An Official Notice to All Peoples Of Prydain
As has been heard, there occurred a savage and unprovoked assault at the very core of our nation, of our people. Earlier this late-day, the Winnowing Chamber was attacked by rogue subversive elements. Several soldiers guarding the hallowed place were mercilessly slain, as well as a contingent of the honored Watchers.
Malcontents from the Oonskat have dared to spit in the face of every man, woman, and child of our great land. This brazen attack shows their disregard for centuries of tradition and just leadership that has continued to guide Prydain into this second golden age of peace and advancement.
We assure everyone that those responsible for this horrific and unthinkable attack at the very soul of our country will not go unpunished. House Cornelius vows to help lead the nation through these dark times as we reorganize and attempt to make sense of the terrible and needless slaughter that has occurred against our most revered of places. We vow the Watchers will be safe and we will return to life as we know it. Stay strong and have faith.
The name of our enemy is Alexandra, an Oonskat. She has killed Watchers.
---Radulfus Cornelius & Ulfarr Cornelius (heir)
A small jolt woke Alexandra up.
Slowly her senses began returning to her, one little bit at a time. She felt movement again, but it was different now, it was steady, constant, punctuated with a gentle swaying and occasional bumps. The ringing in her ears had died down, replaced now with distant bird songs. The dark haze before her eyes was also lifting, shapes and light were beginning to appear. Squares of light broke through the retreating haze, it was the light from three square windows she realized. Slowly a small wooden ceiling came into view, not more than five feet above her.
As her faculties returned she figured out she must be inside a horse-drawn cart that was traveling over open country road. The sunlight was streaming in brilliantly through the three windows that lined each side of the small conveyance. Inside it was around four and a half feet wide, eight feet long, and the ceiling not far above. It was made of sturdy old wood that creaked as the cart went along down the path, moving with the irregularities of the dirt road. Theses carts were common for farmers and merchants who traveled Prydain, usually from distant farms or villages to visit Avindr or to sell in the Market District, a very common sight. They were used by the farmers and merchants as transport for their goods, themselves, or their families. Pulled by a pair of horses, each was equipped with a small steam-powered stove and an outside hose to import/export steam as any device may require. Some of the newest and fanciest carriages used by the nobility were becoming completely steam-propelled, however those were still to uncommon and far too expensive for the average commoner to own.
Alexandra blinked, trying to figure out exactly where she might be. She was lying down on top of some very thick and warm blankets, there were several people sitting near her against the sides of the carriage, their faces slowly coming into focus. Sitting near the rear of the carriage, next to the small back door that led out, she recognized Zooey. She was sitting propped up in the corner, using a stone to sharpen a sword.
Zooey had several cuts and scratches on her arms and one on her face that could have been caused by glancing sword slices. She appeared to be talking with another woman whom Alexandra did not recognize. This new person was a woman, seemed to be middle-aged with long brunette streaming down, but was kept mostly hidden under a green handkerchief bonnet.
The pendant!
Her heart almost leaped out of her chest. She still could not feel her arm or hand very well, but she could tell that it had long since gone limp. She was on the verge of panicking when she felt the locket still in her hand, being held in place there by someone else holding her hand.
Blinking a few more times to try to bring the world more into clarity, she saw Sophia sitting against the side of the carriage near her head, asleep, her hand firmly holding Alexandra's. There were three other woman sitting inside the cart as well that she did not recognize. Attempting to shake off the dizziness that was still mildly plaguing her, she tried to lift her head up.
"There you are!" Zooey said jovially, propping her sword up against the cart wall behind her, "thought you'd be out forever!"
"Alex!" Sophia awoke at the sudden outburst, smiled, then gripped her hand tighter. "You're all right!"
"Oh, ugh," Alexandra reached up with her other hand and rubbed her eyes, "what happened?"
The woman that Zooey had been talking to leaned in closer. "What do you remember my child?"
Alexandra looked confused, guarded.
"It's okay Alex," Zooey patted her leg, "these are friends, she's all right."
Still confused of who these new people were in their midst, Alexandra let that question go for now: if Zooey vouched for them, then she would be content for now.
Her memory was spotty of the attack on the Winnowing Chamber, but she tried to put the fragmented pieces together. "Uh, I remember we were leaving, then some soldier had a weapon..."
Her hand instinctively reached for her tattoo.
"It hurt, then there's just images, sounds I can't make sense of."
