at that, and Rael directed David across the room. "I thought you might need a little help. Another few minutes and one of them would have pulled a marriage contract from her bodice."

David smirked and held out his hand, "Thanks. I think this makes us even for whatever you won on me this afternoon."

Rael shook his head, "Even after your good showing, the odds were still in favor of the poor departed captain. I'll have to rescue you a few more times before we even things out. Here's some company I think you'll like a little better. Even Minister Sedden has been known to let her hair down at a party once or twice, isn't that right Kera?"

They had walked closer to the throne. There were still no tables or chairs in use, but High Priest Colner and Minister Sedden were talking with the Lord General off to one side of the room. The Finance Minister frowned at Lokke, her hair was currently in a tight bun on the back of her head, not a strand out of place.

"Keep it up Rael, and I'll have to take a look into what kind of fees the guilds pay you when it's time to renew palace contracts." She said sharply.

There was a twinkle in the older woman's eye, David got the idea that this was a long standing game for the two of them. Rael grinned at her before leaving to find them a fresh round of drinks. Kera turned to David and congratulated him on his victory, her smile smoothed out the lines of her leathery face. "The first ships have started coming in with your groups of immigrants. That philandering joker tells me that the guilds have filled apprenticeships and journeyman positions that have been open for years. Production is up so revenue will be too."

Rael returned and handed glasses around to everyone. "The man almost died a few hours ago Kera, let him enjoy being alive for a night before you bore him with work and accounts."

"Hear, hear!" Pold called loudly. The group raised their glasses to celebrate David's continued existence, Minister Sedden drank deeply with the rest, her cheeks reddening.

"Congratulations indeed."

David nearly jumped at the voice right behind him. Everyone else turned and bowed and he had no trouble guessing who had joined them. He also turned around to bow low to the Queen. The corner of her mouth twitched at his reaction, light sparkled off the diamonds hanging in her tiara. Considering this was a big to-do at the palace, David had expected the Queen to be sitting on her throne and watching things from a distance. Apparently, she had been circulating through the crowd, getting a feel for how everyone felt about the results of the duel.

"You certainly will not lack for options on the marriage front." She teased. "There might be a new courting line at Ilex House soon."

Everyone laughed heartily at that while David imagined waves of simpering noblewomen coming up the street to his door. The thought of all the fawning and pandering was nauseating, though he did think Rosha and Liri would be happy if he got a penguin out of it. Jaym too for that matter. The Queen and Rael continued to poke fun at his personal life until her uncle cleared his throat to change the conversation. The huge soldier had been polite but quiet since David had walked over.

"Aside from the fortune hunters, most people seem happy to see Harsk taken down off his high horse. Not everyone is, however. I've heard more than a few that are unsettled with how the duel ended. They seem to think that the way you won wasn't quite... natural."

This was met with awkward muttering and more than a little shuffling of feet. The Queen knew at least part of the answer, if not the exact way he had pulled off his narrow escape. Pold and Rael looked uncomfortable but curious while Kera stared at him unblinking and stoic, waiting for an answer. David wasn't sure how much to reveal in his explanation. Minister Sedden especially was making him squirm, watching him like a hawk.

Mialana saved him from the others, if only for a moment. "I think this is a conversation best had away from here."

The tiny monarch led the way out of the throne room, soon David found himself in the sitting room where he had made a fool of himself reciting Whitman for the Queen. Everyone took seats around the low table, except the Lord General who stood off to the side, taking up most of a corner. The Queen settled onto the same couch as before, smoothing out her dress before sitting up straight and addressing everyone in the room.

"It goes without saying that what is said in this room does not go any further." She received a nod from each of her councilors in turn. Mialana took a deep breath before looking at David. She bowed her head and waited while he told everyone his story.

Everyone sat quietly while he explained how he had ended up here. Jaym opened his mouth a few times questioningly but didn't interrupt. Pold and Rael exchanged looks once or twice. The Queen watched all of her closest advisors take in the story she had already accepted as the truth. There were more than a few questions once David had finished talking. He did his best to answer them, though mostly he just admitted that he didn't know anymore than he had already told them. True to form, each of them asked about things within their own area of interest. The High Priest was most interested in his transition there and the beings that sent him. Kera and Rael wanted to know more about all the technology from Earth.

There was only so much he knew himself about how he had survived the crash so he could only shrug and roll his eyes at Pold's questions. He'd always been more of an atheist than anything but being reincarnated/teleported to this place left him with the only answer of 'God works in mysterious ways.' Just thinking it made him feel ridiculous.

No sooner had he answered one of the other minister's questions than one of the others would step in with another one. David understood the basics of what kept a plane in the air or how an internal combustion engine worked. It was the details that they asked for that he couldn't give them. He had no idea how any of the parts of a car were made, or the process of turning rubber from a tree into tires. They seemed satisfied to know that such things could eventually be made, but both stopped asking follow-up questions after a look from the Queen.

