This time the blow came towards the head. Alex was quick to parry it with his long sword, he heaved forward with a swing to Wily’s left but the black knight dodged it. Alex was sweating profusely in his plate and heavy mail. Normally he practiced only in mail or only in plate. But Wily insisted on it this time.

‘You’ll be eight and ten next month Master la Vallete. You’re almost a man and you must learn to fight like one ‘

Alexander blocked an uppercut this time.

I feel more like a turtle. Alex thought as he recoiled back from the blow.

True the full set of armor made the wearer nigh impervious on the battlefield. However it was cumbersome to move around in and the weight proved to be a task in itself. The narrow slit limited his vision causing him to miss a stab at his shoulder.

‘Damn! ‘, Alex screamed in frustration.

‘If it was the battlefield you’d be dead right now ‘, Wily quipped before he landed a heavy blow that pushed Alex backwards.

‘What’s the point of all those pushups if you get blown back by measly bloke like me? ‘

A measly 200 pound bloke Alex thought wryly as he repositioned and began an approach pattern.

A man in his early twenties, Sir William’s speed rivaled that of a fox and his strength would not shame an ox.

The black knight feinted with a jab to Alex’s face to which the boy raised his sword in defense but he twisted his sword leftwards and knocked Alex’s sword down with a deft swing to the right.

Alex was bereft of his sword now but free of hands, he grabbed William’s sword with a mailed right hand and with the left took out a dagger and thrusted towards Wily’s throat only to stop at the last moment at his skin.

‘Yield ‘Alex demanded, his dagger pressing against the knight’s throat.

‘All right Alex’ Wily grunted, ‘but you should know that I was taking it easy this time ‘

‘Yeah, I’m sure you did.’ Alex said as he put his dagger back into his scabbard.

‘Bravo my son! Bravo ‘, a loud clap could be heard from above.

Lady Eleanor was descending down the stairs and onto the yard. She was wearing her usual dark grey gown and black tunic. Her long brown locks flowed down in breach waves as was the fashion in Aedirn lately.

‘Mother! ‘, Alex motioned towards her as he loosened his light brown hair from the confines of his helmet, ‘how long have you been observing? ‘

Lady Eleanor smiled, ‘long enough to see that you have progressed quite far’, she patted his cheeks.

She looked at William and the sworn knight did a quick bow.

‘What do you think Sir William, will my son make as sound a Knight as my late husband? ‘

‘Yes my lady, with a few more years of training and some actual combat I have no doubt that he will earn the late Lord’s spurs ‘

Alex blushed, ‘Well I don’t know how good father was or if I’ll be as strong as him but I’ll try...’

‘Nonsense’ Lady Eleanor cut him off, her sharp dark eyes focused solely on him, ‘Your father was one of the finest knights in all of Aedirn and perhaps in all of Alesia. More than five Elyrian horsemen fell to his blade at the battle of the Red valley and dozens more wounded. Had it not been for that cursed arrow…’

Her voice welled up. Alex could almost feel the pain in her heart as her fist clenched. Willy fell into a sullen gloom.

Alex looked despondent, Lady Eleanor let out a deep breath, ‘Anyways I have an important matter to discuss with you. Let us retire to my chambers. Sir William if you would excuse us’

‘Yes my Lady’ William looked relieved, ‘I’ll take the lads for a patrol near the border ‘

‘You do that ‘

After he departed, she looked at Alex, ‘follow me, there’s no time to lose ‘

La Vallete castle was very old. It had been raised before the arrival of the Aedirnians to Alesia, during a time when the Ariya kings still held sway over much of the Island. Known originally as the fort of Muerte, whoever raised it was determined to ensure that his gold and heirs never fall prey to an unwelcome guest.

As such is attested by its two great stone walls each rising to 80 feet and sprinkled with towers, battlements and holdfasts. Its grim grey walls were impervious to all but the heaviest bombardment. And if a foe were to ever break through the outer gate, the intruders would have to brave the piranha infested moat flowing between and a hail of arrows and burning oil from the inner wall.

Perhaps these daunting features were the reason why castle La Vallete was besieged but never assaulted directly by the Elyrian hordes. In all three wars fought for the Golden fields the Elyrian armies never dared to directly assault this stronghold. They had besieged it, they had bypassed it but they never assaulted it.

