Chapter 13 Town of Tovder 2

That night Leonard dreamed of his family again something he rarely did. It was a familiar scenario, while their father was buys in the capital he his sister, together whit their mother would spend their time together playing and enjoying them selfs. This particular time they were baking a cake for their father. It was his forty-eight birthday, and once he returned home in a few hours they would surprise him whit a party. He and his sister put their hearts in to it thinking that if they pleased their father he would spend more time whit them.

But in the end they started fighting over the cake decorations and destroyed the cake in the process. Their mother at the time started experiencing first symptoms of the disease so she ordered her maids to clean the mess who by that time helped her whit most of her activities. Both of them cried to their mother expressing how sorry they are. Of course their mother accepted their apology and told them that it didn't matter, because the fact alone that they wanted to surprise their father would be enough to make him happy. In the end it was as she said, when he returned all four of them made that cake together.

( I wish it lasted little bit longer.) Leonard thought as he opened his eyes. Yelling of men and women awoke him. All the screaming came for the street below.

"Finally awake Leonard, come see this." Robert sat on a chair next to the opened window. Leonard walked up to him.

"What is going on?"

"See for yourself." When he looked outside the window he saw a large crowd of people screaming and throwing dirt, rotten vegetables, some even threw shit at a three chained men accompanied by about a dozen guards. "Traitors, scum, thieves." All kinds of slurs were used.

"Move out of the way! I said move!" One of the guards who rode on a horse in front of the group yelled at the crowd.

"From what I heard two of them are corrupt merchants who stole from the people and the third one is a mayor of the town. He was thrown in jail yesterday. The order came directly from the King."

"He must have done something bad to anger the king."

"He was on good terms whit the local bishop. Apparently he accepted bribes from the Church."

"I knew Haftor was against the Church... but to see him crackdown on them so fast is surprising."

"Yeah, but enough of that. You slept well?"

"Yes I did. Hey where is Damien? He left yesterday, he still hasn't come back?" As he said that Leonard washed his face whit some water that was in a bucket in the corner of the small room. Then he drank some from the jug that was at the table.

"He did come about an hour ago. Right now he is talking to the Guild Master."

"Any luck?" Robert just shrugged his shoulders.

"He told me that he will tell us later. But enough of that, get out of the room."

"What? Why?"

"I ordered a girl, she will come soon so fuck off."

"Hey! Don't push I can leave by my self!"

"Then leave!"

"Hey! Wait I haven't even asked how is your wound feeling!?"

"It's fine now out!" Robert then slammed the door behind him.

( Wow he actually kicked me out. ) "Robert you idiot, already spending our money."

After being kicked out of the room Leonard decided to go downstairs and have a drink, maybe even eat something. He sat down at one of the tables and ordered ale and some mushroom soup. Nothing special but for it's cheap price it was surprisingly tasty. It reminded him of that one time when he and his sister accompanied their father on a dinner whit the Lebilou family. There they ate something similar. Then Reckon popped in his mind which made the food taste worse.

( Why did I start thinking about him of all things. ) Then he noticed a man approaching him. It was the same man they carried to Tovder last night. He still looked fragile and pale. He sat down whit a hello.

"What are you doing here? You still don't look that well."

"Please there is no need to worry I had my rest thanks to you and your friends. I came to thank you for helping me."

"Thanks are not needed my good man. I simply wanted to help." Then he noticed the man putting his hand in one of his pockets. "And certainly I didn't expect to be given money in return."

"Are you sure? You helped me after all."

Leonard just answered whit a nodd, then he asked for another meal, the same he ate.

"Are you sure sir?"

"Of course! You look that you haven't ate in a long time."

"Thank you very much sir. I will not forget your generosity."

"No need but do tell me what happened to you. It will make for a good conversation while we eat."

"Are you sure, it is not a pleasant story." Leonard clearly saw that whatever happened it was tuff for him to talk about.

"I don't wish to force you good man."

"No I shall tell you, I have a depth to repay to you."