Greeg had kept quiet through the initial story and the free-for-all that followed. After everyone had finished talking, he left his corner to step up behind the Queens sitting couch, looming over her like a storm cloud. The big man placed a hand on his niece's shoulder and looked directly at David.

"That was a wonderful story and all, but you lot are getting distracted from the reason we're in this room. How did you kill Captain Mikel in that duel? Nobody really likes Harsk and they're happy he lost. But in the morning, they'll sober up and start to wonder how it happened. When those questions start floating around the town, we need to have a more sensible answer than that our guest is a traveler from another world." Greeg said quietly.

The Queen nodded in agreement. Her thoughts turned to Caelly, hiding upstairs in her room, terrified that David had been sent to destroy the kingdom with dark magic. "He is right. More than a few people in that room out there are worried about what they saw today. They cannot wrap their heads around it and if we cannot give them an answer that fits neatly into place then they will look elsewhere for an explanation. The nobles love a salacious rumor. It will only take one of them to start saying that David is in league with the Father for it to catch on and spread like wildfire."

Mialana looked across the low table at her newest advisor. "Please tell me you have something we can give to them that will make sense, without having to explain everything. There will be a time and a place for that, just not here or now."

David mulled it over for a minute. He could explain how a gun worked, but it would be easier to show them that it was physical and real, not some magical contraption that he had made. While he was thinking Jaym stepped closer to him and pulled a small bag from his pocket. The boy handed it to his boss and said, "This is what you use in the gun isn't it Master David?"

He pulled the drawstring on the bag open and sure enough, inside was a little scoop of gunpowder and a few of his homemade round shot pellets. David closed his fist around the bag and smiled. Sitting down put him relatively eye to eye with his young servant. When he looked at him Jaym frowned.

"Don't be mad Master David. I wasn't stealing it or anything, honest. Whenever you leave to go out to the woods you take your gun, a bag of the little pebbles, and a sack of the black powder. But when you were getting ready for your fight with poor Captain Mikel you only had your gun with you. No sack, no little pebbles. So, I thought maybe you had forgot. Then there was the ride to the palace, and we went straight away to the duel and then I forgot that you forgot, so I just kept it in my pocket. But it turns out you didn't forget, and the powder and the pebbles were already inside the gun and you won!"

All of this was said in a single breath while Jaym looked everywhere in the room other than his master's face. David was speechless. Not only had Jaym been paying close enough attention to his comings and goings that he had noticed what he took with him each time, he had also figured out how it all went together without any other information. He couldn't have been more pleased that he had taken the young man in off the streets. He was also relieved that he had indeed remembered to load the gun before leaving for the duel. There was no doubt in his mind that Jaym would have run out onto the field if he'd fired the pistol and it hadn't worked.

Jaym was still looking down at the floor. "Are you mad I took it Master David?"

David laughed out load at that. How could he be mad? Here was a perfect explanation for everyone in a neat little bag that his servant had brought, simply because he thought his boss was a forgetful idiot and hadn't wanted to see him be killed. And now he was acting like he had been caught trying to steal some of the silver spoons from the kitchen. David pulled the boy in for a one-armed hug while telling him that he wasn't mad.

"If anything, you'll be getting a raise and a bigger room at home after this." He tossed the bag onto the table in front of the Queen and sat back in his chair.

"That should be enough of an explanation for everyone other than the craziest of the crazies. It's a tangible reason for what happened, and I have more so it can be demonstrated again and again to show them that it's not magic."

Everyone else in the room looked at the little leather pouch sitting on the table, not sure what to do with it. After a moment of hesitation, Lokke stepped forward to pick it up. He opened it and took out a few grains of gunpowder. Minister Sedden inhaled sharply when he sniffed it, but Rael rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, really now Kera. The boy carried it around in his pocket all day and nothing bad happened to him. A sword won't kill you just because you touched it either."

He took out a little more of the powder and spread it out on the palm of his hand. The rest crowded around to see it and he lowered his hand so the Queen could also look without the indignity of having to stand. David remained in his seat with Jaym standing quietly next to him.

Pold had a quizzical look on his face, he sat down in a chair next to David.

"Back when I was fighting for a living, I entered a match with a bloke from away down in the southern hemisphere somewhere. Tiny island nobody had ever heard of he said, all palm trees and sand and heat. But the one thing I remember him saying about it was that it had black sand on all its beaches. Is that what this is? I've never heard tell of sand killing a man, and this stuff doesn't smell like any sand I've ever been around. Certainly, when you killed Harsk's man it had a stink to it."

The others passed the little bag around so they could examine it, until the Queen sat with it in her lap. The young ruler looked down at it and then back up at David. Was Pold correct? Was this really just sand? David was capable of interesting things, but how could he make sand burst through someone's heart like had done to Mikel's? Mialana liked to think that she was open minded, especially after learning the truth of her newest advisor's arrival, but that was just too unbelievable.

"This isn't sand, is it." It was a statement, not a question.