"We thought you were a goner," Zooey was trying to hide her concern behind her flippant tone, but Alexandra knew how worried she had been for her. Zooey may be able to put on a brave face, but after knowing each other for so long, Alexandra could see through that mask.
"We were so worried about you," Sophia's voice was soft and warm, "all of a sudden you were falling over and, and screaming... it looked horrible."
A tear ran down her cheek.
"I'm okay," she assured her friend, "just a little sore and a little confused."
"That last soldier," the woman who had spoken to her before continued, "the one who came in last just as you four were trying to get out of there, he was a magnetic trooper from House Cornelius"
"A what?" Alexandra had never heard that word before.
"She explained it to me three times and I'm still confused." Zooey reached for her sword again to continue sharpening it.
"It's a whole new type of weapon, developed by the Avindr College in secrecy under the control of House Cornelius. It is a powerful new technology, one of great advancement and power. It somehow uses the proximity of certain metals in motion near each other to affect nearby metals and therefore disrupt the weapons of those around them. It is magnificent and terrifying."
"But why did it hurt me?" Alexandra still had only images of what happened, and the pain to remind her, "I didn't see anything."
"I said it reacts with metal, such as your tattoo my dear. It reacted with the metal they used to give you that. Gods, I can only imagine how that must have hurt."
Alexandra always kept her tattoo hidden, only her three close friends had ever seen it besides her mother.
"How do you know about my tattoo?"
"You may the center of attention now, but you were when you were born as well. Soon after your birth, they took you and branded you with the Benham name, then took you to be verified in the very chamber you were attacked in. As soon as the verification was validated by the Watchers, they exiled you and your mother on the spot. It was a very odd and curious affair, it had people talking for weeks. Being a servant, I am always around but hardly ever seen, you hear a lot things that way. The nature of your naming, exile, and the fact they used untested metal to give a tattoo to an infant was the source of pretty much all gossip in the Garden, and the commoners as well for quite awhile."
Alexandra felt a chill, her past laid bare, and apparently had been the source of gossip.
"I didn't think so many people knew."
"A Naming is a very big deal, everyone knows, an exile even more so. Wspecially such a sudden and unexplained one such as yours."
"I think we would have heard about a powerful new weapon, even in the slums," reasoned Zooey.
"Though the college in Avindr is charged with carrying on the work left forgotten long ago in the old times, advancing technology for the benefit of all people, it is in reality not the case. You no doubt know of the influence House Cornelius has?"
"Well yeah sure," Zooey offered, "merchants are always complaining about taxes, people argue against travel restrictions. Their name is on almost every stupid official government statement posted."
"It's usually their soldiers that are guarding the Market or patrolling," Alexandra thought back to all the times they had to dodge groups of soldiers while going back and forth between the Market and the slums. "You do hear about them a lot."
The woman explained that House Cornelius had gained much influence, prestige, and wealth these past sixteen years. They effectively control the Landskyp, though no one would speak of that fact openly. Where they do not directly control, they bully and intimidate. They use their influence over economics to ensure their own wealth while depriving others. At the same time, they control the College and their soldiers guard it. The best technology goes to them, including any new weapons, such as the magnetic ones.
"Surely people would speak out against that. No House can control everything," Sophia interjected, having more experience in noble circle than the others, "it's not how society works. People wouldn't stand for..."
"They don't know. People are aware that House Cornelius is powerful, they recognize it as the most influential House, but they are unaware of the depths of the depravity. House Cornelius has subverted the system, they've slowly, inch by inch, taken over the country. Now they have decided to exert even greater control, they've seized the very heart of Prydain society: the method in which Family Names are verified and recorded. Now they control the very course of the nobility itself."
More memories were flooding back to Alexandra like a ton of bricks all at once.
"The attack! The Watchers! They..."
"A despicable attack, a shocking one at that," the woman's usually calm voice betrayed an undercurrent of anger, "they go too far."
"House Cornelius..." Alexandra remembered the attacking soldiers, their distinctive red and black tunics. "They killed some of the Watchers!"
"No one has raised arms against the Watchers in, well, never. The position and sanctity of the Watchers is absolute, it is respected above all else. It is unthinkable that a House would so brazenly decide to ignore centuries of tradition and national stability. And to top it all off, they are placing the blame for it at your feet my dear," sighed their new apparent benefactor.
"What? That's not true... but they..."
"They already had the official note posted as we escaped the city," Zooey almost seemed proud, "Oonskat menace attack Watchers, four young ones wanted!"
