Chapter 9: A Journey into the Unknown

Hansel was in the carriage, his thoughts as gloomy as the black sky that hung outside. He had been so for two weeks, weighed down by the weight of disappointment.

Half a month back, he had torn open the letter of appointment of the royal family with great anticipation, to be left aghast by what he had read. He was being assigned to someplace he had not even heard of before—a permanent delegate to the Earl of Lehmann. It may as well have been in some location where birds would not even land.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he had bumped into an old man on the path to the barracks, a man he had encountered when fleeing from a previous operation. The old man had concluded his business and was preparing to return home, and it was then that Hansel recalled the Earl of the Lionhearts hailed from the same region. At least he would not be traveling solo on this journey.

His thoughts turned to Matthew, a schoolmate from years ago who had managed to get himself assigned to the service of the princess. "Though we hold different stations, we serve the King together!" Matthew had proclaimed, sarcasm coloring his words that Hansel could never erase.

"Bah! As if Your Royal Highness needs your advice. Do you think I would take notes on your so-called 'virtues'?" Matthew's recollection made Hansel's belly twist.

Contrarily, Ford, who traveled in the same carriage, was in high spirits. The princess had readily acquiesced to Eugene Lionheart's takeover of the title, and with the current pressure of pirates on their soil, the franchise was exempted from deploying troops for the king's service. Ford had even managed to procure 50 sets of leather armor and 50 spears for the movement.

Along the way, Hansel learned more about the Lionheart family from Ford. They were a line of a great family of the old Bella Empire. When the empire collapsed, the Lionhearts emerged, rising to become a loyal house to the Aldo Dynasty. A political struggle with a miscalculation, however, stripped them of their wealth and stature, and they started a decline and migration to the barren Northwest Gulf. Hansel understood now why the family had vanished from the kingdom's political arena.

"Ah. my life is so dark," he mused. "Faceless nobles, a never-before-seen hinterland, and no decent town in between. Am I doomed to be buried in oblivion?"

The more he pondered, the more bitter he became at his birth. Had his mother been of higher blood, had he not been the result of a concubine's union. But dwelling on past misfortune was futile. He closed his eyes to the past and focused on his immediate mission: diligence and some day winning back the favor of the King and the Princess. His labor would be rewarded, he swore.

Ford's voice broke in upon his daydreaming. "Look, Sir Abbott! Before you, Lake Arda, which gives its name to this country—Ardaland. We're heading for Deepvein Town."

As the trees grew few, a wide lake was visible, the opposite shore shrouded in mist. A large island dominated the lake, houses dotted on its face, and above all, most conspicuous of all, stood a castle dominating them in the middle.

This 'town' is the capital of an earldom? Worse than the surrounding countryside of the capital," Hansel derided to himself.

But he reminded himself that a few lords had such strategic locations to build their castles, sometimes at high locations or faraway islands for defense. Young men like him, however, rarely ventured far from the royal capital, and therefore he had no knowledge of such customs.

When they arrived at the lake, a vast pontoon bridge came into view. Spanned by boats, it appeared that it would not be difficult to dismantle quickly if a hostile attack occurred.

"Ought we to alight and proceed on foot?" Hansel asked with his concern regarding crossing the bridge clear.

Ford smiled and reassured him, "Sir Abbott, don't you worry. This bridge will hold. A carriage is no trouble at all.".

Taking a deep breath, Hansel sat back in his seat. As they rode over the bridge and onto the island, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Now, Sir Abbott, I must see the lord. Have my servant escort you to the guest room while I arrange your meeting," Ford commanded.

"Of course, Ford," Hansel replied as the carriage rode through the castle gates, where Butler Philip stood waiting.

"Ford, you're back!" Philip greeted, his eyes lighting up.

"Just in time, Butler. I must speak with the Earl immediately."

"A coincidence that," Philip replied with a hint of concern in his voice. "The Earl has taken the recently enrolled soldiers out for training and will not be returning for some days."

"Goodness gracious. He took a batch of recruits out? Doesn't he know how dangerous the pirates are today?" Ford exclaimed, worry creasing his face.

"I tried to discourage him, but he would not listen. Master Claude is accompanying him with the castle guards for protection."

Ford let out a sigh of relief, "Then let us send someone to bring the Earl immediately. He must know that the royal commissioner is here waiting for him."

Aye, I shall send word right away," Philip said, inclining his head slightly before he hurried off.

Ford turned to Hansel. "I beg your pardon, Sir Abbott. It seems you'll have to wait awhile."

"No problem. If the Earl is not available, might I take a turn about?" Hansel inquired.

"By all means! You're an honored guest here. Make this house your home," Ford urged before departing, leaving a servant to show Hansel.

Feeling the need for something cold, Hansel instructed his guide to bring Tommen and him to the local tavern. The tavern was warm with laughter and conversation. Suddenly, in strode a well-dressed young man with a servant shortly afterwards Ford's servant. Everybody became quiet aware of his noble hierarchy.

"Boss, bring me three beers. And make sure the glasses are clean," the young noble instructed confidently.

"Yes, sir! Right away!" The tavern owner, flustered, quickly complied.

Hansel chuckled to himself, watching how the townsfolk reacted to nobility. He took a seat by the window, telling his guide to set the table.

The tavern was a great place to hear news, and Hansel was going to take advantage of it. He sat back as the owner delivered the beers, grabbing one for himself and offering the rest to Tommen and the guide.

He looked around the room, seeing most customers steer clear of his eyes, not wanting to risk offending him. One young man, who wore a fur hat, glanced at him furtively.

"You, come here! Yes, you in the fur hat!" Hansel yelled.

The young man, initially startled, approached hesitantly. As he knelt before Hansel, he began to stutter, "Master, I was just curious, I swear! I didn't mean any harm!"

"Easy! I'm not going to hurt you," Hansel said with a smile. "I just want to ask a few questions."

The young man stood up, obviously relieved, but still nervous. "Sit," Hansel commanded.

"Me? Sit here? How could I?"

"Sit down when a baron asks you to!" Tommen said, smiling.

The young man had no option but to sit down, thanking Hansel a great deal.

"I'd like to know—how serious is the bandit situation these days?" Hansel inquired.

"Terribly serious," replied the young man, his voice trembling. "They haven't attacked here yet, but people are afraid. Now, even traveling from village to village requires a large group for safety."

"Is the lord doing anything about it?"

"Of course! The previous lord died defending against the bandits. The new lord, Master Eugene, has already begun recruiting soldiers upon inheriting the position. He's determined to take care of them."

"I heard he's just a child?" Hansel questioned.

"Yes, he is very inexperienced and young. The old Earl pampered him; he always was getting himself into trouble… " The youth fell silent, suddenly recalling that he was speaking about his master in the presence of another gentleman.

Hansel smiled with a sense that there was some fascinating story about the young master. He suggested to the proprietor that he buy the youth a drink on himself, intrigued with the challenges facing this "youth" in charge.

Listening to tales of the new Earl—having initiated public toilets and cleanliness drives—Hansel was impressed. "Not so bad for a country lord," he thought to himself. "I hope that he's one better than the rest of the country bumpkins in the kingdom."

Standing up from his chair, he compensated the young man with some cash for his time and called forth Tommen and the guide to venture further into this new, unknown territory.