Dragonsbane, Kingsbane

Dragonsbane, Kingsbane

Alexandra A. Cheshire

Published by Howling Wolf Books at Smashwords

Copyright 2017 Alexandra A. Cheshire

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All characters, events and places in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people or places past or present is strictly coincidental.

Table of Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Epilogue

About the Author

Other Works by Alexandra A. Cheshire

For Drew

Because Dragons

One

A glance around the untamed forest tells me I have a lot of work ahead of me if I want a safe and comfortable home here. It is a beautiful steading... there's no doubt about that. However, there isn't so much as a shack anywhere within the property lines drawn on my map by the Earl's steward. To make things worse, this steading is in the most remote and dangerous corner of the Earl's holdings. If he sent me out here in the hopes I would be killed and so out of his hair, he may well get his wish.

Next, I study the dour faced, stocky man with dark colouring assigned by the Earl to be my personal guard. He is surveying the land as well and only looks my way on realizing I am watching him.

How are you at felling trees? I speak first.

A sight better than at felling bandits and trolls and such ilk, A brief hint at a smile accompanies the words, I was a mill worker afore the Earl conscripted me to his guard.

I nod to myself. This should work out better than I hoped. I can handle the bandits and trolls and anything else which strays too close. What I don't have is the skills to build a home from raw resources.

You can work wood then?

He nods, Aye. But we'll need one with the skill to wrest metal from the ground and work that too... if ye've a sight to build anything befitting your station.

Right at this moment I'll settle for something to keep the rain off, I drop my pack from my shoulders to the ground and turn to unstrapping the baggage from my mount, There's a good skin tent in my gear somewhere, but it only sleeps one.

I've my own gear, He chuckles dryly, Need a hand with yer tent?

I shake my head, Let's build camp here for now. Then I want a good look around. Think you can watch our gear and mounts while I do that?

Aye. He sets to work unpacking his own gear.

I locate my tent before sweeping clean an area just large enough to set it up. As usual, the poles, pegs, and ties have tangled themselves and it takes me longer to undo the mess than it does to put up the tent. As I told my guard, it really is only large enough for one. In fact, once I have my bedroll laid out and the rest of my gear stashed, I barely have room to move.

Outside, I find my mount has wandered off in search of food. I call her back with a whistle so I can remove her barding. While there is a good chance of us being attacked out here, I know all that armour has to be hot and uncomfortable for her. Once she's free of it, she wanders off again. I quickly clean the barding and stash it with my things. Undoubtedly we will need it again.

That done, I arm myself with my bow, a quiver of arrows, and my dagger before going out to look around the rest of my steading. However, as I explore the forest, the largest creature I see is a fox, who watches me warily for a time before darting off. I let him go.

As promised, the land is unspoilt forest. The ground is surprisingly level and the trees are large enough there is little for undergrowth. On the far side, I come to a sheer cliff towering far above my head. The rock looks weathered and old. Nodding to myself, I finish exploring and return to where my guard has our camp looking much more like a home away from home.

His tent is set up, facing mine across a firepit large enough to cook over. A line has been strung between trees for drying damp gear. We aren't far from a large stream, so it'll do for actual laundry as well. My guard's mount is staked in a grassy spot, now free of all but a lead rope.

He looks up as I approach, I thought ye'd be longer.

I sit on the opposite side of the small, smokeless fire and set my weapons aside. From my pocket, I take a flask and drink deeply.

We'll start by building a house out here.

My guard frowns, So close to the road?

I nod, This is a dangerous steading. Who would want to risk being too far from aid?

The words earn me a sceptical look and a shake of the head.

The bane of the dragons is worried about being far from aid?

I laugh. One step at a time. I'm no foppish lordling to live beyond my means.

No foppish lordling would accept this steading, My guard chuckles, So it's to be a house and close to the road? Why not a lodge for weary travelers?

I take some time to consider the idea before nodding, The Earl granted me permission to hire whatever staff I deem necessary. Not that I have the coin at the moment, A thought occurs to me, You said we need a metal worker?

Aye.

Do you know of one who would be willing to risk coming out here?

Aye, A trace of a flush steals across his features, A journeyman, mind... and a woman...

I study him with a raised eyebrow, You seek my permission to marry already?

He flushes crimson, I guess I do.

I chuckle, Then you have it. Just be quick about it. I want this lodge to have a solid roof before snow season.

Aye. Ye'll have that. His eyes study me briefly, The Earl will want to see ye married, ye know.

I shake my head, The Earl would rather see me conveniently killed by a bear.

Mayhap, My guard adds a log to the fire, But he needs to cement an alliance with Earl Haiver, who has a far too vocal younger son.

I sigh, suppressing a groan. If I had wanted to be married to some empty headed little lordling, I would have stayed home and allowed my father to marry me off.

Ye'll see. My guard settles back onto the log he is using as a seat.

I change the subject, Hot supper or cold?

I'm all for hot.

I pick up my bow and quiver, I'll be back with something to roast.

My guard nods.

By the time I return with a brace of pheasants, he has the fire ready to roast them. Neither of us speaks more than necessary as we prepare and eat our supper. After the meal is cleaned up, I do some maintenance work on my weapons and armour. My guard spends the time scouting up and down the road and through the trees on the other side.

