Serpentis Family/Erik Eyolf/Captain Karl - Impetuous Sword of Elune's Wrath - Part II
The Tale
Erik Eyolf Serpentis gathered the soldiers around the bonfire. They were in Csopa, close to the small forest in the border of Sermbar. A wild place where the wind scared the incautious ones with dragon roars. Where the hunters hunted at day, but just warriors had enough courage to stop for some instants and rest. With some Stormwalkers the scouts had a lot of work to hunt some hares and a wild boar. The wine was ending, but on that night they would drink to commemorate. The monster deformed head was in Captain Karl's spear. The great warrior was still dirty with the creature's blood. Another baptism of fire. Erik ignored the bard. On that night the Judge of Sirion would talk personally about a friend:
Erik Eyolf: "A long time ago, in Slimbar. Home of Viktoria Serpentis and Einar Arthursen, my grandmother and grandfather. I don't reduce my grandfather's good honor, but everyone know that my grandmother had all the blessings of Elune. A queen among the women. A Priestess of the Goddess. And there is not any shame in inheriting of her the maternal name. Inherited the name of the great ancestral of my family. I was just a boy when she brought Karl, blacksmiths' son. Starving and dirty. She told me to respect him as a brother. But he was just a commoner. How could I respect him as a brother?
When my uncle Nesrah was still an Immortal, he brought presents. He pleased me with silver bracelets. The only present that he gave to Karl was an old sword that he had usurped of an abated enemy. I inherited an Immortal sword. Karl inherited the sword of one vagabond without name. I learned to read and write in a lot of languages. Karl learned to hunt and followed his father's steps in the art of weapon smith. We were just children. And I could not see him as a brother.
Until that day. Nesrah was no longer an Immortal. The old man was being fat, lazy and had already faced punishments of Judge Alexander several times for robbing food of Fontan in times of peace. In my parents' absence, Nesrah threw us in a coach and took us to Rollbar. In spite of his estates in Dolmbar, the greedy old-fat man had a small property in Rollbar, a farm of herbs legalized by a peculiar nobleman. Lord Adrian, if my memory be not deceived. It was the first time that I saw a woman's nude breasts. And the first time that I felt blood in my lips. Numb, Nesrah wanted to discover if I deserved to inherit the Eyolf name (a name that his ancestry didn't deserve). If I had wolf eyes, he said, I should fight like one. And my victim would be Karl. A starving dog.
For my uncle's drunk amusement, we struggled. Not with swords, but with the fists... with punches and kicks. Like animals, we scratched and bit. And I discovered that my refined education didn't transform me in a wolf before the starving dog. In any way, any hate and resentment that we had for each other died on that night. Mainly when Viktoria's rage made the sky shake with thunders. Wounded and embarrassed, we went to my parents' house in Sirion City. Our punishment would come, but it would not be anything compared with the punishment of Nesrah.
After that day we became friends. Brothers. My father, Sir Aerandir Naeskyin, began to teach us the art of swords. When we got to flee, we ran to Sirion River to fish and when we get to deceive the guards in the bridge, we went to Trinbar to drink beer in the taverns. We enjoyed good times of our childhoods. But the responsibilities came. I was sent to the academies and my father got that Karl was sent to Sirion Templars, in Sir Temple. Our adult life was beginning. And the past was back.
And then, after some years I finally traveled to Dolmbar and assumed my uncle's estates. The old-fat Nesrah, tired of the life that he had, simply disappeared. My relatives certainly know where he is, but I never had any interest in seeking him. In the old property I found some documents. At least the documents that he didn't get to burn before abandoning the house. I needed soldiers and received news of Karl regularly. An excellent soldier. Probably the best that the tutors trained in Sir Temple. He defeated men with the fists and was extraordinary with the sword. In his final proof he had hunted and defeated alone a group of monsters in Lissambar. Horns, fangs and claws were the reward and the proof of his victory. I didn't want nothing less than the best infantry of Sirion and some Sirion Templars has just arrived. They were my victims. And who was the Captain? Karl... my brother."
Erik Eyolf: "Edward, Olaf, Iratherl, Arturu and Heydrek. The veterans that we have here, with scars and battle deformities. How many times did Karl save your lifes? How many times our Captain assumed the Stormwalkers and lead you to victory when the enemy arrows hurt me? My brother, the greatest hero of Sirion. He doesn't have nobility titles, but who in Sirion will say that he is not our best warrior? Us that struggled in practically all the battles. That led armies! We would not be anything without our captain's sword."
Karl heard everything. The bard. The Judge of Sirion. The Stormwalker's clamors. Victorious with the spear and his prize. Erik had a good sip of wine to clean the throat and removed the silver serpent-shaped bracelet of his right arm.
Erik Eyolf: "Do you remember this bracelet, my brother?"
Captain Karl's first speech: "Yes... I remind. The present of Nesrah."
Erik Eyolf: "The monster destroyed your bracelet. You won the deserved prize. Now, receive my prize."
Karl removed the bracelet destroyed with some pain. The fist was hurt and bled. Erik caught the cape and cleaned the blood of his brother's arm. Carefully, the Judge of Sirion the new prize in his brother's arm. The sixteenth medal. A moment of honor and gratitude. The Stormwalkers screamed and commemorated with wine and victory exclamations. Karl, the best captain of Sirion, smiled. And like brothers, the warriors hugged each other. The bonfire would still some hours. But that moment would be for the eternity. And somewhere in Sirion forests, Elune smiled to her best and more dedicated children.
