Faron had not been on the road for more than half a day, trudging through his heavy thoughts and massive piles of snow alike as he wordlessly crunched and clanked his way where he thought the road was at. He’d forgotten about the baby in his arms, or rather more accurately, forgot that babies need to eat more often than knights used to being starved. The crying of the baby wasn’t unexpected, although it still startled Faron tremendously. The unicorn that trailed behind Faron glared him down as he tried to shush the babe in his arms.
“Well! How am I supposed to know what to feed a newborn when there ARE no people left in this godsforsaken land! With Burgestede destroyed, it might as well have been a death sentence for any smaller settlement, inside the kingdom and in the greater area; what with the supply and trade routes being decimated! What luck, I’m the last man standing in this living hell!” He cried over the crying baby, jumping as the sound of his own voice startled him.
“Oh, what I’ll do when I finally track Him down! Oh, he’ll pay for all the trouble he’s put me through nearly my whole life, all right! Let alone for what he did to the entire region!” Faron muttered, steaming as he stomped through the untouched snow. In fact, Faron was so mad for so long that he just now felt his exhaustion from his unending march quickly creeping up to drag him to his armored knees. “Oh, what good is it to make proper shelter for the night anyhow! I might as well just lay here and pray that nothing comes to gut me like a fish while I sleep!” he said as he couldn’t will his body to move any more than he already had.
Carefully wrapping the infant close to his chest, Faron fell asleep right in the road, part of him hoping that the Gods would take pity on him and not let him wake in the morning.
He was so exhausted, in fact, that he fell asleep as soon as he closed his weary eyes, and was for once in his life spared from his nightmares. That was, of course, until he was woken up with a jolt.
“Agh!” Faron cried out as he realized that he was buried in snow, and the ground was rumbling with the impact of several horses heading right toward his way. Barely able to unearth himself, the infant and it’s unicorn twin in time, Faron grabbed the foal and rolled out of the way just as he would’ve gotten run over by the carriage driving past. “Hey!” Faron furiously cried out, shaking his occupied fist at the driver. “You nearly killed us!” he continued, now standing up to see the carriage driving on by without stopping.
“Please! Turn back around! I-we-need desperate help! Burgestede’s been absolutely decimated, as far as I can tell this baby, foal, and myself are the only survivors! They’ll die without help!” He cried out as he ran after the carriage, which abruptly came to a stop.
“Burgestede has been destroyed, you say? My… that is quite the problem then,” said the driver, a short but finely dressed old man who peered down at Faron and co. through half circle glasses that rested decently far down his nose.
Cold, grey-ish lavender eyes met Faron’s deep purple ones that were filled with so much desperation that it seemed to even melt the old man’s icy stare. “My master will not mind if you ride in his carriage, foal included, I suppose. It is empty inside, do climb in before you freeze to death, Sir,” The old man said, opting not to open the door for the weary knight. “And how do I know I can trust you?” Faron asked as he hesitated to open the door himself, to which the old man simply raised an eyebrow at him. “That is the question, is it not?” he said dryly, the corners of his thin mouth upturned ever so slightly as he finished speaking.
Sighing, Faron shook his head. “Do you know anything about taking care of a baby? Anything at all?” he asked, causing the old man to frown. “Sir, with all due respect, I am a butler, not a nanny,” he said, pausing for a moment as he watched Faron reach for the handle again. “However I at the very least know how to keep an infant alive,” he said, giving Faron another cold look as the latter carried both babies into the carriage and shut the door.
“I was traveling on behalf of my late master, who just passed away naught but a few weeks ago. He had no heir or next of kin, and so his estate, and everything in it fell to my shoulders. I had planned on running most of his possessions through an auctioneer, who I was en route of enlisting help evaluating his estate,” the old man said, causing Faron to frown. “More death,” Faron muttered with tears welling up in his eyes, causing the old man to blink in shock at for a moment or so.