By the time we crawl into our bedrolls, it's fully dark. The sleepless nature of my mount makes a watch unnecessary and I know she won't stray so far she can't warn me of danger in time. The truth is I really don't need a personal guard. However, my newly attained position comes with certain conventions. Whether I like them or not.

I wake to daylight outside and the sound of my guard moving around. I change into clean clothes before leaving my tent.

Good morning, My guard looks up from stoking the fire, There's water for washing... not hot mind, but not cold either.

Thank you. I rinse my face and hands in the basin set on a large nearby rock. Beside it is a small towel for drying off, which I hang over the laundry line once I'm dry again.

I was thinking I ought to make my trip sooner than later, He is now preparing a hot breakfast, Ye'll be well enough here for a day or so?

I'll be fine, I nod, You'd best ride. Fewer will risk stopping a rider.

Aye, He chuckles dryly, I'd a mind to that already. What'll ye do while ye wait?

Mark out space for the lodge... perhaps start on a cellar. Unless you think we won't need one.

Oh aye, we'll need one of those. Ye haven't coin for none of those modern contraptions. He glances around, I'll be off this morning then and back just as soon as I can.

As soon as breakfast is cleaned up, he rides off for the Earl's capital. I take some sticks from the kindling pile, a ball of twine, and my map and mark out the general outline of what should be a fairly large lodge. There are a certain number of trees to be cleared, but the area for the cellar is relatively clear. I grab the spade from my gear and start scraping aside the top layer of dirt. It's good rich soil and should be useful for a kitchen garden at the very least. By the time I'm done, the sun is setting.

I leave the spade in the pile of dirt and go to get myself a cold meal from my travel rations. Once I have the remains of my meal cleaned up, it's time to crawl into my tent and pass out for the night.

When morning comes, I eat and then go back to digging the cellar. The day is quiet and my mount wanders around while I work. By evening, I'm sore and blistered, but it's hard to see progress in the amount of soil I've moved today. I find myself a cold meal and pass out in my tent.

Again, when morning comes, I eat and return to digging the cellar. But today, about the time the sun is directly overhead, I hear a jingle of harness and a creaking of wheels. Leaving the spade, I go to the road.

My guard is riding his mount alongside a mule cart driven by a woman slightly younger than myself. She is dressed in a tunic and leggings with her hair tucked up under a cap. Mule, cart, and mount come to a stop just short of camp. As I start over to meet them, my guard dismounts and offers a hand to the cart driver. Both are on the ground, looking around, by the time I reach them.

I'm Kelli, My eyes pass over the new arrival, You are?

Jahna. The younger woman seems nervous.

The Earl sent this missive for ye, My guard retrieves a sealed envelope from his pack, Claimed it's urgent.

I do my best to conceal a scowl as I break the seal and tear the flap on the envelope. From inside, I remove a folded card bearing the Earl's crest on the front. Opening it, my eyes skim over the ornate script. Tempted as I am to shred and ignore the summons, I return the card to the envelope and go stash it in my tent. I finish to find the other two surveying my cellar excavation.

My guard is shaking his head as he turns to me, This is three days hard work for ye?

I grimace, but shrug it off, I've neither training nor experience in constructing anything, I glance around, Will the two of you be safe here while I answer the Earl's summons? I doubt I'll be too long.

Aye, He nods, We ought to be safe enough 'til ye return.

I leave in the morning.

In the meantime, there's Jahna's gear to unpack, at least as much as we can. She brought an anvil and smithing tools, for which she'll need to construct herself a smithy. I have no problems with the idea of a smithy on my land. It means we can offer repairs for gear as well as rooms and meals at the lodge. But the newlyweds' tent needs expanding to include both of them and all their personal belongings. The smithing gear remains under canvas in her cart while the mule is staked with my guard's mount. There's also the evening meal to be made.

As we eat, I'm aware of my guard studying me carefully, Ye're certain ye'll not need a companion?

I'm more than able to take care of myself. Both out in the wildlands and in the Earl's capital.

Jahna frowns, her eyes on my face, Ye're only newly made nobility?

I laugh as I shake my head, Far from. Although few here know.

Ye're noble born then? My guard raises an eyebrow, From where? Or do ye mind sharing a tale with us.

I don't mind, I wrap my hands around my tankard, I just ask my words not go beyond the three of us.

Both of them nod, their faces serious.

My father is a liege-lord to the king of a Pledge kingdom. While I won't say which one, it really matters very little. The Pledge kingdoms are so interdependent on each other it's impossible to separate one from another. And life is very different there. All is owned by wealthy men, who buy, sell or trade anything they fancy. Including their women, children, servants, animals, lands. Doesn't matter what it is.

I'm my mother's only child and the reason she didn't last long in my father's household. Once she was sold, I was left to my own devices, semi-supervised by an overworked housekeeper. From my early childhood through to the brink of womanhood, so long as I remained out of official sight, I could do what I pleased. Which may have been why it so upset me to be summoned before my father.

"Yer father wishes to see ye, girl, The housekeeper clucks over my dirty, ragged appearance, We'll have to