SJ turned to look at Zigferd. Darren’s eyes were wide with shock, fear and panic. His casual humour and banter from the day disappeared in an instant. Darren slowly turned to look around at the huge man.
As Darren replied, his voice cracked, sounding rather squeaky, “What would you like to talk about?” he asked.
“You know exactly what I want to talk about!” Zigferd said in a very calm but serious tone. His tone was so flat that it even made SJ feel nervous. She had never seen him like this before. “Come with me,” he finished, not removing his hand from Darren’s shoulder.
Darren gulped as without question he allowed Zigferd to direct him. SJ was as shocked by the sudden appearance of Zigferd as Darren was and as Zigferd began to direct Darren off she spoke.
“I will join you,” SJ said.
Zigferd didn’t even turn and acknowledge SJ, “If you wish,” he replied.
Zigferd escorted Darren down a couple of streets until they came out near the lake opposite the docks. SJ had been here once before with Setu when they had travelled over from the docks back to town when it had been quarantined. The houses along this stretch were much larger than the ones in the town centre. Approaching one of the houses, Zigferd eventually took his hand from Darren’s shoulder and directed him to go up the path. Zigferd then followed and, stepping by him, took out a key, opened the front door, and let him in.
The house was a two-storey building with a front garden that was slightly overgrown.
“Is this yours?” SJ asked, never having been to Zigferd’s home.
“Yes,” Zigferd replied. “In here,” he said, directing them into a lounge area at the front of the property. The room was sparsely furnished. It contained a sofa, a couple of armchairs, a small cluster of tables and a bookcase.
Darren was looking pale now.
“Sit,” Zigferd said.
Darren quickly moved and sat on the sofa. Zigferd taking one of the armchairs and dragging it so when he was sat down he was facing Darren.
“SJ. The kitchen is at the back. Would you mind getting some water?” Zigferd asked, not taking his eyes off Darren. Darren could not meet Zigferd’s eyes and he looked down.
Not wanting to leave the pair of them alone for long, SJ hurried down the hall into the kitchen, quickly grabbing some glasses and filling a pitcher of water before heading back. She hadn’t heard anything being said. Walking back in the room the tension in the air was palpable.
“Thank you,” Zigferd said. Taking a glass and pouring himself a drink. He took a deep drink before placing the glass down. SJ poured one for herself and sat in another armchair turning it slightly. She felt as though she was a referee between two prize-fighters.
The silence continued for a few minutes, nothing being said by either party, and Zigferd not dropping his gaze.
“Do you mind?” Darren asked his voice cracking and sounding dry as he grabbed a glass and poured himself some water. Drinking it deeply himself before nurturing the glass in his hands. Still not meeting Zigferd’s gaze.
SJ couldn’t take it any longer, her nerves beginning to feel frayed. “Are you two going to talk? Or just sit in silence?”
Darren glanced at SJ, a deep-set fear in his eyes. Zigferd’s gaze again didn’t flinch from Darren. Shifting in his chair slightly, making it squeak under his considerable weight, Zigferd sat back a little and took a slow, deliberate breath. “I believe you have asked Alice to marry you.”
The comment about marriage made Darren flinch, “I did,” he replied.
“Think very carefully before you answer this next question,” Zigferd said, still in a very calm and controlled tone. “Did you mean it?”
Darren sat upright, his eyes meeting Zigferd’s for the first time since arriving, and with a single word, he replied, “Yes.”
Zigferd took another long, deep, deliberate breath, closing his eyes as he did. Slowly exhaling he opened his eyes again. “I am guessing you have absolutely no idea about the dryad culture?”
Darren dropped his gaze again, “No,” he said meekly.
“You managed to put Alice in a very awkward position by asking her directly. It broke all the dryad’s protocols that are expected to be followed,” Zigferd replied.
“I am sorry. I was unaware until SJ informed me this morning,” Darren said.
SJ was struggling to read Zigferd, having never seen him in such a flat and controlled manner before.
“Do you realise what marriage means to a dryad?”
“I had assumed it would have the same meaning as marriage for anyone.”
“Once a dryad gets married, it is for life. There is no turning back. A broken marriage for a dryad means death.”
Darren’s eyes shot open in shock, “What do you mean death?”
“When a dryad weds, their soul is split. If a marriage fails, then the dryad will lose half of their soul, and most succumb to madness and eventually die,” Zigferd replied, his face completely neutral, showing no emotion.
“I had no idea?!” Darren replied.
“So, I will ask you one more time. Did you mean it?”
Darren again did not hesitate. “Yes, I did. I wouldn’t have asked her if I hadn’t,” he said adamantly.