“Shall I strike a deal with you, Sir? I give you the estate and everything in it, so long as you keep me employed. I am the only servant left, and assure you I take pride in my work. Despite appearances, I am still able bodied and sound of mind. I am far too old to try and compete with a younger butler for their position at an estate, so that is what I ask of you,”
“You mean you’ll help me — give me a free house — just as long as I don’t send you away?” Faron asked, absolutely bewildered. No one had ever been so kind to him before, save for his two friends who were now just dust in the wind. Tears rolling down Faron’s cheeks, he vigorously nodded. “You’ve got yourself a deal!” he said as he stepped into the carriage himself now, making himself comfortable as the soft seat felt like heaven to the weary knight.
It was only after a few hours of travel that Faron began to question just what sort of situation he'd gotten himself into. "Oh Gods, I really am trusting this old man with more than just my own life, aren't I? But what other choice did I have, anyway? Keep walking aimlessly until I fall over dead? And that's not to mention the baby!" Faron said to himself, shaking his head as reason returned to him. But as weary as the knight was now, he'd resigned himself to his fate, and was quickly lulled back into a deep sleep as he rested his head on the side of the carriage, the rocking of the vehicle proving too soothing to resist.
Faron had found himself in another carriage, this time a band of them decorated with all sorts of colorful banners and fabrics. There was a fire lit in the center of the wagon circle, with a number of people dancing and cheering around it. Faron found himself swaying to the music, and turned back to look at his mother, who wore a serious expression on her face. "You can't join them, you're too young," she said, scooting Faron back from the front of the wagon.
Suddenly, the music came to a violent stop, with the cheering quickly replaced by screams of fear. "Give us yer woman and children, lest ye have to pay like that whelp did who defied us!" barked a unfamiliar, harsh voice as more people scrambled into the wagon. "Stay still, stay silent," Faron's mother ordered, and as Faron did what he was told, a bandit forced his way into the wagon, nasty scimitar in hand as he leered at Faron's mother.
"Get away from my wife!" Cried Faron's father, who rushed forward to protect his love, but was met with nothing more than a fatal stab to the chest as the bandit roared with laughter. "I'll spare ya if you'll be my broad," the bandit said, offering her a wide, unsavory grin as Faron looked up from his hiding spot with tears running down his face.
"I'd rather die than bed another monster!" she spat, venom in her voice. "He sent you, didn't he?" she asked, and the bandit roared with anger unmatched as he slammed his weapon's cold steel against her throat, causing her to cough up blood in her final moments before he was successfully able to hack her head off of her neck, her head rolling right towards Faron, glassy and stained eyes staring into his own as Faron woke up screaming once again.
There was a tap on the window, causing Faron to jump from his seat. "Are you quite alright in there, Sir? Or has the monotony of this scenery done your sanity in?" The old man asked dryly, eyebrow arched as he spoke. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just the usual nightmare is all," Faron said, breathing heavily as the baby cried in his arms. "Whatever happens, little one, I refuse to leave you alone in this world. I will protect you better than my parents were able to protect me. That is why I became a knight, after all," he said, giving the infant a concerned look as he gently spoke.
"You will be pleased to know that we are approaching a settlement that is seemingly unaffected by this great calamity. We will stock up on supplies, and then it will be a few days more of travel before we arrive at my late master's estate," the old man said, prompting Faron to look out of the frosted window to discover that there was the hint of a civilization on the horizon. Smoke rose from a chimney, just barely visible from over the mountains of snow, and for the first time in ages, Faron felt some sliver of hope.
True to the butler’s word, it wasn’t long before they reached the small village, if one could even call it that. It’s run down homes were struggling against the harsh winter, with exposed roofs and door-less frames in many of the houses. The dirt streets covered with blackened snow and ice, and although the aesthetics were a far cry from his destroyed home; Faron thought he’d never seen a village more beautiful in his life.
As quick as Faron jumped out of his seat to grab the door, the old man was faster, and he opened the door with a bow. “Really, you don’t need to do that. I may be a knight, but I don’t care much for formalities,” he said, somewhat flustered as he took care to ensure the unicorn didn’t leave the carriage. “I don’t believe we’ve properly introduced ourselves yet? My name is Faron, Faron Garamonde, and the baby’s Laurence,” he said as he gave the butler an inquisitive look.
“Well met, Master Faron and Young Master Lawrence, I am Hertzan,” he said seriously, causing Faron to sigh. “I just said- Oh, never mind! Your first name?” he asked, causing the butler to look at him with raised brows and wide eyes.