"As you wish, then speak."

The man then started to talk about his journey. Apparently he was from village of Ilova that was all the way in Burdia. It surprised Leonard, what would he be doing here of all places he asked. The man said that he is on his way to Doren to visit his brother who moved there some fifteen years ago.

"All the way to Doren? Thats a long journey, it must be something important for you to travel such a long way."

"Yes it is. You see our father was a chief of our village, both of us were raised to believe that one day one of us will become the chief, so there was always a sense of rivalry between us."

"I don't see nothing wrong whit that, a small rivalry between brothers is good. Both of you will aspire to be better then the other one making you a better human being in the long run."

"Yes that's what father used to say to. But that made what happened next even more unbearable."

He then started talking that when he was about fifteen years old a traveling merchant came to the village. He said that he traveled the land looking for fine goods to buy. The man was invited to dine whit the chief's family, and on that night he talked about his journeys around the world. The great Ashatak cities of Al Sharon and El Ustar, Imperiums capital city of Elore, the time were he first saw the Dragon Mountains of Kovandar, and the time when he traveled the dwarven kingdom, even going to visit one of their underground cities. A privilege that only few surface walkers get to see.

All those stories fascinated his brother who was a year older then him, so much so that he wished to become the merchants apprentice and travel whit him. The merchant said that he shall stay the night here and that if he wants to come whit him he sould visit him in the morning. As soon as the merchant said those words their father kicked him out of the house, forcing him to sleep in the stables. A thought that one of his sons would do that and leave their village angered him so much that he beat his son for saying that. The next morning his brother was no longer there, he left whit the man.

"If your father didn't act the way he did your brother would probably stay in the village."

"Yes that's true, although at the time I didn't think like that, when I found out that he left I felt betrayed. He left me alone in this village. Now I know how foolish I was."

"Well what happened then?"

"About three years ago, ten years after he left, he returned to the village. He had a wife and a child whit him, all dressed in fine clothes."

His brother managed to become a proper merchant in Doren. He married and had a child, when the child was born he planned a visit to his hometown. He wished to see his family and tell them his stories.

"When he arrived in the village whit his family, all of them dressed up whit clothes of rich people, I became jealous. He had a beautiful wife and child, he was now a member of high society. While I was here being a chief to a small poor village."

"Well jealousy is a dangerous thing."

"Indeed it is, I told him that he can stay the night but then leave in the morning. He did as I said. We never talked again."

"So you changed you mind, you wish to apologize? Three years is a lot of time to change one's mind"

"Indeed it is but I travel for another reason."

From the expression on the mans face Leonard knew that this is the dark part of his story. He thought about telling him to stop but at this point he was too interested in the story.

"You see just a week ago our village was attacked."

"Attacked? By who?"

"I don't know, at first I thought they might be bandits but they didn't steal nor capture us to sell us into slavery. They just killed, killed and killed until there was nothing left!" The man was clearly getting more and more distressed. Noticing this Leonard stopped him from telling him more.

"It's enough good man. I'm sorry."

"Why? You did nothing wrong."

"I clearly shouldn't have asked you. I apologize."

"Like I said there is no need, this is my punishment for not being able to defend my family."

( Should I tell him?) Leonard had a good guess at who those people were. After Robert, Damien and Leonard had their confirmation against Titus the Iron Knight, Leonard started to talk about how much he dislikes the Church and their sinful behavior. Damien happily joined in the conversation, he started to talk about the crimes the Church committed, the one's he knew about. One of them is still ongoing, in fact it just started recently. And those crimes are attacks on minorities in Burdia who still practice different pagan religions.

Even after the spread of the Elder One's religion there are still small parts of Burdia where people practice different religions, mostly in the regions of Antersel and Terman. These people refused to convert, no matter how many priests were sent to their villages the same would always happen. So the Church elites decided to do it differently, violently. Attacking villages and murdering their whole populations to set an example for other villages and their people. His village must have been one of those unfortunate ones that were chosen to be an example.