Zigferd closed his eyes again and took another long breath. Pushing himself up from his chair, he stood and turned, leaving the room without saying a word. Darren and SJ glanced at each other. SJ shrugged, having no idea what was happening. Listening, they heard Zigferd climb the stairs. The pair sat in silence for several minutes, listening to Zigferd move about upstairs, opening and closing what sounded like a chest before he came back down the stairs and into the lounge area.
SJ and Darren were staring at Zigferd as he entered, carrying a short staff intricately decorated with leaves and a design resembling vines running its length. At the staff’s top was a claw-like grip holding a clear orb.
“You will need this,” Zigferd said flatly, handing the staff to Darren.
Darren reached out and took hold of the staff, it was only about three feet in length. Zigferd didn’t let go, and Darren’s eyes met Zigferd’s, now containing a look that SJ couldn’t describe. It wasn’t anger, and it wasn’t hatred. It was something much deeper and more meaningful than anything SJ had ever witnessed, ‘promise’.
“If you hurt her. I will kill you,” Zigferd said, releasing his grip on the staff and walking back out of the room.
With an uncertain look, Darren sat with his arm out, still holding the short staff. “What does this mean?”
“It means that Zigferd has granted him permission to ask Alice to marry officially,” Dave said, yawning.
“What?” SJ said.
Darren turned to look at SJ, confused. “Dave just said it means you have been given permission to ask Alice to marry you,” SJ said excitedly.
Darren’s face instantly went through several changing emotions before he shouted, “YES.” Jumping up from the seat.
“Now you just have to find her and ask her, offering her the staff. The staff offer means that her guardian, in this instance, has approved the proposal,” Dave said.
“You need to now go and ask Alice officially and present her with the staff,” SJ said, standing.
Darren turned and threw his arms around SJ hugging her, excitedly. The grin that had broken out on his face was contagious, and SJ couldn’t help but grin back.
“No time like the present,” he said, turning to leave. Hurrying from the house.
SJ walked from the lounge and saw Zigferd down in the kitchen with his back to her. SJ walked down the hallway towards him. “Zigferd. Are you ok?” SJ asked.
SJ could see Zigferd’s shoulders shuddering.
“Zigferd?” SJ asked again.
“Has he gone?” Zigferd asked.
“Yes,” SJ replied, turning to see the open front door Darren had left through.
Zigferd turned and looked at SJ, tears running down his cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” SJ asked, panicking. Seeing the mountain of a lycanthrope crying as he did wasn’t something she had ever expected to witness. Through all the hardship and trials she had witnessed, the mountain stood in front of her and had always been stoic, and the strength behind the town.
Zigferd wiped his eyes, looking at SJ, “I never thought that I would see the day of Alice being asked to marry. It has come as a shock. I have brought Alice up since she was a youngling, and she had always dreamt of getting married. I am just a little emotional, that’s all.”
“I assume that Alice wants to marry Darren?” SJ asked.
“Yes. She mentioned not long after returning from the caves how she immediately felt about Darren and hoped he would be the one.”
“Why did I think you wanted to kill Darren every time you saw him?”
“I didn’t realise I had.”
“You have put the fear of god into him.”
Zigferd half smiled, “That’s not a bad thing then.”
SJ couldn’t help but smile in response. “No. I suppose not. It’s better to keep him on his toes,” she chuckled.
“I need to sort myself out. I have a meeting with Orik, Nrvik and Shelly this evening. We are discussing the first mithril batch.”
“I will leave you to it then and allow you to compose yourself,” SJ said.
“Thank you. Make sure that Darren understands that I meant what I said. If he hurts her, I will kill him,” Zigferd again replied in a flat tone.
The sudden switch to his serious persona made SJ’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She knew that he meant it.
Leaving Zigferd, SJ headed to the inn. She wanted to speak to Floretta about the grapey fruits. It had been just over a month since she had first moved into the cottage, and Floretta had taken some of the grapey to begin producing some of the jerky. At this time of day, the inn was starting to receive the early usuals before the main thrum arrived a little later once many of the stalls and shops had closed. It was always busy in the evenings.
“YOU CAN TELL THAT FOOL IF HE EVER DARKENS MY DOORWAY, I WON’T HOLD BACK FROM THE DAMAGE I WILL DO TO HIM,” Kerys screamed. A tall, elegantly dressed man stood at the bar feeling Kerys’s full wrath. Bert stood in his usual spot, not concerned about the ongoings. All the patrons were facing the bar, watching the interaction. SJ walked to the bar, standing just off from the berating. The look in Kerys’s eyes was that of hatred.
“Kerys. Is everything alright?” SJ asked.