"It's not something to be proud of," Sophia was not happy with the distinction.
"We're famous, that's all I'm saying." Zooey went back to her sword sharpening.
"Cornelius controls the information, they've already blamed you and stepped in as the heroes to 'protect' the Watchers and secure the Winnowing Chamber. In one fell swoop they have control over the naming, a terrifying reality."
Something didn't sit right with Alexandra, besides the bold-face lie o the situation.
"That was really fast to have an official statement. How long have I been out?"
"Only half-a-day, it's early evening and we're several miles outside of Avindr now. But the official notices were posted even as we were escaping the city itself," Sophia explained. "Way too fast."
"The notices were already printed, this was planned," stated the woman, "if we had not have gotten there, you four would be dead and there would be no hope left."
Alexandra frowned. "Hope left? I appreciate you helping us, but, but who are you?"
"My name is Miss Florence," smiled the woman with a small bow, "my word, you do look exactly like... oh never mind. Please excuse my horrible manners: I am very pleased to meet you Alexandra."
"Pleased to meet you. But, that still doesn't answer the question, who are you exactly?"
"Concerned is what I am; someone who is aware of Cornelius' treachery, it runs deeper than even I have told you. Not everyone in Prydain is content to be led along with the false prosperity that Cornelius offers, some of us remember older times, the better times."
"I think I remember you," Miss Florence seemed very familiar to Sophia, "from when I was a child in the Garden."
"Yes Sophia, formerly of House Bradana," Miss Florence nodded now to her, "I remember your cheerful smile as you gathered flowers in the Garden many years ago."
"You were there," Sophia remembered, "you look the same. Are you a noble?"
"Oh dear heavens no," Miss Florence blushed a little, "I'm just a little 'ol commoner. A servant actually. I for years have faithfully served House Divorna. Not a large House, but a very old and respectable one. House Divorna is not powerful, but it has resisted most of House Cornelius' advances, though they are becoming increasingly hard to ignore."
"We met a Lady Divorna," Alexandra blinked away more cobwebs from her head, "she helped us get into the Garden and we rode on a flytter with her for the first time."
"Now that was awesome," Zooey laughed, wishing to ride one again soon.
""It was a little too fast for me." Sophia was wishing to not ride one again soon. "I prefer the calmness of walking, you can see people and see nature too."
"Not a lot of nature in the city," Zooey murmured.
"Yes, she told all of us at the Divorna Estate in the Garden all about you when she arrived back there. We, all the servants, knew that it must be you. Simply everyone in town was talking about you: an Oonskat girl who put a great fear in Lerrick Cornelius and was now coming to the Garden. I'll tell you, everyone was very happy to see someone from Cornelius be in such a fright, it warmed our hearts. Well, she said where you were going and long story short, I got word to some friends and we decided to make sure you got there all right and nothing happened. Looks like it's a good thing we did, or else you would not be in good shape."
"Some friends? Why would you help..." Alexandra was still very confused, she knew Miss Florence was not giving her the whole story.
"I said we'd keep a long story short for now," Miss Florence's voice was gentle but firm, letting them know that line of inquiry was at an end.
Deciding to not upset the woman who had just saved them from certain death, for whatever the reason might be, Alexandra decided to not push the issue at the moment. She was just relieved that her friends were not hurt and they were safe now. The two other woman in the carriage were sewing blankets together, using various small pieces of woolly fabric to create much larger ones.
Alexandra noticed that there were was red splatter on parts of their plain cotton dresses: blood. They must have been part of the group that rescued her and the others from the Cornelius soldiers. It suddenly dawned on her: where was Luca? Had he been left behind? Was he hurt? Was he dead? It was her fault? She knew it was her fault.
Miss Florence must have noticed Alexandra's eyes frantically darting about the small space. "Your other friend is outside with the men, keeping us safe and keeping up the facade we are a simple merchant group. We would prefer to not have to deal with any of the soldiers out on the National Patrols, but we probably won't run into any this close to the capitol. It is more likely soldiers from the city will be out hunting for you four."
"Won't they be looking for you too? You took a big risk in fighting those soldiers and helping us; they wanted us gone." Alexandra knew that helping her probably had a price.
"Don't you worry about that, no one's going to bother a group of ordinary lowly commoners like us," Miss Florence did not seem worried, "the most important thing right now is getting you away from the capitol. We don't have to worry about any National Patrols for at least a little while longer."
