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Battle Master Chapter 2 The Proposition copyright 2014 comidacomida

The trip from the work room to the dining room required that Baedyn and Vyodir retrace their steps back down the hall, up a set of stairs, and down an entirely different hall. From what the Wolf was able to figure out based on the shape of the keep it seemed as though the dining room was almost directly over the kitchen. It made sense considering heat rose and the delivery of food from kitchen to table was easy enough using a dumbwaiter. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as the Coyote leading him came to a stop outside the double-doors that separated them from the Lord's table.

Vyodor leaned forward, his ears rotating toward the barrier as if seeking out some barely audible invitation to enter. In the end he raised his left paw and gently wrapped its first two knuckles against the wood. Baedyn didn't miss the fact that the man spoke Tenvierian when he needed to, such as when addressing the Lord of Stone. "My Lord, I have brought you your Sorran, as you had commanded."

The Lord of Stone's unmistakably clear, authoritative voice was audible even through the door. "Then do not linger, Voydir-- show him in."

With almost as much disinterest as ceremony, the Coyote threw the doors wide and marched in, stepping to the side of the entrance as he motioned the Wolf forward. "Honorable Lord of Stone, I present Talvin Vune, indentured Sorran of Izlegaol."

Baedyn had only seen the dining room on a pawful of occasions and it was far more interesting than the overtly flowery and formal lines of Tenvierian courtly introductions. It was richly appointed-- more so than any of the usual rooms in the keep. The Lord of Stone was more inclined to prefer functionality over appearance, especially when it was a matter of cost. The dining chamber, however, was the one that would be used to host guests and no Lord wanted to be seen as a cheapskate-- even if he was one.

The room was carpeted from wall to wall with plush wool dyed a slate gray; Baedyn assumed it was done so it would be easy and inexpensive to keep clean. The enormous table in the center of the room had enough finely crafted chairs to seat at least twenty though the silverware and plates were set for only two. The exhibition of wealth was far greater than anywhere in the keep save perhaps for the Lord's private chambers. Baedyn had never actually seen them himself but the rumors he'd heard from loose-lipped staff fit with the Wolf's impression of his porcine 'employer'. Baedyn looked up as the seemingly endless formality finally came to an end.

He knew his line by rote. "I am here to serve, my Lord."

Rather then say anything in particular the usually verbose Boar simply motioned with his hand, gesturing to the only other seat set to accommodate a diner. Still ill-at-ease by the strange behavior of his liege, Baedyn complied immediately, settling into the high-backed seat directly to the right of the Lord of Stone. The Wolf quickly observed table etiquette, pulling the cloth napkin off of the cloche covering his plate and setting it atop his lap. He looked up for further direction, taking the opportunity to appraise the situation, and the Boar.

Loris Pyazo was heavy-set without being fat, and of a stalwart constitution. Despite being in his early 60s he was reputedly in good health and his fur was only just starting to gray around his muzzle. His long, chestnut mane was tamed by several hair clips and ties. It was a hard element of grooming for boars, who had notoriously coarse and willfur fur. Baedyn sighed; before his imprisonment he had toyed with the idea of styling hair and fur for the upper class-- it was just another reminder that his life was not his.

Only once the Wolf realized that the Lord of Stone's gaze was as much on him as his was on the Boar did Baedyn clear his throat and look back to the cloche that covered his plate. With some sense of pomp and circumstance the Boar finally spoke. "By all means, Talvin... breakfast is served."

Baedyn took that as a sign to remove the cover from his plate; even as the warm condensation from within spattered down on the table cloth the Wolf had his muzzle stuck into the vapors so he could get a faceful of the aromas that wafted out. He'd had years of 'barely anything' and suddenly he had encountered a cornucopia of delights-- foods he recognized but had never before been able to have. Eating with his eyes first, Baedyn gazed across the plate heaped high with all kinds of precious and delicious vittles.

Cured meats of all sorts adorned ringed the edge of the plate: sausage patties, breakfast links, Yuung, chipped beef, smoked fish, and bacon! Bacon was not eaten in the lord's keep-- not because he was a Boar, but because of its notorious price. Yet there they were: six glorious crispy strips, still dripping in their own juice. Eggs and seasoned potatoes filled up another large portion of the plate, and two fresh bread rolls which still steamed, dripping butter that had been slathered all across their tops. A servant came by to take the cloche, and also to deposit a silver bowl full of various fruits, some of which Baedyn had never even seen before.