“But Master Faron, it is only proper that I call you that, and that we are not to be on first name basis. I was under the impression that knights knew proper servant etiquette?” Hertzan said, causing Faron to bend down to get to the butler’s eye level. “I don’t give a damn about etiquette, you’re a human being just like the rest of us, and I will not have you think you are anything but my equal! Your first name!” Faron said sternly, causing the butler to shake his head in disbelief.
“Of all the masters I have served, you are by far the most unusual of them all, Sir… My given name is Adrian,” he said stiffly, lips pulled into a slight frown as he spoke. “Well Adrian! I have no money, nothing of value on my person save for my armor which I am unwilling to part with. Please tell me you’re able to buy supplies!” Faron cried, to which Adrian nodded. “Yes Sir, Do you wish to buy from the townsfolk, or shall I run your errand in your stead?” he asked, causing Faron to furrow his brows.
“I think I ought to stay here and guard the carriage, if you really don’t mind?” he said, looking at the old man with gratitude shining in his eyes.. “If I did not want to shop for your behalf, I would not have suggested such a thing,” he said, turning around and began walking off in a surprisingly quick pace.
Sighing, Faron leaned against the carriage, eyes focused on the horizon in hopes to see something of note, however the sun was quickly setting now, causing Faron to gently set baby Lawrence in the carriage bench, unicorn twin keeping a watchful eye on the child as Faron shut the door with a feeling of creeping dread. He had but a few tense moments before he heard rustling coming from a nearby evergreen bush. “A sign of life!” Faron thought with glee as he crept over to take a look at whatever survived the decimation of his homeland. Parting the bushes with a surprising amount of stealth, he leaned in only to recoil seconds later.
It was an even more ragged looking Corvo than before, looking up with eyes pressed, almost bulging against the glass of his plague doctor mask. “YOU!” Faron screamed, picking up his nemesis by his fat neck, using every ounce of willpower to not choke him then and there. “Ack! Take it easy, Sir Stupid!” he whined, causing Faron to tighten his grip in absolute horror. Some of the mask had been torn off, leaving scales and burnt patches of flesh on display, but the seam of the mask! Oh Gods, it opened like a beak, but with crooked and yellowed human teeth stretched out to the end of the mask. Corvo’s hood fell back to show that he’d grown spines instead of hair, and his now webbed and clawed hands grasped at Faron’s in an attempt to get him to let go.
“GODS!” Faron screamed, trembling as Corvo gave an unnerving laugh. “Like the new me?” he asked cheekily, causing Faron to give a look of great disgust. “You’re as much of a monster on the outside as you are on the inside now, you bastard! What do you have to say for yourself? You best make this count, I won’t hesitate to hand deliver your corpse to hell!” Faron screeched, adrenaline kicking in as he tried to avoid looking at Corvo’s mouth.
“Look, I don’t exactly have the time to be having this conversation, I’m not the only mouth I have to feed now and they’re aft-! Ghuh!“ Corvo choked as Faron was about to wring his neck, although he stopped to give Corvo a distrustful look. “Oh, you think I’m going to fall for this? I demand answers before you atone for your sins!” Faron spat, eyes burning with vengeance as a tiny cough came from underneath Corvo’s robe. “Papa?” the small voice called out, squeaking with fear.
“You have a CHILD?!” Faron cried out, dropping Corvo to scoop up the poor kid, though this one too was in even worse condition than Corvo was, somehow. Wearing rags over her eyes, and only having patches of long, tangled hair, the toddler turned her head in the direction of Faron’s voice. “Dear Gods! I’ll save you, little one!” Faron cried as he untied the eye rags, although the sight was enough to make Faron vomit on the spot. Empty eye sockets stared at Faron, who quickly tied the rags back over her face.
“What in the God’s names have you DONE?!” Faron roared, drawing his sword as Corvo anxiously twiddled his hands together. “I TOLD you! There’s no time. If you want your answers so badly, you have to protect me from them,” Corvo spat, just in time for Adrian to walk back with hands more than full of supplies. “My word, What did I miss, Master Faron?” he asked, seemingly more upset he missed out on gossip than anything else.