The National Patrols were comprised of soldiers picked from all the various Houses, supposedly at random, despite these days a majority of the Patrols were exclusively soldiers from House Cornelius. They patrolled the long roads all over Prydain maintaining peace, law, order, and the presence of government in even the remote regions of the country. Being usually a few days' journey from any person of legal authority, National Patrols were usually given a wide range of judicial powers to maintain order.
Each town or village usually had a leader, a 'Lederan' was the official title, but the nearest National Patrol was the voice of the government from Avindr: they were the arm of the Landskyp, for better or worse. They usually did not patrol near the capitol however, the soldiers stationed in the city to guard the Watchers and the Nobility when they were in town was more than sufficient. The areas immediately outside of the capitol were a latticework of well-traveled roads and farmland, some small villages even.
"Is Alexandra awake?" Luca's voice came through the open window.
"Here I am, I'm alive," she raised her hand weakly.
Luca's head popped in the window, a giant grin adorning his dirtied face.
"Have a good nap?"
"Yes very. Are you okay?"
"You have a little dirt on your face Luca."
Sophia was sometimes the unofficial 'mother' of the group, despite being quieter in character then the others. Perhaps that came from being the oldest one, she did not mind it though as she truly enjoyed helping her friends.
"Oh, yeah," he spit on his hand and tried to run the dirt off of his cheek, "it's dusty out here when you're on a horse. I'm riding a horse Alexandra! Like, a real horse!"
Alexandra smiled at the fact that Luca's spirit seemed not at all dampened, "...also it was a little hairy getting out of the city but it's all worth it. I love it out here!"
This was probably the first time, she realized, that Luca had been out in the open country, it was her first time too. This was the first time she had ever stepped outside of Avindr, the first time she was not surrounded by buildings and the crushing mass of people that resided and worked in them. She wished she could sit up and look out the window, take in the fresh air; but at the moment she did not have the energy to lift herself from her position lying down.
"Okay, I'm going to go up to the head of the group," Luca was glad Alexandra was okay.
"Since when did you know how to ride a horse?" she asked him.
"I'm learning!" was his mischievous answer as he disappeared out of the window again.
"Oh, wow, my head," Alexandra put her hand to her head, her vision suddenly beginning to spin.
"You should rest now my dear," Miss Florence fluffed up the pillow beneath her head, "you don't know how close you came to leaving us permanently."
"But why did it affect me?" Alexandra's words were starting to slur together, "This magnetic..."
"Rest," Miss Florence gently placed her hand on Alexandra's sweat-covered forehead, "once you're better we can have a long talk, and there certainly is much to talk about. But put that all out of your head for now."
The ceiling became blurry, and then it turned dark. The sounds of birds and horses outside died away, as well as the noises from the people sitting all around her. Alexandra closed her eyes, the world slowly fading away. The bumps and swaying of the carriage also seemed to lessen as Alexandra was carried off once more to sleep, her body still trying to recover from the ordeal it had been through.
Darkness again. Calm. Quiet.
A light. A candle. Sound. Birds. Warmth. A fire.
Alexandra's eyes finally blinked open, sore, protesting the movement after their extended slumber. She groaned as she hurtled back to consciousness. Feeling returned to her extremities and she could once again sense the rest of her body. She wiggled her fingers, they were met with a warm blanket. She recognized it as one of the blankets the women in the carriage was sewing together, it was finished now apparently.
"How long was I gone this time?" she wondered, her muscles severely stiff from inactivity.
Sitting up, she surveyed her surroundings.
She was laying in a wooden bed in a small room; this was the first time she had ever slept in a bed that was anything but a few rags and hay on a stone or dirt floor. It was so comfortable like she had never imagined, she felt like she could stay in it forever warm and safe.
A stone fireplace was in the wall to the right, a small fire still glowing from several pieces of wood arranged in it. The room was made of wood as well, very little metal anywhere, it looked very old.
"Probably a room in a farmhouse," it was the only conclusion she could arrive it considering she knew they had been traveling away from the capitol.
The furnishings in the room were sparse: only the bed she was in, a rustic chair against the far right wall, and a nightstand to the left of the bed with a single candle upon it. The only other feature of the room was the window that had large curtains covering it in the wall directly across the bed. There was no light coming in; it must be night.
