Arc 3 - Incognito

The villager doesn't actually know where Frosteye's camp is, but he did give him the location of an inn that Frosteye himself mentioned while on Fjorn.

The inn is half a day away from Fjorn, Ikarus can cover that distance in a very short time.

He leaves the man on the bank of the creek with a few bruises. He lets him live- as much as it bothers him, Ikarus understands the reasons why the man, Jory, acted that way.

The Bloodbrothers know how to subjugate peasants.

`This reminds me of Wave Country, these bandits are their Gato. But these peasants cannot hire mercenaries to get out of this situation, the only thing they can do is try to ask the lords for help. Which does not guarantee anything. The Bloodbrothers could intercept the rider, or the lord could ignore them. They may not even have thought to ask their lords for help, in most cases the lords don't care about the small folk and they know it, or they may have asked for help and Lady Dustin ignored them. The books paint her as an intelligent lady but lost in her mourning and grudges, that is how she will be in a decade and a half. I don't know what Lady Dustin will be like so soon after the Rebellion, her husband and her lover died a year ago.`

***

Frostpath Inn is located to the south, almost on the shores of the sea. So close that on clear days you can see the sea from the second floor of the building. Frostpath has a tavern on the first floor of the building and several rooms on the second floor.

The inn is close to the Froststream river hence its name, it even has a small dock on the river bank.

An old man approaches the inn. He is somewhat short with gray spiked hair, a small goatee, his face is gaunter, and he has the wrinkles and liver spots of old age. His clothing consists of dark trousers, worn boots, and a gray shirt under an old green doublet. On his waist is a baldric with a dagger and a sack of coins, on his back a leather bag.

He has the appearance of a somewhat impoverished old merchant but still better off than most peasants.

Outside the inn there is a group of men talking amongst themselves, a couple of them are wearing armor with a coat of arms: A black horse's head, its eyes and mane are red, on bronze within a black engraved border.

House Ryswell.

They are guards for the ruling house of the Rills.

"Good morning!" The old man greets them cordially as he walks past the men. Some wave back and others just growl in his direction.

The old man enters the tavern, the smell of smoke and alcohol flooding his nostrils as he enters. He makes a small face and walks over to the bar.

"Good day"

"Good day old man." The innkeeper is a man in his fifties with a balding head and a big belly. His face is half hidden by a large beard, his small blue eyes look at the old man with quite a good humor.

`Appearances are not everything.`

The two men have a small chat and the old man sits at a table in the corner of the tavern. A couple of minutes later a woman in her thirties approaches him with a tray, sets a glass of wine and a plate of stew on the table.

"Thank you young woman." The old man smiled kindly.

The woman looks at him a little strangely, she is not used to her clients having manners- the usual thing when serving someone is that they ignore her, growl at her in recognition or grope her.

"You are welcome old man."

The old man eats his food slowly, observing all the customers.

He doesn't see anyone strange.

`Nothing for now, I'll have to try tonight. Hopefully I won't have to wait long.`

***

At dusk in the tavern the atmosphere gets a bit wild. The patrons are half drunk, partying and singing.

At a table an old man is telling stories to a group of young travellers.

"-and then the sailor turned to his captain and said: That's gotta be the best pirate I have ever seen."

The men laugh out loud.

"Good one old man."

"Tell us another one old Luffy"

"Aye Aye." The old man, Luffy, took a sip from his cup. "Have you ever heard the story of the Promised King?" The men shake their heads and the old man tells the story. "A long time ago in a land called Albion-"

The night passes without incident, the old man entertains the youngsters with his stories and gains their trust.

***

The next morning Luffy leaves his room and goes down to the first floor of the building, to the tavern.

"Morning Addam." The innkeeper looks up from the glasses he is cleaning and greets the old man.

"You want something to eat old Luffy?"

"Aye. Some eggs would be fine." The old man sits on the stool. Addam yells at his wife the old man's order.

While breakfast is being prepared the two men talk to each other.

"-fucking bastards think they can do whatever they want just cause their leader-" Addam frezes for a moement and changes the subject. Luffy who had been listening intently gets a bit depressed but doesn't let his disappointment show.

`Patience. Just a little more.`

***

After breakfast the old man approaches the river and sets out to fish for a while. Addam and other men accompany him, they drink mead, fish and have a good time.

After filling the bucket with fish they return to the tavern.

"How long will you stay old man?"

"Maybe another day." Answers Luffy while eating.

"And then where will you go?" asks a young guard from house Ryswell. His name is Ned, he is 16 years old and quite handsome, with curly black hair and shiny blue eyes.

"I'll stop by Fjorn, I have a friend who lives there. I haven't visited him in almost a decade, although the lazy bastard didn't come to visit either." The old man muttered angrily.

As the youngsters laugh and one of them pats the old man on the back, Addam's expression freezes.

"Fjorn you say?" He looks at him with a strange expression.

"Aye, have you ever been there?" Luffy looks him straight in the eye. "It is a small village but the people are very welcoming"

"Aye... although I haven't been in a long time." Addam has an expression of sadness and anger.

"You shouldn't go either old man. I've heard there are bandits hanging around that area."

The men start talking all at once.

"Bandits?"

"In these lands?"

"So close to the Rills?"

"What is Lady Dustin doing?"

"You can't trust a woman to do a man's job..."

"Aye."

"Women are only good for giving birth, cooking and fucking."

"Hahahah"