David chuckled a little before answering, "No, it isn't, your majesty."

He explained the basics of how gunpowder worked and what it was made of. Everyone of course had many questions. David did his best to answer them. While he was going over the basics of mixing the different components the Queen and her uncle exchanged a look. Mialana waited until the questions had trailed off before speaking.

"So... if a pinch of the powder in this bag will push a ball hard enough to punch through armor, what would happen if you used a whole bunch of it all at once?"

The Lord General leaned forward, eager to hear the answer. Rael and Kera also looked interested, while the Queen frowned as if she already knew the answer.

David was uncomfortable with the question, "Well, uh, I mean... if you, that is, if you set off a lot all at once..."

He didn't want to give them any ideas about blowing up buildings or anything like that. The people that sent him here had said that there was no knowledge whatsoever about gunpowder and explosives here. Without proper precautions one of his friends would end up blowing off their hands like a Florida Man on the 4th of July, or worse. It seemed like an odd question from the Queen. She'd never even asked him about making better swords and arrows, let alone future weapons from Earth. She had only wanted to know how to better feed and care for her people. She would have only asked about the gunpowder if...

"Wait, you think someone else is already using black powder, don't you?" He asked, dreading the answer.

Instead of the Queen responding like he expected, Greeg spoke up from his place behind her, towering like an oak tree.

"You remember those two big idiots that presented themselves to the Queen the same day you did? Laid their swords on the ground and asked her to marry them so she could help them fight their war?"

David nodded; he did remember the two men in armor. They hadn't seemed like much, just another couple of guys shooting their shot with the Queen.

Greeg continued, "Well they rule a little country over on the continent to the west, just a big valley wedged between two mountain ranges that runs down to the sea. A little while after they were here a lord near the coast decided he wanted to be in charge and set up shop in a tower there. They came in and had it under siege, trying to starve him out, the usual thing."

The other councilors were nodding along, they had heard the reports come in from across the sea. David had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going, a ball of lead was slowly forming in his stomach. It only got heavier as the Lord General continued.

"From what our informants have told us, after a few weeks a new guy showed up with wagons full of heavy sacks. They dug a tunnel under the tower and ran all the sacks down to the end. The new commander opened one up, let some of it out, then dropped a torch on it."

David couldn't believe it. Was this a Bugs Bunny cartoon? "Let me guess, where he dropped the torch there was a spark that raced away down the tunnel?"

Greeg nodded. "And before anyone knew what was happening the entire tower was gone. Either thrown up into the sky or collapsed into rubble."

Rael and the others stopped their nodding, none of them had heard this part of the reports. They all eyed the little bag being held in the Queen's lap.

"Well, I haven't been anywhere but Wellon if that's what you're thinking." David said.

Everyone looked at him and shook their heads. They knew that he had had nothing to do with this. Jaym patted his boss on the shoulder to show him he believed him.

"How many people from your world would know how to make this?" Mialana asked, holding up the little sack of gunpowder.

David frowned, "Probably millions of people would be able to figure it out if they gave it some thought. To us, this is old technology, not really in use anymore. But it is a part of our history so plenty of guys know what goes into it."

General Greeg straightened up and started pacing around the room. "So, there's at least one other person that came to our world the way you did. And this one isn't as interested in keeping a low profile."

"Really uncle Dreadon? You are concerned about whoever this is making waves when everyone in that castle probably died?" The Queen couldn't hide her disgust, she even called her uncle by his first name, which David had never heard her do.

The old man wasn't fazed at all by his niece's lapse. "What happened there was a tragedy, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that things are up in the air over on the continent. Those two dumb animals having the power to take down any stronghold they want isn't going to end well. What happens when they get it into their heads that they want to come to the Courting Line again? This time with a stronger response if you say no?"

Mialana didn't have an answer to that.

*****

David spent the next two months worried that at any moment some crazy survivalist would show up in Thaladon and start blowing up buildings left and right. No one had gone back to the feast after their little meeting in the Queen's sitting room. Rael had said he would reach out to the different guilds to start collecting the raw materials for their own gunpowder supply. David wasn't entirely on board with having huge amounts of explosives in the hands of people that didn't understand them, but the cat was out of the bag now. The Lord General had said he would let him know if there was any more news from the Sinton Valley. So far there hadn't been anything big, he'd gone to the palace every other day to check.

True to his word, he'd given Jaym a bigger room at home. The basement of Ilex house had over a dozen rooms for servants. David had tried to offer him one of the bedrooms on the upper floors, but the boy had just moved his things into the large room next to Rosha's and said he was happy enough there. To make himself feel better David had given him a handful of silver coins and set him loose on Murdock's shop to buy candy while he replenished his own gunpowder supplies. They needed almost as big a barrel for Jaym's purchases as they did for David's.