The Lord of Stone popped a cherry into his ample mouth, biting down on it with the flat portion of his porcine teeth hard enough to crack the pit; he chewed it audibly and swallowed. "I do hope the selection is to your liking, Talvin... we have had so little time together to discuss your particular tastes in cuisine."

The Wolf nodded quickly. "Yes, your Lordship. It is far finer than anything I've had in a long time."

Only after the words left his muzzle did Baedyn realize just how much of an insult that could have been if taken in the wrong light. He glanced to the Boar, fur just starting to stand on end until he noticed that the Lord of Stone either hadn't noticed the slight or simply didn't care. His 'benefactor', in fact, simply reached for another cherry before pausing to look his way. "Well? Eat. Eat!"

Baedyn needed no further direction. Starved and still in disbelief, the Wolf regardless had the wherewithal to maintain enough of his composure to use the provided silverware when needed and to make certain he chewed his food rather than risk it all coming back up again; in private and with close friends a Wolf didn't mind having to re-eat what his body rejected as unchewed but it was a major slight in polite company. He held his tongue, focusing instead on getting enough food into him before the Lord of Stone changed his mind.

Interestingly enough, that didn't happen. Rather than give Baedyn any attention whatsoever the Boar seemed more content to just enjoy his own meal. The Wolf didn't count the time that passed but he did get through a third of the tray placed in front of him before the Boar pushed away his own, apparently finished. Only once the Lord of Stone had eaten did he bother speaking and when he did his tone was casual, familiar, and almost friendly. "I had thought this would be a pleasant and enjoyable way for us to celebrate your seventeenth year here in service to me, Talvin."

Baedyn finally slowed, finishing what was in his muzzle and swallowing before speaking. "It has been seventeen years, my Lord? To the day?"

The Boar chuckled, pouring a glass of rich purple wine into his own goblet, and then into the one in front of Baedyn. The Lord of Stone held his cup up, presenting it to the Wolf; Baedyn obediently raised his own and they touched. The noble man took a sip, then announced. "Seventeen years and three days... but, alas, business of the city has filled my schedule so I hope you will forgive me the delay."

Baedyn took a sip of the drink; it was sweet but had a very potent taste of alcohol. "Of course, your Lordship. Our visits together are at your discretion, after all."

What the Wolf didn't say, however, was that he was barely able to restrain his joy; the Sorra had stated that he would be in service to the Lord of Stone for seventeen years and four days-- that left only one more day to go! He had no intention of speaking to that point but he was unable to restrain all of his glee and the Boar had somehow taken note. "You are certainly in good spirits this morning, Talvin. I trust the shower and food have done you some good."

Readily willing to blame his uplifted spirits on the recent fair treatment Baedyn nodded. "Yes, your Lordship. I am pleased that you have found my services worth such a celebratory meal. Less than one year left in my service to you and I will be certain that you have my every minute at your disposal."

He smiled again inwardly; one day was a lot less than one year, and, while he didn't bother figuring out how many minutes were in twenty four hours he was more than happy enough to throw every last one of them at the Boar-- Baedyn would soon be free! Since the Lord of Stone didn't say anything else the Wolf went back to gingerly cutting up his last breakfast roll with his fork and knife; Tenvierian nobility didn't eat anything with their paws, and the honey-sweetened puffy roll was far too good to let go to waste. The morsel was halfway to his muzzle before the Boar spoke up again. "I heard some interesting news as of late, Talvin."

Baedyn slowly lowered his fork. "News, your Lordship?"

Despite having eaten nothing for several minutes the Boar raised up a napkin and blotted at the edge of his muzzle. "Yes... Pross recently had an insurrection of sorts. Apparently amidst a great uprising one of the casualties was a lupine lord by the name of Talvin."

A thousand thoughts ran through Baedyn's mind, not the least of which being that such news endangered his ruse. A half-second later a more pressing thought came to mind: was his brother still using his given name? If so, was Talvin in Pross? Was his twin dead? The Wolf somehow managed to keep his demeanor calm, with little more than his ears focusing on the Boar. "Oh? That is a strange coincidence... Talvin is not a common name."

