“Aren't you a servant? How could you be acting around father that way?”

I asked Lyum, oblivious to the arrogant condescension that was laced in my tone.

Seeing the old butler's raised eyebrows, I frowned. He's not even answering me? If not for the fact he was Sir Barker's brother and had let me hear a bit more of the conversation just now, I would have told him to leave us alone.

“You took one of those black drinks and even teased the Viscount. He even said you were a guest.” I explained. Maybe he was just a bit slow.

“Young master,” Lyum said quietly. “Your confusion is not entirely unjustified. But you forget that sometimes the word of a king's slave is sometimes more powerful than that of a general. I am also the brother of a great knight, respected by many, including both of your fathers.”

I gulped as I thought of what he said. Viscount Phrans might be a viscount, but he was new to the position, and his own father had risen to the position from that of a commoner in his own lifetime. My father was the diametric opposite: he had been the heir to one of the most powerful houses in the kingdom, and he fell from grace to become the lord of Olwick.

“It is for that very brother that we are all here in Bridgewater.” Lyum spoke quietly, and I didn't even hear every word behind the clacks of our shoes on the stone stairs. “Him and the viscount, who were murdered by vagabonds.”

“Why?” Pricel suddenly interrupted and we all came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs to the town square outside. “Grandfather was already old, he would have lived what... 5? Maybe 10 more years? Why did someone kill him? Why couldn't I...”

Lyum cuffed him on the head just as he seemed about to break out in tears.

“Do not cry, young master. Even in grief, a gentleman must remain strong. Your grandfather was a man who took his fate into his own hands, rising to status without even compromising on those mercantile interests of his. Although I would urge you not to take on those ignoble pursuits, you still should be proud and conduct yourself like the heir to such a man.”

The butler spoke tough, but he still put his hand back on Pricel's head, tilting it so he could see his face.

I thought of that day I met Pricel and his grandfather. It had been just the two of them, and the guards that is, who had visited us in Olwick.

Perhaps Pricel was one of the closest to his grandfather in this family.

“It's not like that,” Pricel said, now actually crying. “I hated grandfather. I always thought it was because of him, because he stubbornly kept on being a merchant that we... that I...”

“Do not say that,” Lyum said, consoling the other boy. “It is clear you did not hate your grandfather. I was not particularly close to my brother either. He was so much stronger and braver than I was, riding off to glory in battle while I toiled in the shadows. He was still my brother though, and I will grieve his passing tomorrow much as you will your grandfather's.”

“But- but I couldn't even tell him. That I wanted him to be there. Because I'm weak... It's because of me...”

I had only met the viscount the one time. Even though Pricel was close to breaking down, as Lyum mentioned his brother, my thoughts quickly shifted to the old man who had always been around.

The twinkling Weave in the night sky, the subtle warmth from each other in the night breeze or whatever it was that made Pricel emotional did not hit me in the same way. Instead of melancholy and tears, I clenched my fist, thinking about those who killed our family's retired knight.

Maybe it was just because I didn't have a strained relation with the old man. He always seemed pretty happy, in his gruff lonesome way.

I wouldn't shame Sir Barker by crying for him instead of avenging him.

“Graisfor,” I spoke out, “You heard your father back there, right? They are the ones who did it.”

I would make sure something happened. Jom Barker deserved justice. And, I thought about Fafi who we had left whining loudly enough that we heard her all throughout the morning that we left. Fafi deserved as much too.

“We can do it together,” I told Pricel, causing him to look at me in some hope. He had stopped crying now. “I mean, hopefully our parents will find out what happened and punish the bad people, but if not, then we can do it, right?”

Lyum sighed, interrupting even though it looked like Pricel wanted to say something.

He just pushed me behind the back, doing the same to Pricel.

“Come on, both of you. I know you were both close with the viscount and my brother, but they wouldn't have wanted you to dwell on conspiracies and revenge. You both have bright futures ahead of you.”

“Mmh,” I didn't agree, but how could I say I didn't want to respect Sir Barker's wishes? It's true that he always talked about caring for Olwick, learning to build and craft, not just to be a warrior.

“Tilvrade?” Pricel asked hesitantly, “I'm sorry.”

I tilted my head to the side. Why was he apologising?

“I know my sister has been sulking over what happened with... with Geran. But I don't want to see you two like that. I just want you to know I was grateful you took Delthimay away from that. I didn't want either of you to see that.”

I blinked at the sudden change in subject. Why was he talking about that now all of a sudden?

I thought of the nobles standing around us and Black Rat, who I had met that night, thinking he was just a friend of the boy bullying Pricel.

