Keithson Family/Paul/Maeror
As Paul is about to leave his office for the night, he's stopped by a messenger.
Breathing hard, the messenger salutes and hands over Paul's housekeeper's report.
Quickly scanning it, Paul murmers to himself something about being too old for kids.
"Alright..." Paul begins, "Go back to my house. Tell Hans to keep the kid out of trouble until I get there... I'm heading to Oligarch City now, I'll be there by tomorrow night."
The messenger salutes again and runs off to find a fresh horse.
Paul turns to his Senior Caravan driver;
"A kid was just dropped off at my house!" Paul said, with a small laugh.
Patting the man on his back, Paul leads the small group toward the main gate and the road towards Bruck - and then towards Oligarch.
Paul closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the scene that had awaited him when he got to his house;
When he'd opened the door, his servant had presented him with his "surprise" guest: a young boy, certainly not older then 9 years old. Pulling the old man aside, Paul had asked how and why the boy was here.
"Sir, I heard a knock on the door about two nights past, (you where in Perdan City at the time, so I didn't think that it was you come back so soon) so I went to get it; it might have been Prime Minister Lysander himself! It wouldn't do to leave him out in the cold, so I open the door and I see this thing covered with a blanket. Surprised, and I'll admit: a little curious; I picked it up and brought it inside; (Yes, I checked for explosives first!)"
At about that point, Paul had raised his hand up to stop the rambling.
"Where did the boy come from and why is he here?" Paul demanded in a lower voice.
"I was just getting to that master! You see, I'm an old man..."
With that, Paul thought, somewhat unkindly, 'Yes, you are. An old man who can't get to the damned point!'
"...and then I woke up and the blanket was just lying there! I did hear a noise in the kitchen, so me being the curious man I am, I went in and found this boy in there eating our bread!"
"Yes... okay, so, you brought the thing in, fell asleep and now there's a child in my house." Paul said matter of factly.
Sighing inside, Paul turned to the young boy.
"Where are your parents?"
The boy thought for a second and shrugged.
"Don't you think your parents will be wondering where you are?"
The boy thought and again and then shook his head 'no'.
Paul closed his eyes and wondered why in the name of Tom this boy wasn't talking. Hopefully, he understood what was being asked of him. 'Great, it would be just my luck to have a mute child show up on my doorstep.'
"And why aren't they wondering where you are?"
This time that boy looked a little unsure of himself.
"Be-because he told me that I would be safe here... and that I should stay here and you will be my new father."
The dictation of the words was interesting. Most certainly foriegn, (the tiniest hint of an accent could be heard) and most certainly educated. This child was noble-born!
A love child? A drunken night with a peasant girl? No, the boy looked at ease with himself, most definately he hadn't been raised by peasants.
"Who... is your father?" Paul hesitantly asked.
The boy had smiled brightly;
"You!"
With that scene fading out in his head, Paul glanced over at the boy talking excitedly to the Sergent of Paul's unit. The boy wanted to know why the man had both a sword and a bow, but as with all children, the questions hadn't ended there.
Paul house servant was standing next to his master;
"Sir, you're planning on taking him with you?" the old man asked in a low voice.
Paul thought for a couple of seconds;
"Yes, that is indeed what I'm planning. If he is noble-born, he'll need some war expirence. If he is of lower status, he'll need war expirence even more..."
*A messenger from Hireshmont arrives in Oligarch city, and comes looking for Paul. He finds him in the courtyard behind his home in Oligarch city, gazing at a boy with a look of utter bafflement*
"Sir? A message from Hireshmont, m'lord Paul."
*The messenger takes a closer look at the boy, and smiles a bit*
"He's a good kid..." he mumbles, almost inaudibly.
*The boy looks at the messenger, puzzled for a few moments. Then his face goes blank, and he quickly looks away*
"Perhaps we could... go inside?" request's Hireshmont's messenger nervously, praying that the boy didnt recognize him or, if he did, remember's Hireshmont's strict instructions.