After a talk with the Queen and General Greeg, the affable soldier Corval had been assigned to him as a liaison to the palace. He would save David time running back and forth to the palace to check in with the other advisors and he knew a great deal about the goings on of the city. As an added bonus, Corval had agreed to teach Jaym how to fight, with the caveat that David also had to continue his lessons. When he had pointed out that it wasn't really necessary when he could just shoot someone if they tried to kill him, the more experienced fighter had waived him off.

"Your weapon only works once before it has to be refilled. What happens if you miss? Or if there's more than one person coming after you? Hell, what if it just breaks?" Corval asked.

David had groaned and picked up his sword to head out to the yard with him and Jaym to practice. "I think I liked it better when you people thought I was a magical stranger that could do anything."

Evenings were spent practicing in the yard with Corval and an overeager Jaym, while Boland tended to the horses and Liri pretended to help him. The first time out the boy swung his sword so hard he would have snapped it in two if he had actually connected with anything. Instead, he spun himself around twice before falling in a heap on the cobblestones. His cheeks had reddened quickly when the sound of Liri's howling laugh rang through the yard. David frowned at her and jerked his head towards the house. The young woman covered her mouth to try to suppress any further outbursts and ran to the kitchen. David and Corval were careful not to look each other in the eye, the poor kid had suffered enough already, he didn't need them to start laughing too. Under careful instruction, he improved day by day. David wasn't as enthusiastic, but he knew it was important, so he too began to improve.

While his nights were dedicated to training, his days were taken up by teaching. The printers had copied all the early readers and moved on to the more specialized books. Every morning David went to one of the guild houses to check on their progress with learning English. So far, the teachers seemed to know their stuff. In the afternoons he went to help teach the local children. Jaym always went with him, even though he had moved passed this level of instruction and was reading quite well on his own now. The other orphans he used to run with were all there and were always impressed whenever he walked in wearing his clean new clothes and his sword.

It was the quietest classroom David had ever been in. There were over sixty kids in there on any given day and you could hear a pin drop. The Queen had sent out a decree to the city watch that any street kids they found were to be taken to the empty storehouse they were using as a classroom. Some were resistant to the bath they were forced to take but they perked up when the food came out. Word got around quickly that those that kept coming back got at least one decent meal a day and there would be open guild spots for the ones that learned how to read and write.

The teachers there really only had to assign the work and answer an occasional question, there was none of the babysitting David expected from a room full of mostly adolescent boys. Not a single balled up paper was tossed. He almost wanted to show them what spit wads were just to liven things up. The teachers were pleased with the kids' progress so far, it was easier with them since there was nothing they had to unlearn. They were watching to see if any of the older children had any aptitude towards a trade. If they did, a guild member would be brought in to talk to them.

David was worried that there wouldn't be enough work for all of them here in the city, but the head teacher brushed that aside. The guildhalls had branches all over the country and would direct the apprentices wherever there was a need for them. In the meantime, places would be found around the city for all the educated boys that were willing and able to do the work. As busy as it looked, Thaladon's population was a little over half of what it had been at its peak. The sewer system he had been impressed by when he first arrived was a new addition to the city apparently. Unsanitary conditions had let sickness run rampant through the country on more than one occasion.

The weather was getting colder by the day, David had been in his new life for almost four months. He'd arrived in what was the middle of this world's summer, and it was now well into autumn. When they visited with the cartographer's guild, he had gone through all of the local maps he could find. If there was any truth to them, then Wellon was placed in the northern hemisphere, roughly just south of where New England would be if the continent across the sea was the US and not an alien land. There was already frost on the ground when he went out in the morning, snow would be coming before long. David had spent his whole life in Texas before he died, he could probably count all of the times they'd had a really heavy snowfall without running out of fingers and toes.

His routine of visiting guild houses to make sure they were learning properly and there was no resistance to new ideas was starting to get dull. He and his friends were leaving one such establishment, for the sail makers guild, when he decided to head down to the harbor before going to the orphan's classroom.

"I just want to shake things up a bit, that's all. Maybe we could grab some lunch while we're there." He said when Corval asked about the change of plans.

The three of them walked along the piers, everything around them just as hectic and fascinating as the first day David had gone there with the nice old farmer. He'd run into Tolm a week after his duel at the palace. The old man had been thrilled to see him, he'd shown off his new horse to David and to Jaym.

"She's the strongest worker I've ever seen." Tolm had said.

David had endured his fair share of teasing from the farmer and his friends. They'd heard the rumors about his visit to the Courting Line, not to mention the argument with Lord Harsk and the duel that had followed. Everyone was quite impressed with the young man that had taken on the most disliked member of the aristocracy. He'd had to endure Corval and Jaym giving them a blow-by-blow description of his fight with Harsk's champion, all of the gathered farmers were suitably impressed.

There was no sign of Tolm or his neighbors at their usual spot today, the harvest season was mostly over by this point. The three of them walked along, enjoying the break in their routine. Jaym had stopped by a stall to look at a carved idol. It was made of a golden yellow wood with an interesting swirling grain pattern, depicting an angry sea god with waves for hair and seaweed in his beard. The vendor was explaining how it was one of a kind and would bring safety and good fortune when traveling on the open ocean. Jaym was staring in openmouthed awe at the little statue.