“Uh, yeah. Don't let that Geran guy push you around like that though,” I said. Pricel was a bit of a pushover. I don't think he even trained or learned the sword. Still, he had just let Geran push him around right in the middle of a party and had continued to smile nervously so no one could point it out.

“Tilvrade?” Pricel was leaning towards me.

“What?”

“I'm sure father will find out what happened... But, I'll try my best too.”

I nodded.

“I don't know what I can do... Geran and them... make life difficult sometimes... but I'll be in Gristol soon to attend the university classes. I'll hear more about what's going on, maybe even learn about the King's Justice or the history of Count Niles's family. I'll try to help, so... I hope you make up with Delthimay, alright?”

“Well, it's not as if I have anything against Delthimay. She was the one that started it...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After clearing that up, we didn't really do much else. We just sat on the fountain in the square keeping our thoughts to ourselves.

Pricel said he would talk to Delthimay, so maybe that annoyance would be behind me.

While we were sitting there though, another visitor arrived.

The first sign of it was the clattering of the wood and stone from the road we had come by. That was the main road, though they could have they come from Gristol or Leslie over the bridge.

A majestic carriage rolled into view from behind the other large building, which was probably a council or guild. It was Count Yse's emblem on the door, and there were 8 horse back knights in armour riding in front and behind.

The image was just a bit ruined by the streaks of mud , particularly just behind the wheels that must have been from the journey.

“We better go back to join your parents. It seems Count Yse has finally arrived.”

Lady Yse was so different from Lady Phrans. Where Lady Phrans was demure, my father's half-sister was almost brash. She almost leaped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped, doffing her wide brimmed hat that she pushed into Ivian's hands, since there were few other servants around.

As she kissed her brother and greeted the viscount, her dress, bright coloured and free flowing swirled around her like a summer breeze.

I shivered just looking at it. I was chilly with my coat on.

“Nephew!” She then spoke up across the courtyard, before even greeting mother or the others right there in front of her. Lyum had just led us back in, hurrying back from our respite outside.

“Lady Yse,” I bowed, still an awkward distance away for such a greeting.

“Nonsense, you should call me Aunt Marian. We are family, are we not?”

I was beginning to feel somewhat put on the spot. Although I remember father speaking of letters from this aunt of mine over the years, I had only ever met her twice, and almost in passing, as both times were at larger gatherings.

“Aunt Marian.” I dipped my head slightly again, but she bent down a bit to give me a hug instead.

There was an oddly nostalgic perfume on her, but I couldn't quite remember what it was. I couldn't get it out of my head though as I started to see phantoms of Sam's. Phantoms, within phantoms, actually, as I saw that strange flickering image hanging from the giant floating sphere in the sky.

It wasn't the first time I had seen it. Often that very place, something like a town square judging by the people in it would flash through my mind, but the phantom there this time was not smiling blandly talking about some event, but rather a woman with water dripping down mostly bared skin who was drinking a bright orange liquid from a... tin, not so different from the kindling tin I kept in my travel bags.

Some part of me wanted to look away. Ivian and Simila had taught me when I was young that I couldn't follow them into their room. It was basic propriety. The only women I had seen with so little on before were the ugly ones in South Gate and mother, when I was still a baby.

But I couldn't look away, just dispel the illusion and follow Lyum and Pricel back behind our parents.

I watched Lady Yse a bit longer, suspicious of what link she had to the undressed women and the hologram in the Royal Lucian Square.

Ah, I blinked, that's what it as, a hologram. It was the same as the projections called virspheres, except this one was much bigger and stuck in place in the centre of Sam's city.

“Fat dweeb,” Delthimay then interrupted my staring, making me double take. What did she say? She had just whispered it almost as if to herself, but I still heard her clearly. “First he sneered at me and now he's sucking up to the Countess like that.”

I felt a pang of apprehension as I thought that maybe she was talking about me. But then I saw she was looking right at Orjel who was currently bowing courteously.

“Ough, uff, ghff,” I coughed to hide my outburst of laughter.

“Are you alright?” Delthimay asked

“Yes, I'm alright.” I responded, “I just... well, I don't know what his problem his either...”

“You mean you heard that?”

I smiled, “Orjel was being a pain in the carriage. He elbowed me whenever I was about to sleep.” I told her.

“Wait, don't tell me you just let him get away with it. You're going to end up like my brother.” She said, and there was a hint of anger in her voice.

“That's kind of unfair,” I said but I was just mumbling by the end of the exclamation.

Just a moment ago, I had been telling Pricel not to let Geran push him around, but I had just admitted to letting him bug me and not doing anything about it. Wasn't I the one being unfair to Pricel?

Still, Orjel hadn't really done all that much. Maybe nothing else would happen. I would take some lessons from Alust over the winter and then maybe I won't even see him again anyway.