Kerys turned and noticed SJ, her face softening as she did, “Hi SJ. No, everything is not alright. This pompous idiot thinks he can walk into my inn and threaten me.”
“Threaten you?” SJ asked, shocked.
“He is here on the guidance of a supposed complaint raised against my inn by the Brewer’s Guild in Asterfal. Apparently, I have been selling illegal ale.”
The statement about illegal ale sales baffled SJ. “How can you be selling illegal ale? Don’t you brew your own?”
“Most, yes. I do purchase some ale from the local villages that we support.”
“How can it be illegal then?”
“They are accusing me of stealing trade secrets and saying that my ale is a stolen recipe that follows the Brewers Guild traditional ale. I sell excess ale in Asterfal and have several bars which purchase it.”
“I am confused. If you are brewing your own ale, what makes it even considered to be the Brewers Guild recipe?”
“It doesn’t. It is that backstabbing idiot Fretun. He is playing dirty games, trying to damage my reputation and reduce my income. It’s another one of his tactics to try and gain my recipe, after his failure to blow up my inn. If he causes enough damage to the inn’s reputation, he believes that I will give up the secrets to stop the damage he is attempting to cause. I will have to go to Asterfal to meet my buyers and smooth things over. This not-so-kind gentleman has just told me that any further shipments to Asterfal will be prevented from entering the city until the accusation is investigated in full.”
“Do you not fall under the town’s trade arm?” SJ asked.
“I do.”
“Isn’t this an issue to be addressed through the councillor for trade then?” SJ asked. She had, with the time around her levelling, been learning about all the various aspects that helped the town tick over. The infrastructure and workings of the town were very similar to what would be expected back on Earth. All the main areas were covered under the guidance and support of one or more councillors. There were departments in the barracks which oversaw each one. Housing, Waste, Magic, Food, Trade, Professions, etc. It was a complex web of work, with many areas that overlapped with each other.
SJ soon began to realise that her role as ambassador could potentially cover all areas if an external party inquired.
“Can I ask who brought the charges?” SJ said, turning to the man. He wore perfectly tailored clothing, and his brilliant white shirt looked soft and luxurious.
The man turned to look at SJ, looking her up and down. He wore small circular framed glasses on the end of a long needle-like nose. His look turning to one of disgust.
“I have no business with you fae,” he said turning back away from her and facing Kerys.
“Oh, no,” Dave said.
“What did you just say?” her tone was low and menacing. The instant anger from his comment sent her blood beyond boiling.
The man turned back to look at SJ. “Go away before you get hurt. I do not deal with your kind.” He stood looking at her in a derogatory manner, sneering.
“My kind? Would you like to elaborate on what you mean?” SJ asked, her tone measured but still menacing.
“You know exactly what I mean by my statement,” he said.
“Do you have a name?” SJ asked, speaking now through gritted teeth.
“I won’t be telling you anything. I told you to go away,”
“Who do you think you are to tell me to go away?”
“I am an official of Asterfal working within the guidance and remit of the binding unity of our region. You do not have the right to question me nor even speak to me unless I deem that I wish to speak to you. And I will not sully myself any further talking to one of your kind.”
Several in the inn gasped at his statement. The man didn’t take his eyes off SJ.
SJ balled her fists the instant he finished speaking. Bert noticed SJ’s reaction and began. Kerys’s eyes widened, and SJ was unsure if it was because she had equipped her claws or what the man had said.
“I suggest you think very carefully before you answer the next question I am going to ask you,” SJ said, almost hissing.
The man raised an eyebrow casually. “You do realise the trouble you would be in if you attacked an official of Asterfal,” he showed no fear.
“And do you realise that you have disgraced the city of Asterfal with your behaviour?”
“Ha. My behaviour. You think anyone in Asterfal cares about your kind.”
SJ had held her temper long enough, “MY KIND,” she screamed.
The sudden change in tone made the slightest flinch appear on the man’s face.
Sighing, the man turned back towards Kerys, ignoring SJ.
“HOW DARE YOU TURN AWAY FROM ME. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?”
The man glanced sideways at her as he replied, “A disgusting excuse for a race.”
SJ’s emotions were already in turmoil because of the fear and elation for Darren and to be spoken to in such a way by this man was too much. SJ’s arm moved before she even realised what she was doing as she went to grab him. As she did, Bert gripped her shoulder, preventing her from reaching the man.
“Not inside, please, SJ,” Bert said.
Turning, the man again looked at SJ in disgust and waved his hand. “I suggest you throw the trash out, and I would advise you attempt to get better clientele in the future,” he said to Kerys.
“What’s going on?” Alice said in a commanding voice as she entered the inn.
