Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 40
It was getting late as Box, Goola, Julen and Eldskeep arrived in Maiden's Tower. The sun was winding it's way down and out of sight, and along some of the more prominent streets, oil lamps were being lit. As Box turned onto the high street she saw a small girl lighting a candle in a window, above one of the shopfronts. The girl briefly stared down at her and the other three out-of-town strangers. Being another port city Maiden's Tower looked very similar to Patina, only it seemed much neater and cleaner. As Box and Goola walked they scanned the skyline for the actual 'maiden's tower' that the name of the city suggested. However, though there were plenty of tall and towering buildings none stood out as the tower.
Julen was quieter though. He'd been back to his upbeat self ever since they had arrived in the Maiden Lands, but the similarity of Maiden's Tower to Patina had reminded him of what had happened back there. The memory of which filled him with a sense of dread, and a hungry, aching feeling inside his stomach. He pulled his neckerchief up to cover his mouth, and thought to himself how good it was that they were arriving under the cover of darkness. The fear that he would be recognised and apprehended for his crime almost disturbing him as much as the vision of it ingrained on his memory. The sword piercing his assailant's heart. A sword that still hung by his side as he conjured these visions.
It also occurred to him for the first time since the event just how able Eldskeep had been with a sword. Up until that point he'd just assumed that all Eldskeep's tales were sprinkled with bluster. Especially given his paunchy figure. That he was a blowhard, though a likeable one. Box and Goola still thought this for sure. However, his actions in the heat of the moment were surprisingly impressive. In all the time since the grim event he'd barely thought about the part Eldskeep had played. So focused was he on his own grisly actions. If Eldskeep hadn't dealt so ably with the other two men, they would've surely both been murdered, or at least violently robbed, he thought. This realisation instantly made him feel a little better. "They were the attackers. We were just defending ourselves. It was three against two." He loosened up a bit, and though it didn't quite allay his guilty aches and fears, it allowed him to put those thoughts further back in his mind. He also felt a touch of sadness that Eldskeep would be parting ways with them once they'd reached Aunt Ellever's house - heading off further into the Maiden Land countryside for some other blustering reason. The strange, but larger-than-life person, that he'd gone through the experience with would be gone, and he'd just be alone. Carrying the secret with him, on his own more slender shoulders. He looked at Box and envied her buoyant innocence.
"Where's the tower??" she quizzed, still looking eagerly around to spot it.
Eldskeep sensed another opportunity to share his worldly wisdom. "The tower ..the actual maiden's tower?" came his reply, with a touch of incredulity.
"Yeah, the tower! Where is it?"
"..There isn't one."
"Not a great name then, is it," noted Julen, beginning to inspect the skyline himself.
"It's a very old name," illuminated Eldskeep, now it full raconteur mode, "It's said that a very long time ago. A very, very long time ago. In the time even before written record began. When the mainland used to rule this area as a fiefdom - or so it's said. There was a huge stone tower next to the harbour, where the beautiful girls of the Maiden Lands would be imprisoned, before being shipped as slaves across to the mainland. The tower, they say, was destroyed and smashed to pieces by the inhabitants, who rebelled, and who, ever since, have never been slaves again ..though they do get leaned upon from time to time."
"So no tower then."
"No tower. Hence it may be worth looking for a place to stay instead."
The interesting tale slightly made up for the lack of a tower, and Box imagined the scene in her mind as they wandered on. Talk then turned to how many more days travel it would be before they reached Aunt Ellever's house, in the not-too-far-off Maiden Land countryside. The lush verdure of the city already making them feel halfway there. The patches of grass and the dotted trees between the shops and public houses, some heavy with fruit which they couldn't quite identify in the darkness. The flower baskets and window boxes, spilling over with colourful petals. This all framed an impressive canal, that cut through the heart of the city. Its slow running water barely visible in the evening dimness, with it's reflection only flickering into view under the street lamps, or from the low light of a window or opened door. As Julen tagged along, behind the other three, he felt as a sudden sense of being watched as they tracked along the water. He moved his hand to his sword and turned around to take a glancing panoramic view. High above, on a flat rooftop he saw some familiar eyes looking down at him. A woman, shrouded. Her silhouette barely apparent against the blackness. As he looked she instantly dropped to the rooftop floor and disappeared from view. Julen kept looking as he walked, but she was gone. He said nothing to the others, as they headed to the small cosy tavern that would be their bed for the night. Pretty soon they would be at Aunt Ellever's house.