“FINE! But you’ll be my prisoner until it’s time to serve justice. Try to escape and I’ll make sure you’ll regret even thinking about it,” Faron hissed as he all but threw Corvo into the carriage, making sure the masked menace was far enough away from his own baby. “Adrian, start driving as soon as you load up the carriage,” Faron barked as he slid into the carriage himself, making himself as small as possible to fit in with all the other items and passengers. “Gods,” Faron muttered as he shifted uncomfortably. “This is going to be one hell of a trip.” he said as he forced himself to look across the cramped carriage and into his enemy’s eyes.
“So. Why did you destroy Burgestede? How did you end up like…That… and where did you get a damn child to ruin their life too?!” Faron snapped, causing Corvo to wince. “Take it easy, Sir Stupid! Eesh, I can’t answer more than one question at a time!” Corvo whined, and it was all Faron could do but resist punching his side of the carriage as he narrowed his eyes into slits, visibly steaming as if he’d already heard his answer already. “Why’d I destroy it? Hah, simple. We were paid to! You know, this is exactly why I call you Sir Stupid, you’re too dense to even think of a quarter of the solutions, ever,” Corvo sneered, pausing to cackle at how furious Faron was before he regained some of his composure.
“Oh, you should get a LOOK at your FACE! Ha ha! Classic. Anyway, the plan was—! Hey, hold on, just why am I telling you any of this again?” He asked, causing Faron to huff in response. “Either you talk, or I do unspeakable things in the name of justice. Your choice,” he hissed, causing Corvo to raise his hands up in the air in false surrender. “FINE! Can’t be having you besmirch your…””good””… name now, can we?” Corvo sneered with a roll of his eyes, and good Gods, were they mushed up against the glass of his mask? Just looking at Corvo rolling his eyes made Faron feel sick to his stomach. “Wretched creature! What an eyesore, who knew that bastard could get that much uglier!” he thought as he bit his tongue. Answers were more important than his feelings at the present, or else Faron wouldn’t be able to resist cutting into Corvo with every word and blade he had at his disposal.
“Well?!” Faron hissed as he put his not baby carrying hand on his sword’s hilt, giving Corvo a final, nonverbal warning. “Yeah. Dolum and I were paid to do it, that’s all. I mean I didn’t have any personal feelings, I just wanted the money to, oh, you know…escape from poverty!”
He said, snickering all the while. “And?” Faron said coldly, opening his mouth to speak once again. “Have you considered how much you could’ve saved by, Oh, I don’t know, not leading a life of petty crime and being a menace to society?” Faron snapped back in reply, taking his turn to roll his eyes now. “Oh! Sir stupid’s figured out how to roll his pretty little eyes now! What next? Are you going to grow one lone braincell and think for a small — but painful little moment — about why I did what I did?” Corvo said, lips pursed in a freakish little grin as he stared at Faron.
But before Faron could retort, Corvo opened his mouth again to make an eerily accurate impression of the knight. “Godsdamn it Corvo! YOU belong in a cell!” With that, came the slam of Faron’s fist down against the side of the carriage door. “DAMN IT!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP THAT GODSDAMNED MIMICRY!” he shouted, causing the the two children to start loudly bawling and screaming, and the mysterious unicorn just gave Faron a judgmental stare all the while. More snickering from Corvo for a moment before he got a word in edgewise. “Aww, how sweet, you just stole a child, and it’s already taking after your little temper tantrums!” he said in a mocking sort of manner, before turning his attention back toward his own child beside him. “Shhh, it’s okay Mari, Sir Stupid over there likes being a loud idiot, don’t let it get to you, okay?”
To which Faron stomped his armored boot against the floorboards. “Oh, you are NOT about to be a better father than I am!” he huffed, only for both Corvo and Mari to snicker. “Tee hee, Papa! You’re so right, I love you!” the little girl said, her giggling only growing stronger as little baby Lawrence spat up the small amount of mushrooms he was able to force down the baby’s mouth all over Faron’s prized cape. With a huff, Faron poked his head out of the carriage window. “Adrian? How much longer do we have to go?” he asked with an air of desperation around him that only worsened when he was curtly told they still had at least a day’s journey ahead of them.
