A Warrior's Mistake

Althea arrived at the gates of Baron Ciaphas' mansion, her carriage pulled by a pair of finely bred horses. She was greeted by the Baron's servant who led her to the grand hall where the Baron awaited her.

"Good day, Baron Ciaphas," Althea greeted him with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today."

Ciaphas looked up from his papers and gave her a curt nod. "State your business, Althea."

"I was hoping to discuss a business proposition with you," Althea said, her voice laced with a hint of flirtation.

Ciaphas raised an eyebrow but remained stoic. "Proceed."

"I have contacts in the Prybarrow Barony, informing me about the deal you made for their steel. They have agreed to provide me with the steel, if you agree of course, in exchange for some of your crops," Althea explained.

"In other words, you don't have to go there and bother yourself with the transportation."

Ciaphas leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. "I see. And what would be your cut in this deal?"

"I would take a percentage of the profits, of course," Althea replied with a sly smile.

Ciaphas remained impassive. "Very well. And how do you propose we handle the logistics of this trade?"

"I can arrange for a team of capable workers to help you transport your crops to the Prybarrow Barony via my own caravans" Althea offered. "In return, I would like to have a monopoly on the trade between our baronies for a year."

Ciaphas nodded. "Agreed. You may have a monopoly on the trade, but only if there are no incidents for a year. Otherwise, we will renegotiate our agreement."

Althea's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered. "Of course, Baron Ciaphas. I understand."

As Althea gathered her belongings to leave, Ciaphas motioned for Nathan, his trusted advisor, to approach.

"Nathan, do me a favour," Ciaphas said, his voice low. "Go to the village and speak with the people Althea spoke to. See if there was something they forgot to mention."

Nathan nodded and made his way out of the grand hall.

As Althea left the mansion, her expression turned thoughtful. "He's quite the tough negotiator, isn't he?" she remarked to her bodyguards., hiding a mischievous grin.

"He's a shrewd businessman," one of them replied.

Althea's lips curved into a smile. "And a handsome one at that."

Meanwhile, Ciaphas sat at his desk, deep in thought. "Soon, the people will see that I'm not the lazy and unproductive Baron they thought me to be. It's time to start improving the situation in my barony before it's too late."

He turned to look out of his window, his expression grim. "Too late."

A man, who was a travelling warrior, walked into the small village of Evramas. He was muttering something under his breath as he nervously checked his bags for any damage.

"Just great," he muttered to himself. "I always seem to have that trouble."

He checked his bags again before shrugging and continuing on his way. As he did so, a villager looked at him curiously.

"Need some help?" the villager asked.

"N-n-no, thank you," the warrior said in reply.

The man continued walking down the streets of the small village, looking around him as he went. At last, he came across a run-down bakery and entered it.

"Hello," the shopkeeper greeted him.

"Hi," the warrior replied.

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes. "You need something to eat? The food's not too bad if you're a little hungry."

"Yes, I'm a bit hungry," the warrior replied with a weak smile, giving the shopkeeper a nervous glance.

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes again. "Typical man," he muttered to himself. He then lead the warrior to a table and ordered him to eat.

The warrior, still uneasy, accepted the meal. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," the shopkeeper replied as he walked away.

The warrior, his eyes still darting around nervously, picked up his food and wrapped it up in a cloth before taking a bite.

"Mmm," the warrior said to himself, his mouth full of food. "This is good."

As he chewed and swallowed, he noticed that the shopkeeper was watching him from the counter. "What?" the warrior asked, his voice slightly annoyed.

"Uh, nothing." the shopkeeper responded. "I just thought you were a little strange."

"Strange?" the warrior asked, slightly taken aback.

"Yeah, I've seen you before," the shopkeeper said. "You're that warrior from Northmill the nobles hire when they want to gather intel from the other aristocrats."

The man stared at the shopkeeper, stunned. "You're kidding."

"Nope, sorry," the shopkeeper replied, shrugging.

The man stared at the shopkeeper again before standing up and leaving, his food still wrapped in a cloth.

"How could I be so stupid!" he exclaimed as he stormed out of the shop. "I'm such an idiot! I've got to get out of here before someone else recognises me!"

He strode quickly down the streets, his head downcast. "The only thing that stopped those villagers from seeing who I was was the mask… The mask…"

He emerged from the village and found himself surrounded by the barony's village guard, their leather armour and spears gleaming in the sun.

"Who dares to enter Evramas without an invitation?" Nathan asked.

"I – I'm sorry," the warrior stuttered. "I-"

"You look out of place, stranger," Nathan continued, hefting his spear. "What business do you have in Evramas?"

"I'm just passing through," the warrior said.

"Passing through, eh? A man travelling alone?" Nathan questioned his expression hard.

"I – I mean, yes," the warrior replied. "I'm just travelling through."

"Then you are a fool, sir," Nathan said, his eyes narrowing.

"I – I'm sorry," the warrior protested. "I just wanted to be here."

"Evramas is not a place for you" He displayed. " Take him to the catacombs.''