Corval and David were waiting as patiently as they could when the soldier leaned forward and whispered in the little boy's ear. "Look in the box under the stall."

Jaym glanced down and saw a wooden crate packed full of the exact same idol peeking out from under the display stand. The little boy's face turned red with anger and embarrassment while the seller merely shrugged and turned to reel in the next gullible passerby. David patted him on the back while trying not to laugh too hard. He also resisted Jaym's request to have the man arrested for lying. It was a good lesson for the young man to be a little more careful when he was out and about. Corval bought skewers of lobster meat grilled with little pearl onions and slices of citrus fruits a little way further down the wharf. He handed one to Jaym to take the sting out of the laugh they'd had at his expense.

All three of them stood and ate while a new ship settled into its spot along the pier. Ropes were tossed down to waiting shoremen and made tight to cleats built into the deck. The crews in the pair of longboats that had been towing the ship into harbor rested at their oars for a moment, bobbing up and down on the waves. David could already see people lining up along the rails, waiting for the gangplank to be secured at both ends.

"That's a hell of a crowd waiting to get off that boat. Is that one of the ones that Minister Sedden sent out?" He asked Corval.

The other man took a bite from his kabob and studied the ship. It was a big three masted barque, bigger than any of the other ships currently tied up. Corval finished his lunch and tossed the stick into the water.

He took another look at the name stenciled onto the side of the vessel near the bowsprit and shook his head. "Not one of ours. Or at least not one that I'm familiar with. There are a few merchant ships that size that call Wellon home, but not one called Horizon Chaser. They may be from anywhere on the continent. A lot of ships stop here on their way to the outer islands."

They watched while the new arrivals trooped down the ramp single file. Representatives from the different guilds were shouting out from the crowd, looking for anyone that could fill apprenticeship and journeyman positions. There were even a few farmers from farther inland, here to pick up a few extra hands to help with winter tasks. Slowly, in twos and threes, everyone went their separate ways until there were only a handful of passengers left standing on the pier.

Movement caught David's eye and he looked back up to the deck of the ship. One last passenger was late coming down the ramp. He let out a low whistle as they made their way to the dock. Corval laughed and gave him a push.

"If you look any harder your eyes are going to pop out of your head boss." It had taken a month to get him to call David anything other than 'My Lord'.

He laughed along with the friendly soldier, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the new arrival. She looked to be around medium height, which made her quite tall for a woman in this world. Tight dark tan pants and calf high boots showed off a fit, athletic figure. A loose pale green shirt covered her torso along with a worn leather vest. Her face was obscured by the floppy wide brimmed hat she wore on her head. A few of the dock workers approached her as she set the small bag she was carrying down but backed off hurriedly as she removed her hat. An unruly pile of curly red hair tumbled down around her shoulders, she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and fanned herself with the hat. Her face and hands were pale where they weren't tinged red from the sun during her sea voyage.

All of the people around her either stared openly or went to great lengths to look away from the redheaded woman. She picked up her bag and put the hat back on her head, moving up the pier towards the city. As she walked, she would ask the people she passed a question in a language that David couldn't understand. Each and every one of them turned as quickly as they could in a different direction without responding to her.

"I don't get it, why won't people talk to her?" David asked. His own experience with arriving in Thaladon was that people were mostly helpful and decent, other than the muggers he had run into.

Corval and Jaym looked at each other. He had caught them doing this whenever he asked a question that was obvious to someone born here. It was Corval that answered, "'Cus she's got red hair, of course."

David was shocked. He looked down at Jaym, who nodded in agreement. "You can't be serious?! I know some people don't think redheads are attractive but that's no reason to be rude."

"People aren't walking away 'cus they don't think she's pretty, Master David. They're walking away 'cus they think she's cursed." Jaym told him.

Now he was even more confused. His friends took it in turns to explain to him that there weren't any redheads in Wellon usually. Anytime someone was born with red hair, it was believed that they were touched by the Father and cursed to turn out evil. Even just talking to a redhead was considered bad luck. David couldn't believe what he was hearing. He imagined people leaving redheaded babies out in the cold for nature to take its course instead of dealing with their neighbors' reaction when they found out.

He looked at his two closest friends, "You guys don't really believe that do you?"

They both shrugged.

"I don't think someone's evil just because they've got different colored hair. But plenty of people do, so it's not really worth it to talk to them. Easier just to avoid trouble, you see?" Corval said.

David was disgusted, "That's horseshit! If you know they aren't cursed, there's no reason not to help them."

Corval just laughed. "You just can't get over how pretty she is and you're hoping she'll think well of you if you help her."

"Well... You're not completely wrong about that. Doesn't really matter, I can't understand what she's asking anyway."

"She's looking for a place to stay." Jaym said.

