“Welcome to Cliforge. You may call me Braydon.” Braydon spoke once the scribe had left his carriage.

“Geir Asche.” A curt response with a small nod. He was neither old nor young for a scribe and dressed as any typical scholar would but wore a face that said far more than his words. Braydon suspected it was a permanent feature but it could have just as easily been that the man had decided that he disliked how Braydon looked.

“It has been a long time Geir, how have you been?” Nela, being the one that already knew the scribe started off the conversation.

“How does it look like I have been?” Geir responded and Braydon could immediately see why Nela said that he left an impression. He was certainly disagreeable at the very least.

“In good health, and I would hope it were so.” Nela’s response was so perfect that Braydon wondered whether this was her putting it on like she so often did or that she actually knew the scribe that well.

“Ha! Good health maybe but it ends there.” Geir scoffed at the mention of being in good health as if it were not something important. Braydon looked to Nela to see what he should be doing in the situation that he had found himself in. If it was any normal person, he would have invited them inside the keep already but it looked like Geir wanted to stand around and complain about life in general rather than move about.

“How about we discuss it inside?” Nela suggested without batting an eyelid once she noticed Braydon’s silent plea for help.

“Bah, there is no use talking about what has already happened. Just tell me more about why I am here.” Geir waved her off as he started moving towards the keep at a leisurely pace, not checking to see if Braydon and Nela were even walking with him.

“Then I will have my servants bring us some wine.” Braydon commented whilst looking at the nearest servant as they entered the keep. The servant immediately nodded and turned to leave but not before Geir commented.

“I am not some noble who drinks all his problems away.” The servant paused and looked to Braydon for instruction.

“Then how about tea instead?” Braydon asked whilst looking to Nela who just shrugged.

“You think me some precious lady discussing the latest dirt with all of her vapid friends?” Geir had some choice words for that too. And Braydon could already see how this was going to go, the man was just looking for things to complain about rather than actually disliking anything that he said in particular.

Braydon decided to continue their way up to his study without saying anything. The servant who had made to move at his orders looked unsure of what he was actually meant to be doing so Braydon just motioned for him to go back to what he was doing.

“So you want me to teach your rabble?” Was the first thing that Geir said once the three of them were sat down in Braydon’s study. It was quite obvious that he knew quite clearly what had been offered in Nela’s letter. And that only made Braydon wonder why he had even come if he would do anything other than accept. So far all he had shown was that he did not like anything about what Braydon said or did.

“Not quite what I would call my own soldiery but that would be about correct.” Braydon nodded, if Rhydian had been there he was sure that the man would either have laughed at the description or taken deep offence.

“Call them what you want, it is not like they are part of the imperial guard.” Geir responded.

“If your standard for not being rabble is the personal guard of the Barakhil Emperor then I would think that most every armed man on the continent fits your description.” Braydon merely smiled and shook his head at that. Rhydian was very good at training troops but there was only so much that good training could do. There was also the matter of the resources and battle experience.

“Ha! I was talking about the Ciai guard of old.” Geir laughed when Braydon mentioned the Barakhil imperial guard. The Ciai imperial guard were the most impressive fighting force the continent had seen but they had gone the same way as the Ciai empire hundreds of years ago.

“If we are comparing to the long dead then there is not a man alive that can stand on par with every historical figure. But that has little to do with whether you would be willing to educate my people.” Braydon really had to wonder if Geir just liked complaining or if he really did have a general distaste for humanity.

“That depends.” Geir said. The first time that he had even gotten close to saying what he wanted rather than what he did not want.

“On?” Braydon motioned for him to continue.

“You.” Not the response he expected.

“And what about me specifically?” Braydon was unsure what the man meant. If he had his way, he would already have a scribe hired and teaching his men how to write. Here was a scribe before him saying that accepting the job was entirely dependent on Braydon. He could hardly make heads or tails of it.

“If it is just that he will be fine.” Nela finally spoke again, looking confident in what she had said. It was clear that she had realised what Geir was going on about already. Braydon just wished that she would share the secret with him too because he was lost.

“You might say that but I will come to my own decisions.” Geir rolled his eyes as he looked at Nela, a bit miffed that she had taken the wind out of his sails.