She turned and put her feet shakily on the ground. The wooden floor was cold, her toes curled. Finally finding her balance and standing up, she allowed the warm blankets to fall away. Alexandra realized was no longer wearing the clothes she had been: she was now covered by a white cotton nightgown. It was so clean and bright, it was the nicest piece of clothing she had ever worn in her life.
Taking each step carefully, Alexandra made her way to the door on the left opposite side of the room. Pausing for a moment to pull back the curtains and peek outside, she saw a beautiful night sky, unobstructed by city lights.
There were so many stars! She could see other nearby structures in the moonlight, they looked like empty barns and horse stalls.
"Definitely a farm," she was correct in her earlier guess.
There were several moving shapes in the moonlight though, they looked like guards. Moonlight glinted off a sword hilt. Alexandra almost put the curtain back for fear of being seen, then she saw someone she knew.
Luca! He walked past the guard, had a few words, then continued. It looked like he was on patrol. Perhaps these were not enemies outside.
Pulling the door open hesitantly, Alexandra made her way out of her room and into the main room of the farmhouse. A large fire was blazing the fireplace, filling the room with a bright orange glow and warmth. In the center of the room were several wooden chairs and benches. On these benches were Zooey and Sophia, Miss Florence and a few other woman Alexandra did not recognize.
Across the large room to the right was the main door, to men armed with swords stood on either side. Their tunics were of the odd design however. They appeared to be shirts woven together from several different sources. The main colour was just an ordinary drab brown that did not capture attention, but sewn into that were fragments of another fabric: a deep green that looked like it had elements of gold weave in it.
It was not a colour of a noble House that Alexandra recognized. When she came into the room, the guards saw her and shot several whispers back and forth to each other that she could not make out. Alexandra could hear a third guard patrolling above them on the roof, the ceiling creaking with each of his steps.
"Alex!" Sophia was the first to notice her.
"Hey everyone," she stepped further into the room, "um, I don't remember a lot. How long has it been since we were in the cart? At least, I think it was a cart."
"Two days," Zooey informed her, before smiling and adding, "thought you'd sleep forever. Lazy"
"I certainly feel like it," she admitted letting a smile slip onto her face, "it feels I haven't moved in years."
"The soreness should pass," Miss Florence entered the conversation, "most of it is probably from the magnetics back in the city. It should be gone completely in another day or two."
"That's one thing I do remember," Alexandra took a seat on the one of the benches near the center of the room. "Miss Florence, I have some questions for you if you please."
"I'm sure you do my child and I will try my best to answer them for the most part."
"Who are you?"
"Miss Florence, duh," Zooey yawned.
"No, who are you and what did you come and help us? Servants breaking into a Watcher building and fighting soldiers to rescue a group of outcasts seems a little unbelievable as just doing a good deed. Why would a servant of House Divorna care even? You knew we would be there, you knew something bad was going to happen. Why do you care? Why save us?"
A moment passed before the woman answered.
"We are not always who we are now, where we once were, or meant to be." Lady Florence's eyes had a fire inside them, not anger per say, but a deep energy and passion. "Circumstances have brought many people to places they never thought they would be or even should be if nature had just been allowed to take its proper course."
Sophia thought that the statement sounded just as much about their host as themselves. "What do you mean by that Miss Florence?"
"I was not always a servant in House Divorna. Do not mistake me, it is a good House and Lady Divorna is a kind and gentle woman, one whom I am proud to serve. However, I have only been a trusted servant of that House for the last fifteen years, before that I was the chief maidservant of House Archdeacon."
"I know that name," it was familiar to Alexandra, nagging at the recesses of her memory.
"They were a very old House," Sophia also recalled the name.
"Yes, the oldest that still existed to this present era. They were a House from the beginning, one of the original regional governing families set up under Willem Arkland when he created the nation of Prydain. In fact, the Family Archdeacon were the only know living relatives of the long-extinct Arkland line."
"They were related to Willem Arkland?" Zooey piqued up, even the lowest of Oonskat knew that name: the man who brought the land together.
"Yes. The patriarch of the family was a man named Arthur Archdeacon, he was appointed by Arkland himself to be one of the regional governors. His wife, Brea Archdeacon, was a cousin of Willem Arkland. Because of that blood connection, Archdeacon was the last known living link to the Family Arkland. Archdeacon was a powerful and respected house, they were fair and much loved by the people."
"They all died right?" Zooey, blunt as ever, thought she remembered stories of some kind of massacre.
"Zooey!" Sophia was taken aback, "that was very rude!"