Both of the older men stared down at the boy. Neither of them had been able to figure out what the woman had been asking everyone that would look at her for more than a few seconds. She had stopped to lean against a barrel, looking frustrated and angry.

"How do you know what she's saying?" David asked him.

The little boy shrugged. "I think she's from Orland, I had a friend from there and he spoke the same language. He taught me some of it before a merchant ship took him on as a cabin boy at the beginning of summer."

"If he's right, that explains the pale skin. Orland is a group of little islands up north, almost into the frozen area around the north pole." Corval said.

"Do you know enough of her language to explain that we know a place where she can stay?" David asked his youngest servant.

Jaym nodded reluctantly and walked over to talk to the woman, who looked like she might hit the next person that tried to run away from her.

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you boss?" Corval asked nervously.

David nodded. "Why not? It's my house, I can have whoever I want there. Besides, people already think I'm cursed. Or at least that I'm a weird, scary, foreigner. They'll mutter and grumble, but that's just tough shit for them. It's none of their business who comes and goes at my house. She'll be out in a couple of days once she finds some work anyway."

"Whatever you say, sir."

He didn't sound at all convinced.

They watched as Jaym held out his hand and said something to the redhead. She looked skeptical, but did take the boy's hand and allowed herself to be led over to them. Jaym seemed more relaxed now that he had spoken to her, and as usual when he was performing a task for his boss, quite proud of himself. David could hear audible gasps from the people scattered around the docks as they too watched the interaction between them.

"This is Emalyn master David. I told her what you said about finding her a place to stay."

Both men bowed slightly, as was polite in Wellon when being introduced to someone new. The woman, Emalyn, smiled wide when they straightened up, showing startlingly white teeth. David stumbled over his greeting; she was even more beautiful up close. He was getting lost in her deep brown eyes when Corval nudged him with his elbow, and he came to his senses. Emalyn barked a sharp laugh and Jaym even giggled a little.

David's face reddened as he introduced himself and Corval. The woman nodded and said something in her own language. It sounded odd to David, lots of vowels and L's and R's. He couldn't even begin to twist his tongue around some of the sounds she made. Unfortunately, whatever let him understand the people of Wellon didn't work with other languages on this planet.

"She said it's nice to meet you and thank you for showing her to a place to stay." Jaym translated.

"Tell her she's most welcome. Let's go home, I guess. The orphan school can wait until tomorrow."

He turned and started walking back up the hill towards the palace district. Emalyn followed beside him while Corval and Jaym came behind. He could hear the two of them talking while they walked.

"Are we really taking her home with us Corval? I know miss Rosha has been asking Master David to fill up the house a little more, so she'd have something to do, but I don't think she'll be happy about this." Jaym said.

The lieutenant shrugged. "I guess we'll have to hope for the best."

David rolled his eyes at them. It's just hair. She seems like a nice enough person.

They'd all go home and have a quiet dinner in the kitchen like always.

*****

"You can't possibly bring her in here! People will think this house is cursed!"

It turned out Jaym and Corval had been right. No sooner had they walked into the yard, than Liri had rushed into the house to get her mother. The former innkeeper had come out the back door, wondering what her daughter was so distressed about. Her eyes had shot open wide when she saw who was with the master of the house. She'd done her best to reason with her boss and explain what a bad idea it was to bring in the redheaded stranger. When David still insisted on it, she had lost her patience. Now the housekeeper was nervous that she had overstepped and would need to go back to working at an inn. Master David ran a loose household but even his tolerance had limits.

People here are a lot more superstitious than they let on. I don't think even the High Priest would be this bothered over some hair.

David reached up and put his hands on Rosha's shoulders. He spoke to her calmly but left no doubt that no wasn't an option for this. "It's just a different color of hair. She isn't from here, she doesn't even know who the Father is, so how could she be cursed by him? There's a good portion of this town that already thinks the house is cursed just because I live here. Nothing is different other than you've got an extra bed to make and another mouth to feed. Which, I'll remind you, you've been after me to find for weeks now."

Rosha frowned up at him, not liking that her own words were coming back to bite her.

"She's spent weeks on a boat and got the coldest welcome imaginable once she stepped off it. She doesn't know anyone and doesn't speak the language. If I kick her out, she'll be found dead in an alley by morning. Is that really what you want for her?"

The housekeeper took another look at the strange woman. She certainly was beautiful, despite her ginger curse. Smart too, if Rosha had to guess, her eyes roamed all over the courtyard, taking in everything. Her master was right, the Mother would want her to take this woman in and treat her properly. She also didn't miss the looks that David was sending her way, the young man was clearly smitten with the newcomer.

"Hehe... Master David thinks she's pretty!" Liri whispered loudly to Boland.

That settled it for Rosha. She glared at her daughter and motioned her to come closer. "Show Miss Emalyn to one of the upstairs rooms please, Liri."

The girl's mouth fell open in protest, but her mother was staring at her so hard she was surprised she hadn't been set on fire. She did a credible curtsy for the guest and led her into the house. Rosha hissed loudly at her as they walked by, "She may not understand you, but the owner of this house certainly can!"