The Lord of Stone nodded, lifting a mug of coffee up to his muzzle, but not yet drinking. He spoke over its ceramic lip. "Apparently Lord Talvin was a Wolf from Tenvier who had decided to make his home in Pross.

The thought sat uneasily in Baedyn's mind. "That's quite a coincidence, your Lordship."

The porcine noble finally took a sip of his drink then set it down. "You don't know any other Wolves that might use the name 'Talvin', do you, Talvin?"

Baedyn quickly shook his head. "No, your Lordship. I know it was my grandfather's name, but other than that I cannot think of anyone else."

The Lord of Stone assessed the Wolf. "I see... you don't believe your brother might have been trying to pass himself off as a Lord in a foreign country, do you, Talvin?"

The Wolf thought the leap of logic was insane, save for the fact that he had almost wondered the same thing. Either way, it was a dangerous road to consider so he tried to quickly redirect the nobleman's thoughts. "If he were trying to pretend to be a noble he could have easily used his own name, my Lord. Perhaps a distant relation I do not know... save for the fact that nobody in my family I know of could pass for a noble... and none of my kin speak anything but Tenvierian."

The Boar's only response was "Hmm."

Baedyn pressed for as much information as he thought safe; a simple inquiry. "Was he a white Wolf, your Lordship?"

The Lord of Stone shook his head. "That Lord Talvin fellow? No... Timber Wolf... but, strangely enough, there WAS a white Wolf mentioned in the goings-on there."

The lupine Soraan couldn't manage to keep his ears in place and they rose unbidden, providing far more proof to his interest than he'd wanted to let on. "Oh?"

The Boar took another sip from his cup before speaking. "Mmm... apparently he was the one who killed the King."

Baedyn dropped his fork.

If the Lord of Stone took any notice of it he didn't show it. Folding his napkin cleanly and setting it to the side of his plate, the Boar motioned to one of the servants who came to clear away his place setting; the Wolf was still too stunned to respond when a servant did the same to his own as well. Once the table was empty Baedyn's 'host' folded his hands in front of himself "Ah well... that's foreign news. We should focus on something closer to home."

The Wolf recovered immediately. "Of course, your Lordship. What would you care to discuss this morning?"

The Boar smiled in an almost hungry way. "Your continued service of course, Talvin."

Baedyn bowed his head. "You have it, of course, your Lordship... one more year... minus three days, of course."

The Lord Of Stone laughed, holding up a hand. "No... no.... you misunderstand me, Talvin. I have been so pleased with your service that I wish to retain you longer... as a Soraan with full lodgings, accommodation, and pay befitting one of such a title."

The Wolf was completely blindsided by the offer; he'd never expected anything of the sort. It took a moment before he could find his voice to reply. Not meaning to offend, he attempted a simple decline. "I appreciate the offer, your Lordship, but I--"

The Boar raised a hand and cut him off. "This lifestyle shall continue to be the norm, of course, and you will want for nothing."

The insistent interruption left the Wolf feeling uncomfortable but he was not about to surrender the point, especially since he wouldn't be held in Izleagol any longer than one more day. He pressed his previous answer again. "I appreciate your offer and your generosity, my Lord, but my answer is still no."

Rather than object, the Lord of Stone simply shrugged. "I see... so be it."

Baedyn was surprised at the casual acknowledgement but a moment later Voydir returned. "I have the tally here, your Lordship."

Smiling, the Boar stared at the Wolf. "Vyodir, if you please, read off the total cost of goods and services my indentured service has availed himself of this morning."

The Coyote bowed. "Yes, your Lordship. To begin, the herbal treatments to the cauldrons in the shower were 600 crowns; the personalized grooming kit was 230 crowns; the custom tailored suit was 440 crowns; the bath linens and wash rags..."

The collection of items went on and on; only as his warden continued going down the itemized list detailing each and every special activity undertaken by Baedyn that morning did he realize that the trap he'd anticipated had finally sprung. Once Vyodir had come to the end, the Lord of Stone added "It appears you have almost everything, my good man... but be sure you do not forget the cost of his breakfast."