Prude thought Alex.

Maybe that’s why House La Vallete is the only house from the old days to still survive in the Southern marches

As they made way through the great hall, Alex noticed that the furniture was being refurbished and the windows repainted.

Alvar, the shriveled yet shrew steward was quarrelling with some stone masons while little Pepin the cook was bickering on about something related to sugar with big Pepin the castle priest. Though judging from the cook’s jowl and the priests bones, Alex wondered if they should exchange the epithets.

The washerwomen were also fast at work he saw. Big breasted Vela was in a hurry to scrub the floors and her little girl Hela worked beside her.

‘Are we having guests mother? ‘

‘Yes I’ve invited all the nobles in our lands to a banquet. They’ll be arriving tomorrow. ‘

‘All of them? ‘, Alex was curious.

‘Yes, all the barons, high ranking priests and landed knights in our lands ‘

The only time such gatherings happen is during the harvest feast or a wedding or a war

When they exited the large hall room and its looming chandelier they came upon a flight of stairs that led to the Lord’s apartments. A Guardsman in mail, holding a Halberd greeted them below and two similarly adorned guards greeted them at the top of the stairs.

After a long ascent they finally reached the Lord’s chamber and Lady Eleanor opened it.

The room was modest for a lord’s bedchamber lacking any lavish paintings or exotic western carpets as would be common for most lords. It was merely furnished with the common accessories, shelves, a dressing table, a reading table, cabinets, an armor set, a sword rack and the rest.

It was hardly befitting a great lord but potentates of the march could not afford to waste good money on trinkets and luxuries, money that could be otherwise used to shore up defenses of the demesne.

The handmaid Sera was cleaning the mirror, upon seeing them she quickly got up and bowed. Lady Eleanor motioned her out. She left quickly but before that exchanged a glance with Alex.

Tall, slender with olive skin and light eyes she was a half blood of Ariya and native descent with perhaps a bit of Aedirnian in the mix. As her eyes fell on his Alex blushed and a quick smile cut across her face.

Thankfully his mother did not see that, she was busy opening a drawer.

Alex could not hold it any longer, ‘mother what’s going on? Why are you in such a hurry? ‘

Lady Eleanor let out a sigh, ‘a time of uncertainty’, then she looked at a letter on her table and her eyes lit up, ‘and opportunity ’

What, Alex was feeling annoyed, ‘will you please speak in a language common to us all? ‘

Lady Eleanor gave the letter to Alex. He took it from her hand and hurriedly read it.

‘Good Lord! When? ‘, he looked at his mother with wide eyes.

‘Seven days ago, the messenger rode as hard as he could but the road from the capital was crawling with bandits and heretics so he had to take a detour’

Alex read again, it stated,

‘’ The king is dead! Long live the king! After a period of sudden illness his gracious majesty King Alinsky passed away peacefully in his bed. He left no legitimate male heir of his blood.

So in accordance with the laws of Ashur all men of pure Aedirnian blood are invited to the capital to participate in the election of the new King. If any Aedirnian man ignores to come in person and fulfill his rightful duty, his voice shall not be heard in the selection of the new king.

All Aedirnian men of pure blood are implored to accept the plea and carry out their sacred duties. The election shall take place in the Capital city of Loretta in 60 days ‘

It was signed, Rodrick var Kowalwiz, Lord Chancellor of the kingdom of Aedirn.

‘This must be the first time in 70 years! ‘Alex exclaimed.

‘Well…’ Lady Eleanor stroked her chin, ‘72 actually, 72 years that’s how long the Rast dynasty lasted. Pretty impressive for the descendants of a landed knight one must admit’

‘Yes I recall Rodomir the third or more commonly known as Rodomir the brave won the crown for his courage on the battlefield. He ended the war of the three kings with one swing of his sword. No other King in Aedirnian history rose from such meager origins ‘

Alex had always liked history, he fared much better at it than geometry.

‘And perhaps the last to do so’ Lady Eleanor said dryly, she did not share her son’s admiration of commoners.

‘The times have changed my son. In the past a common sword could hope to sail to the crown on the back of the cheering crowds now however we live in a more civilized age ‘

‘Civilized?’ Alex scratched his head.