"It's okay," Miss Florence brushed it off, "it is true, the Family Archdeacon was slaughtered in a surprise night attack on their country estate. Once the dust settled and the fires died down, no one was left alive. Hundreds of people dead, from the family, to their soldiers, to servants."
"That's right," Alexandra's mother Heloise had told her that story several times when she was younger, "no one knew who it was exactly that did it, it really caused problems for the nobility."
"Good," scoffed Zooey.
"The death of the Archdeacon family was unthinkable and tragic, no one could quite get a handle on it. There was a power vacuum in the Landskyp, House Archdeacon had overseen many important aspects of state. Economics, politics, industry, all were affected by the sudden disappearance of the House. With the entire family dead, there was no heir, the Archdeacon name could not be continued. In the void left by that great House, House Cornelius stepped in and assumed many of the responsibilities that House Archdeacon had executed so fairly and well. House Cornelius also put out an official statement blaming Land Pirates from the Distansera as responsible for the attack. If you can believe that. Land Pirates are never seen outside of the border of the Distansera. House Cornelius then declared the matter closed and Prydain moved on past the slaughter of the Archdeacon Family, one the great caretakers of the nation. Everything started to go wrong from there."
"What's wrong?" Sophia frowned, "everyone says we are entering a new golden age, like the first age of steam centuries ago."
"By all accounts we are," Miss Florence admitted, "but sometimes you cannot see the rotten core by just looking at the pretty and shiny skin of an apple. Taxes have increased tenfold, there are restrictions on travel, new laws being passed through the Landskyp everyday that would have been decried as unjust before."
"No one does anything about this?" Sophia could not believe that people would sit by as their freedoms were taken away.
"They don't see it all," Alexandra reasoned, "because very few are in the Landskyp, so very few see everything at once. They don't know the problems or how deep they go."
"Exactly," Miss Florence nodded, "I'm very impressed. You have the gift of insight."
"Okay," Alexandra glanced once again at the guards at the door, "were you all from House Archdeacon? I thought you said everyone died, how are you here then?"
"Perceptive. Yes, the official word was that the family, all the servants, and most of the soldiers were killed. That of course was not entirely true, though close. The Family was murdered, struck down in their own estate, in their own home. Most of the servants were at the Estate as well, the Family was there for an extended winter season, the Landskyp having ended for the rest of the year. However, not all the servants had arrived at the estate yet when the massacre happened. Some were still squaring things away at the family's city estate, some were on extended trips to other villages to check in and gather supplies. I was one of those, I was on my way back from a distant village when word reached me of the attack."
Miss Florence looked heartbroken, but continued her story. "By the time I arrived at the Estate, it was under guard of House Cornelius and they would permit no one close. Some other servants showed up right after me, ones from the city and others just returning from distant towns. Some of those servants you have seen, the other woman in the cart, and a few others around our little hideaway here. Most of the soldiers were killed too, caught off guard when the attack happened. You have to understand that nothing like this had ever happened, ever. No one expected it. Some soldiers though were away as part of the National Patrols, others guarding Archdeacon assets elsewhere in the country."
"But all the stories I've heard," Alexandra was frowning, something was not making sense, "said that everyone died, all servants, all soldiers."
"Yes, that was the official word. Most of the servants like myself decided to disappear. We realized we could be targets, being part of the House. We dyed our clothes, washing away the beautiful Archdeacon colours, but we kept them in our hearts. Some of the remaining soldiers did the same, the one's that did not, well, I heard stories that they met with accidents and other random ends. Land Pirates, wolf attacks, various things of that nature. Those of us that were left knew that we would surely die if we were identified, so we kept quiet, joined other Houses, became servants again, merchants, farmers even."
"These soldiers here," Alexandra was referring the ones at the door, "they have gold and green sewn into their clothes."
"The Archdeacon colours," Miss Florence sounded exuberant, "we wear them again with pride! The soldiers of House Archdeacon were known as the Greenguard because of the brilliant forest green mixed with gold that was their tunics. It's a name long forgotten, forced into dusty history by ruthless and cowardly enemies. This farm actually used to belong to House Archdeacon. Since their fall it has remained abandoned, maybe people think it is cursed so everyone stays away. Such a ghost story is perfect for us to rest and for you to recover. It is good though, Archdeacon servants are in the farmhouse once more and the property is protected by the Greenguard, just like old times, just as it should be. I think you're other friend Luca is out there with them, it seems he is quite taken with the idea of being a soldier," Miss Florence chucked, "I believe they have made him an honorary Greenguard."