The old man nodded, tail swishing just enough to make Baedyn realize that the Coyote was close enough to strike him with it. After a few moments Vyodir looked up from his scroll. "Your Lordship, the total cost of Talvin's morning is 2,680 crowns. At his current rate of pay less housing and food costs that will take him approximately 24 months to cover."

The Lord of Stone stared across the table at the Wolf, victory in his eyes. "Yes, Talvin... this lifestyle is not cheap, but it would have been yours easily enough. I'm sorry we could not come to an agreement, but I suppose another two years of indentured service to me should help cover your newest bill."

Were Baedyn to have called himself furious would have been a gross understatement; he felt every vein in his body throb in rage and his muscles clenched, paws shaking as he gripped his fingers so tightly into fists that his claws drew blood from his palm pads. That anger didn't manifest into his voice, and he spoke calmly and clearly. "I humbly ask that you reconsider, my Lord. Do not do what you will regret."

The Boar snorted, swatting the thought away dismissively with a casual wave of his hand. "That sounded like a threat to me. Vyodir... take him back to his tower. I'll speak with him again when he is more reasonable."

The Wolf stood at the table, unmoving even as Vyodir grabbed his wrist. Baedyn struggled against being led away. "Reconsider, my Lord, and forgive me the rest of my debt. Do it now. Today, and I will conclude my service and be gone from here tomorrow."

The Lord of Stone laughed, slamming the table with his open hand. "Ha! You're not only belligerent-- you've gone insane! Guardsman-- show this servant back to his quarters."

Baedyn slammed his own paw down on the table, claws cutting into the wood. "Damn it! Release me from my bondage today! I will be gone tomorrow, or so help me, Loris Pyazo I'll provide you a Sorra you won't like!"

Sorrani could not summon up Sorras at will, despite what some superstitious old ladies would say; a true fate casting could only be done when a Sorran was in the right frame of mind. A connection of some kind had to be present between the Sorran and the individual being read-- most often it was as simple as gold changing paws, a touch, or even intense emotion. The last of the three usually resulted in a reading that most closely related to the Sorrani's emotional state at the time; considering the Lord of Stone knew all of that information it was evident that Baedyn's threat was not an idle one.

Despite that knowledge, the Boar was not swayed. "Guardsman, take this cur to his cell and leave him. He is to receive no food, water, or toilet service until he is willing to behave." He then turned to stare right at Baedyn. "As for you, Talvin Vune... do your worst."

The first Sorra Baedyn had ever given was when he was still a young pup of barely eight summers. Back when Baedyn's family had lived in the northern Tenvierian city of Puet a Lynx family lived on their block and their son was something of a scourge among the boys in the community; Dithan Rooter was his name-- his father worked as an ash man around town, cleaning out soot and grime from furnaces and chimneys. Dithan's particular favorite sport as a bully was to climb up into a tree or onto a wall or overhang and pounce unsuspecting youngsters.

After a particularly painful pouncing that resulted in Baedyn's head slamming into the cobblestone street, the young wolf pup had suffered enough; the impact had cost him one of his baby teeth. Even as Dithan stood there laughing and pointing, Baedyn felt his right paw suddenly become so cold that it burned painfully. He was far smaller than the Lynx, and weaker, but his anger found an outlet: it was not a vision or a whisper or any of the other ways those who hadn't experienced it tried to explain a Sorrani's knowledge of the future-- it simply was.

Sorrani, Baedyn knew, were more mouth pieces for fate than they were its seers. He could no more choose a Sorra for someone than choose not to know it. Fate was a mysterious power ruling over everyone and everything and in almost all circumstances it was unknown to all but, on rare occasions it chose to let its will be known thorugh its mouth pieces: Sorrani. It was in that way that Baedyn foretold that Dithan would never again climb anything without falling off. By the time the Sorra was spoken his arm was marked by the Fildoma that identified him as a Sorran; he and his family moved very soon thereafter... but not before he had learned what became of Dithan Rooter.

Baedyn didn't understand the Sorra anymore than those who heard it did, but it came true: the next time Dithan tried to climb something it was a tree which stretched out over the river. The Lynx went out onto a branch that was too weak to support him; he fell and he drowned. People often said that Sorrani were the bringers of bad news but, truth be told, fate was not always so wicked, and the Wolf had done much for Loris Pyazo. That was... he had done so out of duty and obligation, but the Sorra he threw at the Boar that morning was born from pure emotion, and the Sorras brought forth by anger tended to show the less kindly side of fate.

