The Offer (2)

"The western Duchy is the most recently formed Duchy in the empire. The tragedy that was the Solius Rift saw the western plains fill with turmoil. Not much is known exactly what happened, but whatever it was caused the nomads of the plains to force their way through the forest. Whatever had affected the nomads had also influenced the monsters within. What would have been a suicidal march was surprisingly successful and they were able to pour through the forest and woodland, into what was once the Lunarian Kingdom."

Lucius nodded internally. The Solius Rift was a tragedy that had occurred almost three-hundred years ago. What Borim had been able to gather, and the few history books in the town did not go into detail of the event itself, but it the fallout from the event had changed the landscape of the continent both physically and politically.

Lord Karlin continued. "The Lunarian's were no match; they were overrun by the nomads. The king of the Lunarians had a treaty with the Walden Kingdom, and thus we sent our armies as aid. My Great, Great Grandfather, Edmund Leer, was the general put in charge of the supporting army. He was merely a Viscount, and un-landed at that, but he was a great warrior and distant relative to the King of Lunaria. He proved to be very effecting, pushing the nomads back and felling them in droves."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise as Lord Karlin recounted the history of the western Duchy and the heroic deeds of Lord Leer. Lucian listened intently, his expression growing sombre as the tale unfolded. They both stood in Lord Karlin's study, the lord pacing back and forth while occasionally glancing at a sword displayed on the wall.

Lord Karlin's tone grew heavy. "He held the ground well enough for the nomads and the Lunarian royal family to open peace talks." He paused.

"But the talks fell through?" Lucian interjected, breaking the silence.

Lord Karlin stopped his pacing and turned to face them. "No, not quite," he clarified. "The nomads, being a collection of tribes without solidarity, had conflicting desires. Some clans sought peace, while others craved dominance over the fields and livestock. Tragically, a rogue clan breached the castle walls and ruthlessly wiped out the entire Lunarian Royal family, including the children."

Lucian clenched his teeth at the horrific turn of events but managed to maintain his composure. Lord Karlin continued his account, describing Lord Leer's furious retaliation and the intense battles that ensued.

"No, not quite, the nomads are a collection of tribes, with no solidarity. Some clans wanted peace, others saw the fields, the livestock and wanted dominance. A rogue clan entered the castle and killed the Lunarian Royal family, wiping them out down to the last child."

At this, Lucian clenched his teeth, but forced himself to calm down internally.

Lord Karlin continued his account, describing Lord Leer's furious retaliation and the intense battles that ensued.

"Lord Leer and his generals held the clans at bay, forming a perimeter that kept them at a distance. They clashed at the Redrun river, a battle so fierce and bloody that it earned its name. However, it was a trap. Nomad reinforcements arrived through the great western forest, and Lord Leer found himself leading a small retinue of cavalry to confront the invaders," Lord Karlin explained with a sense of pride.

As Lord Karlin spoke, his voice filled with admiration, he ran his hand over the sword with reverence. "Lord Leer and his men positioned themselves on these very hills," he continued. "They fought valiantly, and although Lord Leer lost all the men who stood with him that day, he made a breakthrough."

Pride emanated from Lord Karlin's voice as he described Lord Leer's ascension to the eighth tier of Aura, becoming a Paragon Knight during battle. "With this increase in strength he single-handedly decimated the enemy forces, preventing a single nomad from crossing the hill," Lord Karlin said, his gaze fixed on the sword that symbolized the historic battle.

"The rest is political history. Lord leer stabilised the kingdom and forced the nomads back into the forests. He set a perimeter along the division between the great western forest and Leerhill Wood. The kingdom promoted him from a Viscount to a marquis, and for the next three years he kept the nomads at bay. Eventually, the disaster passed, and the nomads fell back. Once the land was safe, new land was naturally absorbed into the kingdom." He sighed when he got to this point.