It was a lot to take in all at once. Murdered nobles, the fall of an ancient house, servants and soldiers in hiding.
"Why are you all suddenly out in the open then? Aren't you in danger of having 'accidents' then like the others you mentioned?"
"Things have changed we believe. Besides, like I said, no one comes here, we are safe to show a little of our old House."
"What has changed?"
"Ah," Miss Florence noticeably paused, "we believe in and hope for a miracle, but let us not talk about that right now. Perhaps sometime soon. May I.... may I see your pendant?"
Alexandra paused, her heartbeat loud in her ears. It was her only link to her father, she had never let it go from her person. She had only met this Miss Florence, what if she was just tricking them? What if she was going to steal it and turn them over the people that tried to kill them?
"No," Alexandra told herself, "they've had plenty of opportunity to hurt you"
She slowly reached behind and undid the chain the pendant hung on. She extended her hands, offering it to Miss Florence. The older woman gently took it, letting Alexandra know she respected the value Alexandra had in the pendant. She turned it over in her hands several times, looking deeply at the ornate carvings that decorated its seamless gold surface. It appeared as if she was going to speak several times, but she always shut her mouth and just continued turning the pendant over.
Alexandra then noticed a small tear forming in the women's eye, but it was quickly wiped away. Miss Florence handed the pendant back to Alexandra.
She fastened the pendant back safely around her neck, "so, I get that you all used to be part of this House Archdeacon, but that still doesn't explain why you helped us. Why would you care what an Oonskat did? I don't know why everyone is so interested in me. I just want to find out who my father was and go back to being unknown, that's all I want."
The room was quiet except the cracking of the fire.
"You are special, Alexandra Benham." Miss Florence looked directly at her.
"I'm not, and I'm exiled, I can't use that last name."
"Exiled when you were a child."
"So?"
"How can they exile an infant? For what? You are special Alexandra, you and your pendant have drawn the attention of, well let us be honest, everyone."
"But why? Why does everyone care? It's just a pretty gold thing with some drawings on it! That's it!"
"But what about what it did when it was near that relic sword?" Sophia reminded her.
"I don't know!" Alexandra was tired of all the pressure and interest in her. "I don't care either, I just need someone to tell me what this is, because that will lead me to my father. That's no one's business but my own."
"And mine," Zooey piped up, "we're here with you for this crazy adventure."
"And mine," Sophia also added, "and Luca's; we are your friends and we're with you."
"You have chosen excellent traveling companions," Miss Florence was happy with the way things were turning out so far.
"They're my friends," Alexandra countered, "I'm lucky they chose me."
"Whether you like it or not, you have drawn the eyes of a great many. You will not be able to find the answers you seek in Avindr, they will kill you if you return there."
"But I need to find out, if only so everyone will leave us alone. After all this, I need to know who my father was." Alexandra would not give up.
"I'm glad to see you are still determined. You can still find the answers you look for, but it will take you very far. There are others besides the Watchers that could give you some answers, but you are going to have to find them."
"I'm ready," Alexandra nodded, "wherever they are, if they can tell me about my father, then I'll find them."
Zooey sighed, "why do I get the feeling I'm going to need new shoes?"
"Northwest is where you can find some help, towards the Rotsen Mountains"
"That's all the way across Prydain!" Zooey realized the journey would probably take a lot longer than she was even imagining, "we can't go that far!"
"Who do I need to find?" now that Alexandra knew that there was someone else out there who could tell her about her pendant, she was anxious to get moving.
"The name I do not know."
"Sheesh," Zooey shook her head, not liking the sound of all the traveling they would shortly be required to do.
"But, I believe the path will become clear once you head north."
"But what is that supposed to mean exactly?" Alexandra knew that there was a great deal of information being held back.
"Alex," Zooey did not want to walk that far, "the Rotsen Mountains are very far away. Think about this, why are we going? It's all very convenient that Miss Florence shows up and points you in the right direction."
"Zooey, that's rude!" Sophia chastised her again.
"I'm just saying it seems all a little planned out, convenient," Zooey sat back on the bench.
"No," Miss Florence was not offended, "she is actually right. Once we saw you we knew we had to send you northwards. We have friends there that can help you, tell you about your pendant."
