Serpentis Family/Erik Eyolf/A Tavern
Some nights ago...
Parm. A good place to visit. Lands of a friend. Erik had changed of horses in Dolmbar. The new ones ran like the wind, leading them into the night. To Gormok, find a person was a ridiculously simple work. This was a lot of his work under the Judge's orders. Many people trembled when they hear his name. His word had the authority of a Duke to the ordinary people. Before he served the Law. Now he served only the orders of an eccentric and powerful Duke. That made Gormok potentially dangerous.
Erik watched the agressive approach, imperative upon his white horse in a dark street. A squire was rolling in agony while Gormok had immobilized the second, squeezing his face against the stone wall. The broken nose was bleeding and his mouth twitched to reveal all he knew. A lot of stupid theories but some valuable information. Gormok hit the young squire's head against the wall, making him to dive into the darkness of unconsciousness. He returned to his master.
Gormok Auserwählt: "They are in a tavern. The Swordmaster. You need a sword to enter..."
Erik Eyolf: "I have a Legion."
They rode to the tavern. Gormok obviously knew how to get there. He had gone there years ago to smash some noses in early investigations. When they arrived and Erik was recognized, there was some embarrassment silent. He was a sword master. Probably one of the best duelists of Sirion. A Duke should not be in an ordinary place. But the silence didn't last and the triumph echoed from every throat. Every old soldier shouted and saluted the elf who had marched in more than a thousand battles. There, Erik was a God of War. And this obviously destroyed any hope of staying anonymous. Gormok pushed some exalted drunk soldiers who tried to approach, but his master didn't spare himself to shake some hands in the legionnaire way. They pushed their way while the employees prepared a place of honor to accommodate the triumphant commander.
From his high place, Erik was quick to recognize the faces he sought. His daughter and her mother. He wanted to be silent, but he realized that his triumphal arrival was very timely. Now the soldiers shouted and sang some war hymns, completely intoxicated with the sudden presence of a deity among them. This situation completely impossible their victims to communicate directly. The elf gave his swords and Gormok took an old shield that was in the old wall, crossing there The Silver Dragon' swords. The same swords that had won duels and annihilated countless enemies. Erik took the cup of wine that a young woman had served and raised himself, raising the cup over his head. It was time to dominate the crowd and quiet them.
Erik Eyolf: "Old soldiers of Sirion, I salute you. Another enemy was eliminated under our swords! We won the Great and Long War. We won against Fontan, now with our foot on their throat. The Sultanante is no more. Ruins. And a lot of bodies under the red sun. To the same crows and wolves they fed. We won against Perdan and Westmoor and now they are calm, one making his own war to the west. Never again against the north. Never again against the dragons! We teach them a lesson or two. And Oligarch is just waiting. Don't be afraid of times of peace. Today we celebrate. Today I will pay you to drink and to receive a warm woman. Today I close this doors to turn this place in my sacred halls. Drink with me.Celebrate with me. Because in the near future, I will claim your sons! I will turn them in true soldiers to fight for Sirion! Not to defend your lands, but to bring war against our enemies! For the glory of our great past and to the known world recognizes us as the sovereign dragons flying against those who raise or raised swords against us. Now, they know we are not a sleeping dragon used to make peace. We make war. We won wars. We are a realm of heroes. Drink under my wings, in the future your sons will fight under my oath. To the victory!"
Crowd: "To the victory!"
The crowd yells. Wine and beer began to be served in a burst of enthusiasm. The truth is that the show was not an excellence. Old infantrymen who received retirement for time of service or by disabling injuries were a pitiful sight. Amputees. Marked with brutal scars. Drunk. Gamblers. Addicts. All of them mixed with a stream of young soldiers returning from the last battles to narrate all sorts of war horrors or to boast about their spoils from the devasted Sultan' lands.
That was not the kind of place he hoped for an important meeting like that, but was not him who has chose the scenario. Erik held his cup lifted for a moment as he looked to Lady Marion and then to her daughter. They seemed to be the only nobles and it was obvious that they shouldn't belong to that picture as well. The look of the elf was an invitation and an also a silent imposition. He need to talk with them, then they should go higher until the noble with more hierarchical power as his guests. They should be at his table, away from the filth of the soldiers and commoners. When Erik sat down, Gormok made the order be obeyed.
The Right Hand marched and pulled out a wooden club from his belt, beating the drunk soldier in his way, pushing them back to their chairs. The Silver Dragon could be generous, but he also emphasized the order. His hound dog was a hard disciplinarian. He marched to find Lady Marion, allowing her to finally see the monstrous man that her Captain had reported. And despite being only a servant, she felt the weight of a judgment in his eyes. Even being just a reservoir dog, he seemed to reflect some dark judgements of the elf he served.
Gormok Auserwählt: "Lady Marion, my Lord want to talk wth you... and your daughter. You must sit with him in his table as his guest. Then you can talk here or in another place, but you must seat wiht him now. This situation already crossed the line. My master want to solve it now..."
The impetuous man opened his way back pushing the soldiers with his shoulders as if they were just manure bales. Erik prepared his long pipe, leaving the smell of pure herbs invade the tavern. He patiently waited his guest to assume the chairs already waiting for them.