"Lord Leer was a great man but not a long-term thinker. Once the land was stabilised, it was no longer a border, and thus did not require a marquis. He was close to the king and was thus given an offer – return to the kingdom as commander of the king's guard. He would keep his title of marquis, but the inheriting title of the Leer family would go back to its historical rank as a Viscount's."

Lucian nodded, as realisation struck him. It had seemed so natural to call Lord Karlin by his name that he had never considered why no one called him Lord Leer. The loss of rank, however, made it make sense - Marquis Edmund Leer would be the last 'Lord Leer' in history. His descendants would not inherit the marquis hood, as Viscounts they would only stain the 'Lord Leer' title. He was Lord Karlin, Micah would be Lord Micah.

"As a special concession for his heroic acts, the Leer family would become landed – keeping what was essentially a Count's territory in the area surrounding the hill he had defended. The second option was to have his marquis hood be promoted to a Dukedom, and he would become Lord of the former Lunarian kingdom. He would, however, have to release the army he had trained and groomed, and his generals would be returned to the capital, as they were initially from the central army.

"He chose the first option?" Asked Luke, incredulously.

Lord Karlin sighed once more "He valued his men, so he returned to the capital with them. More than that, he was not an ambitious man by any stretch of the imagination. He was content with the land offered."

"And the consequences?" Asked Lucian.

"The downside, of course, is that though he kept his men as a commander, the family did not. His men became the foundation of the current first battalion of the King's Guard. Our family, however, have struggled to build our forces since, especially as we have a somewhat special connection with the Kings Guard. Whilst Sir Clarat is my Knight, he is bound to the guard to an extent, and so we would need the King's permission to have him take on squires."

Luke nodded in glum understanding "that makes sense I guess."

Lord Karlin's gaze turned to Luke, a small smile forming on his face. "That brings me to my offer," he said. "I will find a knight to take you both as squires. I will cover most of the awakening expenses, but I ask that you provide potions for this knight's Lord, and based on that, he will contribute the rest."

Pausing for a moment to let his proposal sink in, Lord Karlin continued, "Furthermore, I will adopt Alice and send her to Finishing school alongside Emily." He turned his gaze to Luke, his smile growing. "Furthermore, if you're amiable to it, Luke, once you become a knight, I will support you if you wish to pursue my daughter's hand."

Luke's reaction was palpable, his body stiffening and his eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

Lord Karlin cleared his throat, his voice steady as he concluded, "What I ask is that both of you become the personal knights of my family once your squire-hood is complete."

Lord Karlin's expectant gaze fixed upon both Luke and Lucian, awaiting their response to his proposition.

Lucian put on a carful expression, as if considering the Lord's offer. "We are more than grateful for all you have done for us. Your offer is beyond generous, but I ask you to give us some time to think. We must speak with Alice, of course, and more than that, we have a promise to uphold with Borim."

At this Lord Karlin raised an eyebrow – "a promise?" He asked.

Lucian nodded, a serious look on his face. "Yes, he had an estranged sister in Redbridge Town, an apothecary like himself. He wished for us to pass on some of his formulas to her and see if she would take us on as apprentices."

As he spoke, he stepped down on Luke's booted toes, urging him to stay quiet and keep his expression neutral.

Lord Karlin looked disappointed, almost forlorn "I see, I did not know of Borim's sister, but as they were estranged it makes sense, he would not speak of her. In that case should you choose to pursue that path, I wish you three the best of luck. And if Borim's sisters' position is not all to good, do consider coming back. Our gates will always be open to you."

At this Lucian nodded his head "Thank again Lord Karlin, if we decide to move on, even if things work out, Leerhill will always be our home, and we will be sure to visit if not move here outright once our apprenticeship is complete".

At this, Lord Leer's expression picked up again. He smiled as he waved them out of his office. "I have kept you boys here for too long, go safely. And please, do get back to me by the end of the month".

"Of course." Came Lucian's reply.