One may ask, how does the King of Burdia allows this to happen. Well kingdom of Burdia has the most diverse population in the central kingdoms. There are three mayor ethnic groups. Pure blooded Burdians making 52% , then there are Northern Mercinians making 23% they mostly occupy the region of Terman, third ethnic group Children of Elivat make some 13% of the population. Then there are the remaining 12% which is made out of many different smaller groups.

Such diverse population is one of the big reasons why there are so many Civil wars in the kingdom. So naturally the King is not opposed to those attacks because they will reduce the number of those ethnic groups. In fact the current Leader of the kingdom Duke Arington of Galina gave his blessings to the Church. He said that the kingdom must stay united because the Imperium might invade soon.

"Just sending a letter to my brother notifying him about the death of our family is not enough, things serious such as these must be said in person. That's the reason why I set of on this dangerous journey. I just hope those people who could committed such a crime.... be punished by a divine punishment."

As the man said that he clutched a medallion he carried. It was the shape of Gregor the Holy, the first human who started to preach about the Elder One during the rule of the great Elven Empire. A man who gave hope to the humans who at the time were nothing but slaves. When the Church was created they used him as their symbol.

( I'm sure that Gregor the Holy would condemn the current behavior of the Church. ) Leonard saw no point of telling the man who the attackers might be. It will just bring him more suffering. He probably won't believe him as well. But still if he believes in the Elder One why attack him?

"That medallion, are you a follower of the Elder One."

"Yes, one of the few in my village. Most of the others believed in Istarhal, they say he was a hero from Katrefel. After the great explosion he founded our village."

"I see, what a sad story. Only you remained after the attack."

"No there were four more. Two men, one child and a woman."

"Then what happened to them?"

"The woman and the child, they left for the neighboring village to tell them what happened. And the other two decided to follow me, I was the village chief after all."

"Two men, were are they now?"

"Dead, both of them. One died when bandits attacked us on the road, the second drowned in the lake."

The man went to explain that the three of them decide to take a boat in the village of Pilant. It was a resting place for the people who transport the goods using the Astra river all the way from the city of Raven to the Central lake then Tovder or the rest of Mercina Kingdom and Sleibia by the Greta river. Because they didn't have any money they decided to sneak in one of the boats. When the boat neared Tovder they jumped in the lake, they could have sneaked out in the port but the risk of getting caught by the guards inspecting the goods was to high.

"We started to swim towards the land, but fish people attacked us. They dragged my friend in the depths of the lake."

"Wow Fish People, I heard that they make expensive clothes from their skin." Leonard remembered that when he was still a noble he had a pair of boots made out of fish people skin, they were extremely comfortable.

"I somehow survived and found my way to the main road where I collapsed. I had no energy after all that swimming." He said whit a sad tone. What a tragic story, Leonard wished there was something he could do but they had their own problems now.

"Hey Leonard! I see that you are finally awake." Two of them were approached by Damien.

"Oh Damien, you finished talking whit the Guild Master?"

"Yes and I have some news to share, where is Robert?"

"He is still in the room, he ordered a girl."

"Really, at the time like this? That man angers me so much. Well no matter, it's important so let's interrupt our good friend." The amount of sarcasm in that sentence was amazingly large.

"Well it seems that I must leave, but before I do tell me you name good man."

"It's Niklovas son of Vareon."

"Well Niklovas son of Vareon, I wish you all the luck in the world in you journey. It is for a noble cause."

"Thank you very much!" Niklovas said whit a bow.

In Niklovas's mind Leonard was a noble man, but in truth he was a coward, a murder and a liar. As Leonard walked up the stairs he thought about a different thing. I'm not noble, not brave, that man is a much better person then I will ever be. Going on a dangerous journey for the sake of his last family. And look at me, I'm running away after all this time. When was the last time I sent a letter to my sister? She doesn't know if I'm still alive. That's Unacceptable! Good I made up my mind, when I find some time I shall write a letter. After all she is my last family left in this world.