The Sorra sprang upon him like a hurricane, picking up his senses and whisking them away. Baedyn lost track of his body, barely registering that the guards had taken hold of his arms and were dragging him as dead weight out the door. He couldn't control the flow of where the chaos took him; the most he could do was open himself to it and absorb the seemingly patternless flow that cast him about like a leaf in a river. To anyone else he would have seemed as calm and motionless as a statue but not just anyone could see Fate.

It wasn't a vision that struck him, or a sound, or touch, or scent, or any other such sensation. It was as if he were facing a dart board the size of a castle wall where each word known in the Tenvierian language was posted on a brick. One by one the fickle strands of fate pieced together the words that would create the Sorra he sought out with his unbridled emotion; he would learn of fate's plans in a way that would not only inconvenience the Lord of Stone-- it would hurt the Boar in a way that he meant to hurt Baedyn.

A Sorra was always spoken the way in which it was instilled in the Sorran; Sorrani simply could not misspeak a Sorra. A Sorra was truth; it was a peek at the fundamental connection between the strands of fate that made up the tapestry that was life. Once a Sorran learned of a Sorra he or she could do not but speak it. The Wolf had tried to refuse giving voice to one on a few occasions but he had always failed; it was a compulsion in the way that blinking or breathing was-- no matter how much he resisted it eventually happened. When Baedyn felt his senses hone in and grab hold of it, however, he had no hesitation whatsoever; he spoke.

Focus snapping back into place, the Wolf realized that he was at the door to the dining room, and so he screamed the Boar's fate at him as if throwing a knife. "Loris Pyazo, Lord of Stone and ruler of Izleagol, you will be killed by your heir!"

The Boar slammed his fists down on the table and stood up once again. "How DARE you tell me such a thing, you ungrateful wretch! You do not speak a Sorra... you speak POISON!"

In response, Baedyn held up his left arm, the Fildoma glowing with the piercing blue light that showed his power was true. "Sorras do not lie, your Lordship. Now be damned with the knowledge of your future!"

The guards were about as gentle with him as the first day he was brought to the keep which was to say, not gentle at all. Despite his ire, Baedyn knew better than to struggle but they roughed him up anyway for good measure. Voydor followed them back and secured the door behind him and, even though the guards departed, the old Coyote lingered, addressing him in Vensian once they left. "You've done it this time, boy. Pulling that stunt with his Lordship... you're lucky you're valuable to him or else he might have chosen to put you to death. Just think... telling a father that one of his sons would be the death of him. You are asking for all that you will receive, believe you me."

Baedyn fell down onto his rump; although he was still wearing the finery with which he'd been dressed he felt far less like a nobleman and far more like a puppet. "I'm too valuable to the Lord of Stone... he wouldn't put me to death."

Voydor stared at him through the bars of the door. "Push him hard enough and you may find out that's not true."

The Wolf didn't know what possessed him to speak the words until he saw his cell glow faintly with the light of his fildoma, but the words that came out of his muzzle carried far more than his idle considerations. "Vyodor Lurahmi, I'll be here longer than you'll be alive."

His warden chuckled. "Well well well... you ARE a liar then. Those symbols of yours are glowing and any Vensian worthy of his name knows that a Sorran can't see his own future. You can't give yourself a Sorra, boy!"

Baedyn met the Coyote's accusing gaze without blinking. "It wasn't my Sorra, Vyodir... besides: I'm only here until tomorrow."

The old man finally turned away from the door, laughing all the way down the hall as he departed. Baedyn waited until he was alone before he raised his left paw, drawing the thumb of his right along the palm of the glove. Things were beginning to happen far faster than he'd thought possible. Either the threads were coming together or they were unraveling too quickly to keep track. It was almost like being lost amidst the tumult of the anger-induced Sorra he'd presented to the Lord of Stone.

The Wolf's headache had grown even worse but he risked seeking the glowing line connecting the almost invisible 'X' etched into the leather to whatever lay beyond the walls of his prison. Despite still not comprehending what was to come he realized that not understanding it didn't mean that he couldn't be ready... and if there was one thing Baedyn was, it was ready.