"Certainly..." Paul said slowly, noting the odd way the messenger looked at the boy.
As they start to go inside, the boy looks up expectently at Paul.
"Stay there and play with your toys, I'll be out in a minute." Paul told the boy.
Once inside, Paul turns to the messenger, waiting for Hireshmont's message...
*The messenger enters the house behind Paul*
"Hireshmont wants me to tell you that, the next time he is at leisure in Oligarch city, if that ever happens, he would like to meet with you and," the messenger's eyes drift to the boy, almost unnoticably, "Discuss a few things, he didnt tell me exactly what."
*Seemingly overwhelmed by curiosity, the messenger speaks without waiting for a response*
"Lord Paul, have you... become a father? Well, that is to say, an actual father in the paternal sense of the word, not merely in the sense of fathering a child." here the messenger smirks a bit.
Following the messenger's glance to the end, Paul caught the side of the palace of Oligarch. 'He must have a message that needs to be delivered to Lysander...' Paul thought.
"Well... my," Paul hesitated for a split second, "charge is of noble born... he isn't diesesed and speaks with the hint of education... so until I can figure out the boy's natural parents, I guess he is my son."
The answer seems to satisfy the messenger and when Paul agrees to meet with Hireshmont, the messenger nods and heads back to his horse, leaving Paul standing in his house watching his "son".
*Rides to Paul's house, dismounts in front of it, and passes the reigns of his horse to one of Paul's servants. Hireshmont is recognized, he's been ehre plenty of times before*
*knocks on Paul's door*
*Paul's butler opens it*
"Ah, sir Hireshmont. Lord Paul has been waiting for you." the butler waves Hireshmont in.
Hireshmont is still somewhat dirty from the, admittedly very brief, excursion out to Greatbridge where he was wounded. He had a very minimalist field bath, and had changed since healing, but little else. He hadnt even visited his rooms at the WCC complex yet.
*Walks into the house, making sure not to track much mud or dirt onto the floor*
"Hello! Da-, I mean, sir!" greets Maeror Mesor. He recognized his father, and is glad to see him, but tries to conceal him. Hireshmont can barely restrain himself from picking up his son and hugging him, and stares for several moments at him.
"Hello," greets Hireshmont.
*Turns to the butler*
"I... wasnt aware that Paul had a son, legitamately at least," Hireshmont finishes just as he hears Paul coming down the hallway towards the room...
Hearing Hireshmont arrive, Paul wanders into his main room just in time to hear Hireshmont asking about his new-found son.
"Maeror Mesor, why don't you take Hans and pratice your swordskills? I need to talk to Hireshmont in private." Paul said, smiling at the boy.
"Yes Father." Maeror Mesor said and headed to the back of the house.
Paul waited until the boy was out of the room before telling Hireshmont how the boy came to live with him.
"...so he was obviously educated. He also seemed slightly foriegn, (I mean, I can barely pronounce his name! He had to correct me the first ten times)... and he definately didn't have the ignorance-inspired awe that the peasants have. So, he's noble-born... and I did't know what else to do but take him in. At lest until I can figure out who his parents are." Paul finished, rubbing his forehead and pouring a drink.
"Oh, one more thing: have your sources mentioned how many infiltrators our enemies have? Something's come up in the council and we could use whatever information you could come up with... but the army's moving out to Bruck during the evening. I've got to make my contribution, so I'm going to need to leave in an hour or so." Paul said, staring into his drink.
"But you didn't come here to hear me ramble, did you? No, I didn't think so." Paul smiled wanely at Hireshmont, handing him a drink as well. "Why did you come?"
Listening to what Paul asks, Hireshmont thinks for a few moments.
"I'll check on that, Paul. I'll try and get you answers within 24 hours, thats the best I can do."
Drifting into thought for a few moments, a slightly glazed-over expression crosses Hireshmont's face. Then he snaps out of it, and comes back to the present.
"Yes, about what I came for," Hireshmont sips the win thoughtfully, making sure no one is listening.