Julen was quieter though. He'd been back to his upbeat self ever since they had arrived in the Maiden Lands, but the similarity of Maiden's Tower to Patina had reminded him of what had happened back there. The memory of which filled him with a sense of dread, and a hungry, aching feeling inside his stomach. He pulled his neckerchief up to cover his mouth, and thought to himself how good it was that they were arriving under the cover of darkness. The fear that he would be recognised and apprehended for his crime almost disturbing him as much as the vision of it ingrained on his memory. The sword piercing his assailant's heart. A sword that still hung by his side as he conjured these visions.
It also occurred to him for the first time since the event just how able Eldskeep had been with a sword. Up until that point he'd just assumed that all Eldskeep's tales were sprinkled with bluster. Especially given his paunchy figure. That he was a blowhard, though a likeable one. Box and Goola still thought this for sure. However, his actions in the heat of the moment were surprisingly impressive. In all the time since the grim event he'd barely thought about the part Eldskeep had played. So focused was he on his own grisly actions. If Eldskeep hadn't dealt so ably with the other two men, they would've surely both been murdered, or at least violently robbed, he thought. This realisation instantly made him feel a little better. "They were the attackers. We were just defending ourselves. It was three against two." He loosened up a bit, and though it didn't quite allay his guilty aches and fears, it allowed him to put those thoughts further back in his mind. He also felt a touch of sadness that Eldskeep would be parting ways with them once they'd reached Aunt Ellever's house - heading off further into the Maiden Land countryside for some other blustering reason. The strange, but larger-than-life person, that he'd gone through the experience with would be gone, and he'd just be alone. Carrying the secret with him, on his own more slender shoulders. He looked at Box and envied her buoyant innocence.
"Where's the tower??" she quizzed, still looking eagerly around to spot it.
Eldskeep sensed another opportunity to share his worldly wisdom. "The tower ..the actual maiden's tower?" came his reply, with a touch of incredulity.
"Yeah, the tower! Where is it?"
"..There isn't one."
"Not a great name then, is it," noted Julen, beginning to inspect the skyline himself.
"It's a very old name," illuminated Eldskeep, now it full raconteur mode, "It's said that a very long time ago. A very, very long time ago. In the time even before written record began. When the mainland used to rule this area as a fiefdom - or so it's said. There was a huge stone tower next to the harbour, where the beautiful girls of the Maiden Lands would be imprisoned, before being shipped as slaves across to the mainland. The tower, they say, was destroyed and smashed to pieces by the inhabitants, who rebelled, and who, ever since, have never been slaves again ..though they do get leaned upon from time to time."
"So no tower then."
"No tower. Hence it may be worth looking for a place to stay instead."
The interesting tale slightly made up for the lack of a tower, and Box imagined the scene in her mind as they wandered on. Talk then turned to how many more days travel it would be before they reached Aunt Ellever's house, in the not-too-far-off Maiden Land countryside. The lush verdure of the city already making them feel halfway there. The patches of grass and the dotted trees between the shops and public houses, some heavy with fruit which they couldn't quite identify in the darkness. The flower baskets and window boxes, spilling over with colourful petals. This all framed an impressive canal, that cut through the heart of the city. Its slow running water barely visible in the evening dimness, with it's reflection only flickering into view under the street lamps, or from the low light of a window or opened door. As Julen tagged along, behind the other three, he felt as a sudden sense of being watched as they tracked along the water. He moved his hand to his sword and turned around to take a glancing panoramic view. High above, on a flat rooftop he saw some familiar eyes looking down at him. A woman, shrouded. Her silhouette barely apparent against the blackness. As he looked she instantly dropped to the rooftop floor and disappeared from view. Julen kept looking as he walked, but she was gone. He said nothing to the others, as they headed to the small cosy tavern that would be their bed for the night. Pretty soon they would be at Aunt Ellever's house.
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