His mother continued, ‘The new king will be chosen by the great magnates of the realm. The great lords who rule vast swathes of land and commands vast treasuries they will be the ones who will be able to persuade the most number of nobles and in turn receive the most number of votes ‘

‘And that is what we have to exploit ‘, her eyes lit up.

‘We command a substantial number of votes ourselves. In addition our status has one of the first noble families in Aedirn also carries substantial weight. Furthermore, the other lords of the marches are likely to gravitate towards our choice of King. Ever since the Korbowitz family was extinguished by the Elyrians during the Greater Wrath, the lords of the marches have mostly followed our lead. ‘

Wait! Does she mean that she is going to try to make me king! Alex gulped.

It was not impossible. As long as he could remember his Lady mother had been a relentless promoter of the family’s fortunes. Not one to stay content with her lot, over the years his mother had accumulated land, gold and swords through every means possible, mainly with grain and gold but sometimes with poison and sword.

‘We have to leverage our influence to elect the candidate that is most suited to our interests. And a newly elected King can be very generous to his benefactors ‘

Alex let out a sigh of relief but then immediately felt blue,

‘But mother electing the worthiest man to the throne is a sacred responsibility! It has been ever since the Aedirnians first came to Alesia and overthrew the Ariya kings. It is our duty to carry out this task with honesty; it’s a matter of honor.

It is my duty to help choose a King on grounds of what is best for the realm not what is best for us! ‘

Lady Eleanor was taken aback by her son’s outcry, the boy had always been obedient and happily gave his sign on all documents over the years but in recent years he had becoming increasingly argumentative.

She put a hand on Alex’s hair and gently stroked it,

‘Alex you have grown into a very fine man. You are bold, fair, noble and everything else that can be hoped for in a son. But you are still young…’ her tone sharpened and her eyes narrowed on him. Alex felt unnerved,

‘…and are ignorant about the workings of the world, our world.’

She motioned towards the window and opened it letting a flare of golden sun light into the room. She pointed her finger out of the window.

‘There just 80 miles from here lies an Elyrian castle, its garrison growing in numbers every year. We have been at peace for the last 18 years but war could break out at any moment and when it happens we will be at the forefront of it.

The King is not the only one who has sources inside Elyria and the tidings they bear are not good ones. The Elyrian armies have grown larger with every passing year, ours have not.

The capital is more than 200 miles from here. For the king to even raise an army and just arrive here, he would need months. If we are without means of our own and forced to wait for help we will go the way of the Korbowitz family ‘

Alex was an avid student of history and he knew all too well about that. The Elyrian castle she was speaking of once belonged to the Korbowitz family. That is before they were all hanged from its spires by the Elyrians.

Lady Eleanor continued, ‘If we are to survive the coming storm, we must be capable of defending ourselves. And for that we must have the power to summon and unite all the Aedirnians of the Golden fields under your command. The over lordship of the Golden fields has remained empty since the Korbowitz tragedy, it is time we fill the void‘

Alex tried to speak up but couldn’t, dislike it as he may, he could not contend her words. War with Elyria was inevitable, there was no way around it and under no circumstances could they wait for help for months.

Lady Eleanor now came close to her son again and placed her hands on his shoulders,

‘You must go to the election Alex and further our cause. I cannot go with you and leave our lands unattended. But you have to go and safeguard our interests. This house fell to near ruin after your father and uncles died 18 years ago. You are the last scion of this house and this election is its best hope. ‘

Suddenly the arms around his shoulder started to feel heavy. Alex raised his head and looked into his mother’s dark eyes.

‘Yes, mother I will do as you bid. I will further our interests to the best of my abilities ‘

His mother smiled, ‘I knew you would come around. Fortunately you are not entirely without direction. One of the leading contenders is the overlord of Tarnow Alfred var Redfort, an old friend of your father. It is preferable that you seek to ally with his house. I have already sent the word to him of your arrival.

Hopefully he will serve our purpose to the fullest. If for some reason he is unable to deliver the over lordship of the Golden fields to us then you have my blessing to seek an alternative alliance as per your discretion ‘

‘I will not fail you mother ‘, Alex said with a firm voice.

She put both her hands on his cheeks and cracked a wide smile with glowing eyes, ‘And I hear that he has a lovely little girl ‘