She followed her daughter into the house to tell the cook there would be one more for dinner, leaving the men in the yard behind her. Corval suggested they should get their practice out of the way early since they hadn't gone to the school today. Jaym readily agreed, David a little more reluctantly. There wasn't anything else for him to do and the former guard knew it, which David suspected was the reason why he had brought it up now.

Jaym had progressed rapidly from swinging wildly around to being able to hold his own most of the time. His biggest disadvantage was his size, it was nearly impossible for him to get in a strike on his teacher in an even fight. The boy's speed was incredible, he could parry everything Corval sent his way. Soon the former guardsman was panting and asking to take a break while his young student begged to keep going. David stepped in to take Corval's place, only he took the defensive side, allowing the boy to attack over and over again. He started out swinging in big overhead strikes, trying to hammer away at David's defense. When that didn't work, he jabbed away at his midsection, never going after the same spot twice. All the work he had been putting in was starting to show, both men agreed that he would be a great swordsman once his body grew into it.

The two of them took turns fighting Jaym, who never seemed to get tired. By the end of their practice session, both men attacked him at once. If they leaned into their attacks, he couldn't repel them due to their far superior strength, but if not, he easily blocked everything that came his way with his amazing speed. At last, Jaym was breathing heavy, and his swings were slowing down. David was grateful, he couldn't wait to sit down and get something to drink.

Corval signaled that practice was over and they all slumped onto nearby benches. Boland had come out of the stables to watch, and he gave a loud whistle in Jaym's direction. The little boy's cheeks reddened, and his smile was ear to ear. They had offered several times to include Boland in their training, but he always declined, saying there was too much to do with all the new horses. Right now, his face and arms were smeared with filth, he'd been greasing the axles on the carriage.

They spent a comfortable hour or so relaxing in the courtyard, chatting about the goings on in the city. Word had it that Lord Harsk had gone home to his ancestral estate and was taxing anyone who looked at him sideways into poverty. David felt bad for the people living there, but there wasn't much he could do about it. It was a comfortable interlude. All the leaves had dropped from the trees, and they rustled around the cobblestones as they talked. Boland was about to grab the rake to gather them up when Liri came out to tell them dinner was ready. She held out her hand to lead the caretaker in personally but recoiled when she saw how filthy he was. The girl sniffed at him and reminded them all to wash properly before sitting down.

"Come on, weren't you just asking me to be more affectionate? Give us a hug!" Boland chased after her, trying to snatch her with his greased-up arms. Her shrieks echoed around the kitchen.

All four of them lined up to scrub themselves at the basin kept near the water pump by the back door. Once they were reasonably clean, they trooped down the stairs to the back hallway to the kitchen, where they always ate dinner together. As usual, it smelled wonderful, Addan was running to and fro, putting the final touches on everything.

David started to sit at the kitchen table like everyone else until Rosha came into the kitchen and stopped him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked him.

He paused midway through sitting, confused. "Having dinner? Like always?"

Rosha shook her head and pulled him off the bench. "You have a guest, Master David. You have to entertain them. Now, go upstairs and get changed. I've laid out some fresh clothes for you in your room."

"This is ridiculous, why can't we all just eat at the same table? And how am I supposed to entertain her, I can't even talk to her!"

His housekeeper took a moment to calm herself and then spoke to her boss as if he were a particularly simple child. "You're the Master of this house, you can't eat with the servants when there is a guest here. I know you don't care about propriety, but others do. You need to practice how things work with society people if you're going to be around them more often. And Jaym will be there to translate for you."

Jaym looked up from his seat at the table when he was mentioned. Rosha turned in his direction next. "Liri put out some clean clothes for you too dear. We'll save plenty for you to have dinner later, I promise."

Both of them left the kitchen, grumbling about bossy women. Jaym went to his room down the hall from the kitchen, while David went up the back stairs to the master bedroom. There was a new pair of jeans and a clean dark purple button-down shirt on his bed. He took a minute to look in the mirror above his dresser, his face was relatively clean, but his hair was all over the place. A quick combing and some water would have to do, there wasn't time for much else.

Why am I so nervous? It's just dinner, in my own house. Sure, she's gorgeous, but she'll be on to somewhere new before we can even say two words to each other.

Before he was ready for it, his clothes were changed, and it was time to go down to dinner. He just wished his stomach would settle enough so he could eat.

*****

"So? How do you think he'll do?"

They were all gathered around the table in the kitchen enjoying their dinner. Addan had posed the question to the room at large as he ladled out bowls of thick seafood stew. It was the same batch that would be served in the main dining room. Addan appreciated that about his new employer, there was only one meal to prepare. All of the servants ate the same food that the master of the house did. It had always irked him to his core to have to cook a delicious five course meal for the upstairs people and then turn around and give the hardest workers in the house bowls of broth and bread. Or, even worse, gruel.