Alexandra thought this was getting blown way out of proportion. "What friends? This all seems a bit much for an Oonskat and her little toy. There has to be someone else who could tell me where my pendant came from, it can't be rare or anything, someone has to recognize the carvings on it."
"No, only the people that I am sending you to near the Mountains can tell you for sure, any other would just be guessing or lying."
"But..." Alexandra thought this was all very mysterious.
"I wish I could tell you more dear," Miss Florence sounded sincere, "but like I said, we are safe here for the moment, but there is still great peril all around. My friends would not appreciate me just giving out names. I can point you in the right direction, but that is it. Once you get close, the way will look clear. Just head northwest towards the great mountain range. Trust me, the answers to why everyone cares so much about that pendant, why you're being hunted now, why it was given to you... all that waits at the Rotsen Mountains. And your pendant, it is not a toy, it is very special, and you are ever much more so I believe."
"But why do you believe that?"
"Maybe we'll speak of that if we meet again," Miss Florence was holding back again.
"You're not coming?" Alexandra just realized, "why can't we all go? It seems safer to travel in a group."
"Groups draw attention," Miss Florence explained, "we will head east, there we will link with other friends who will shelter us. You four started this journey when you left the slums of Avindr, you must continue it together."
"I want to go right away," Alexandra stood, Zooey groaned, "the longer we wait here the longer someone could catch up and then I'll never know about my father."
"We have backpacks prepared with provisions," Miss Florence stood also, "it is good to set off at night, less chance of being seen by any National Patrols, or anyone else for that matter."
"I'll go get Luca," Sophia made her way to the door, "he'll be excited; I am too... the Rotsen Mountains! I thought I'd never see them."
"Let's get this over with," Zooey reluctantly got to her own feet now as well.
"I thought you said you always wanted adventure and to get out of the slums," Alexandra knocked her gently on the arm.
"All the way across the nation seems a little big to start out with," Zooey would prefer an adventure that required much less walking, "this just seems a little big for us."
"We're out of the slums," Alexandra breathed in the fresh air of the countryside, "I can't wait to see what the rest of Prydain looks like."
"Trees, villages, roads, there you go. Prydain in three words."
"Ah, what would I do without you?"
"Have to fight more people when you disturb the bad guys."
"Yeah probably," Alexandra laughed.
"Okay, okay, I'll come, you can stop your begging," Zooey walked to the door with Alexandra, "but please, try to not cause any other social upheavals like what happened back in the city."
"I'll try," Alexandra promised.
"Okay, let's go, the night is young."
"You guys don't have to come," Alexandra tried to stop her, "this is pretty dangerous, and it's my burden..."
"Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up, you're stuck with us."
"Got it."
Alexandra appreciated her friend's willingness to stick by her with everything that had happened so far.
"Luca's coming, he's got the packs!" Sophia called from out in the yard.
"The moon's high, we'll be able to see where we're going at least," Zooey looked up at the night sky as they stepped outside into the tall unkempt grass of the front lawn area.
"The path out front," Miss Florence was a few steps behind them, "take a left at the old broken down gate at the edge of the farm, it'll take you northwest. You'll find some towns, villages, travelers, just get more specific directions towards the mountains with every spot of civilization you find, you'll hone in on it the close you get."
"Are you going to okay? After helping us and everything? House Cornelius cannot be too happy about what happened"
"We'll be fine," Miss Florence assured Alexandra, "we've hid for years, we'll be unseen again, but the time for that is quickly coming to a close."
Meeting with Sophia and Luca halfway across the farmland, they were given four backpacks by some of the soldiers. When Alexandra approached, they whispered, but quickly became quiet when she came up to them. Strapping on the packs dyed deep blue, they silently made their way towards the broken gate at the edge of the farm property. The gate appeared to have once been magnificent, the colour was hidden now below rust, and most of the metal gate was twisted and distorted far from its original shape.
The entire farm looked like it once was a very active, many barns and horse stalls littered the nearby area. Years of neglect though led to most of them being dilapidated, the grass growing unchecked all around. Old wheel dips in the road were ground in from countless carriages filled with produce and livestock. Under the moonlight, the abandoned farm did seem imposing, maybe that is what helped lead to people staying away. The horror of the fact that someone attacked a Noble Family and killed them was such an unfathomable event that the people of Prydain avoided reminders of Archdeacon, preferring to move on and almost pretend nothing happened.
Reaching the gate, Alexandra took one last look at the farm before they turned left and began the long way towards the Rotsen Mountains and the answers she so desperately sought.