"We spoke a while back of our ideas about the formation of that political party, if you remember? I was wondering if perhaps, now that we will be campaigning alongside each other for a few days most likely, we could continue the discussion?"
Hireshmont nods towards the door Maeror Mesor left through, "Also, good luck on finding out about his history. For me to find out about mine took a miracle, and a change of heart on my father's part..." Hireshmont drifts off into silence.
Paul thinks for a moment before sighing again.
"The people have other heros'... I'm not as recongized as before... however, maybe if I fight in a big battle and help our forces win, I can gain enough recongition to challenge Lysander for his position..."
Paul stares morosely into his drink, swirling it a little in the glass.
"The boy... well, I'm sure I can find his parents. As a matter of fact, I already have a suspicion as to who they might be..."
Paul trails off, taking the last swallow of his drink.
*Conversation gradually drifts back towards Maeror Mesor, and to family issues in general*
"I myself have been doing some research into my family. I dont believe I've ever really told you about myself, my friend. I am illegitimate, but was later claimed after being sent into exile and recruited as a priest," smirks a bit, "Yes, I was an illegitmate noble-priest who became a Prophet and was later exiled a second time and stripped of nobility! Then I came here, and am obviously nobility."
"Well, it gets stranger, I have discovered. My mother was from a snowy land called Lower Tell, in the far reaches of Atamara. That land is ruled over by a realm known as the Barony of Makar. Now, my family's home is originally in Moramroth, nerby in Norland, but has since been moved to Icegate, also in the good Barony. But here's where it gets stranger: My mother had a younger cousin whom she HATED named Hurelian, or "Hu" for short, she said he eventually changed his name to Hu. WHy did she hate Hu? Well..."
*Hireshmont takes a deep breath before continuing*
"Apparently, Hu's mother(my mother's sister-in-law) had a brother who tried to rape my mother. Thus, the Lightning Strikes of the good Barony and the Vellos' from my mother, Hridrion, myself, and Hanajan all have an ancestral hate of them. Odd, eh?"
*Hireshmont sits up as a belltower tolls in the distance*
"Ah, I must be going! We march out to Oberndorf! I will see you there, my friend!"
*Hireshmont leaves the house, mounts his horse, and heads towards Oberndorf...*
Hireshmont's tale about his family brought back Paul's own memories of his family... his controlling mother who may, or may not of had his father killed for money, his younger brothers... one of whom is now Duke on Beluaterra and the other who is doing a remarkable job of running the Keithson household... and his young nephew who is making the Keithson mark on Atamara.
Sighing and thinking about his family history, Paul's eyes wander over to Maeror Mesor putting on his small set of leather armour, (afterall, if he's going to be on the front lines, he'll need protection)
"The second generation of Keithson's..." Paul murmered.
An hour later when the horses where saddled, the baggage trains loaded up and the men headed toward Oberndorf, Paul's horse is saddled and the Banker leads the formation heading to Oberndorf. Maeror Mesor rides Paul's horse, with Paul's arms lightly holding him steady.
Upon the fall of Oligarch, Paul and Maeror are reunited with Hireshmont - albeit briefly. The tournament in Sirion sees the strain of Paul and Maeror's relationship, and it begins to fall apart. Hireshmont and Maeror begin to see more and more of each other... and tragidy strikes: Maeror challenges Hireshmont to a duel to the death over his "abandonment". Hireshmont, his honour being slighted by his own son, agrees, and cuts him down.
Paul, stricken to see the young man he came to know as his son, cut down by his best friend whiel he was on the other side of the realm, races to Fontan City to find out the details. What he finds, startles, amazes, and shocks him: apparently, during the Elven tournament, some herbs where slipped into Hireshmont's food and drink. These herbs are strong, even by Elven standards, and when Paul expirements with them, winds up killing a monk of Akesh Temple.
Shocked by the cover-up done by the Elven Horde at the death of his son, by the hands of his best friend, Paul launches a one man campaim to rid the world of the Elven "un-naturalness". His campain is called Nobles Against The Un-natural, or NATU for short.