Luckily for Boland, the housekeeper had decided that this wasn't a big enough dinner for there to be separate courses, otherwise he would have been pressed into service as a footman. They had put out a nice spread in the dining room, their boss could take it from there.

"Oh, he'll be fine. Jaym has to translate everything he says so he can't make too much of a fool of himself." Rosha said.

Liri laughed next to her, "Sure he can. He can forget to eat and just stare at her the whole time, like when he brought her home earlier."

"Hush child. There are worse things than to have a lovesick man stare at you while you eat. I seem to remember a few dinners where you ate less than you should have." Rosha said while looking pointedly at Boland.

Her daughter stared down at her bowl and began to shovel in spoonful after spoonful of stew. The others all laughed and passed around the bread and roasted vegetables that went with the ducks that Addan had cooked.

Boland took a healthy portion of everything and asked Rosha, "Over your fear of what the neighbors will think are ya?"

Rosha shrugged, "Yes. And no. This is such a stroke of luck, getting to work here, for him. And he's right, she does seem like a decent enough person. Are any of you bothered by it?"

Everyone around the table shook their heads, even her daughter. Boland paused in his eating and wiped his mouth. "I had a cousin once, a little redhaired boy, cutest baby you ever saw. His parents gave him up to a group of traveling merchants that were headed to the continent, nearly killed them to do it. The whole town just wouldn't leave them alone until they gave him up. Even after, certain people would avoid coming to their house for anything. Didn't sit well with me, what they had to do. Still doesn't."

No one was sure what to say after that. The room was filled with the quiet sounds of people eating for a long stretch of time. Eventually Addan couldn't take it anymore.

"I still say he finds a way to mess things up. Red hair or no, she's still much too pretty for him."

Rosha laughed and threw a piece of bread at him. She didn't disagree, but her fingers were crossed that David wouldn't make too much of a fool of himself.

*****

David and Jaym were talking quietly in the dining room upstairs, wishing they were down in the kitchen with everyone else, when Emalyn walked in. Both of them stood up quickly, David bowed ever so slightly at the waist. She too had changed into clean clothes. Tight brown pants tucked into her tall boots to go with a ruffled white shirt. While they were outside getting dirty, she must have had a bath, her pale skin glowed in the candlelight. The loose curls of her hair tumbled down past her shoulders.

"Wow, you look incredible." David said.

He regretted it almost immediately. Before he could take it back, Jaym was already repeating it for Emalyn in her own language. To his relief, she smiled wide, her brown eyes full of laughter. She said something back to his translator.

"She says thank you. Liri helped her with a bath and combing her hair. Actually, she says 'the laughing girl' helped her. But I'm pretty sure she means Liri."

That made David laugh and relax a little. He waved his hand at the table and both of them sat. Jaym stood near David's end, behind his right shoulder. It bothered him, but David knew it was the proper place for the boy, and it would be considered bad taste to have him sit and eat with them like he wanted to.

Slowly at first, partly due to the need to eat, they passed conversation back and forth through their young translator. Addan had left a bottle of wine open on the table and that helped loosen things up. Over the course of the meal, he learned that she was indeed from Orland, one of the smallest and poorest of those islands to be exact. Her father had been a fisherman there, her mother had died not long after she turned three. She'd grown up out on the water with her dad, learning the trade from him. It was honest, backbreaking work. They never went hungry, and it kept a roof over their heads. The pride was evident in her voice when she talked about her father, even through the language barrier.

When it was his turn David responded with stories of his upbringing in America, keeping it vague enough that she wouldn't think that he was crazy. No reason to ruin dinner by telling her that he was a dead man from another planet. Plenty of time to get into that later.

They were cutting into the lemon pie that Addan had made when she got to her reason for coming to Wellon. For the last year her father hadn't been able to work like he used to. Emalyn did everything she could to make up for it and keep food on their table. She gave him her share at every evening meal, but still he wasted away before her eyes. While she comforted him in his bed towards the end, he told her to leave if she could. The house and the boat were hers, and he would be proud of her if she took up the fishing trade like he did. There was nothing wrong with a small life, but he wanted more for her than that. After she had seen him buried, she'd sold the house and the boat to the highest bidder in her town and caught a ride to the largest island in Orland. From there she booked passage on the biggest ship she could find, the Horizon Chaser, not caring where it was headed. After three weeks on the open sea, she had landed in Thaladon that morning.

She didn't understand why no one would talk to her after she walked down the gangplank and had thought she had made a mistake until Jaym had approached her. David did his best to explain why the people were so rude to her with Jaym's help. She already knew that he was a foreigner here too, but he reassured her that he didn't care a bit what color her hair was and didn't think that she was cursed. She was welcome to stay as long as she needed to until she found what she was looking for. Emalyn thanked him again for taking her in and admitted that she didn't know quite what she was looking for yet.

David raised his third glass of wine of the evening and Emalyn followed suit.

"Well then for the time being, welcome home."

They both drank deeply, comfortable in each other's company.