Aldric knelt respectfully, but the giant of a man glanced at his commanding officer and folded his thick arms across his chest defiantly. Elenora raised an eyebrow at this, a smile tugging the corner of her mouth, but Aldric glanced at the man and made some sign, a signal, and the man’s arms came partway unfolded. Aldric glared at him and the gesture was repeated. The man sighed, adjusted the sword at his belt and started to kneel-

Her eyes widened. Sword?

Falki noticed it at the same time as she did. “Is this how you show your respect for the Duchess?” Falki challenged boldly. “By bringing blades before her presence?”

Her guards drew their own swords, short bronze blades in response.

Falki leveled his spear with a grim set to his face, and the man she marked as Lord Captain Aldric gesticulated frantically at the massive man.

*****

Daveth took a deep breath and drew his own sword. It was certain to be a one-sided fight; his blade was short and utilitarian but deadly sharp. The guards' weapons were made of bronze, which meant that either Nauders had lost the art of steelsmithing, or the weapons were ceremonial. Unless they exchanged their blades for something useful this was going to get ridiculous, fast. He’d obey his captain; he wouldn’t kill them, but maybe a little shame would go a long way to improving their attitudes.

*****

“Drop your sword, idiot!” Aldric snarled at him, and the giant shrugged and casually tossed his sword onto the pale stone floor with a clatter. Aldric whirled towards the throne. “Forgive him, Duchess. He’s not used to palatial etiquette.”

Daveth frowned at him and opened his mouth, but the Duchess raised her hand forbearingly.

“I understand, Lord Captain of the Seventh Seal. No insult was taken.” she said diplomatically. Falki glanced at her, startled, but she gave him a tiny shake of her head, the little silver charms on her circlet tinkling. His nostrils flared, but he stepped back, and raised his spear.

She had to rescue the situation. “Let’s adjourn to one of the sitting rooms to discuss the situation for which i’ve summoned you, Lord Captain.” She said smoothly, and rose to her feet. The giant of a man eyed her a second time, and she felt the thrill pass through her again. Who was he?

*****

Daveth eyed the Duchess as he and Aldric approached. Like the throne room itself, she was pale, nearly pale as freshly poured milk. Her dress was a pristine white a shade lighter than her own skin, and she wore a simple circlet of silver and moonstones across her brow, with a fringe of tiny silver charms hanging down to her snow-white eyebrows. Her hair was equally pale and colorless, a lustrous, pearly white. Her eyes seemed to be the only thing that had color, and they were a deep, unsettling red, like rubies. All of her guards, loosely clustered about the throne, were also albinos, and they wore white-lacquered ceremonial armor. She was petite, and probably came up to Aldric’s collarbone with heels.

Daveth had heard of albinos before, but it seemed the entire family was afflicted. The Duchy of Nauders was a small fief far to the north of Bergierde. The people of Nauders were a hardy folk, living in the rugged foothills of the Spine, a sheer range of mountains that separated the civilized lands from the algid wastes north. Every winter their armies marched to Timwaite Pass in vigilance against the Northern Avalanche, a ferocious and terrifying army of half-giants. In truth, the troubles between the Urthan and the Anglish were the result of the Northern Avalanche forcing their way through the Spine along the coast, cutting a freezing, murderous swathe of blood and forcing the Urthan to retreat south and east, provoking the War of the Eastern Marches. Timwaite pass was no longer the only safe path through the Spine.

Aldric had knelt at the foot of her throne, but Daveth refused. He wasn’t her vassal, he had no obligation to kneel. Aldric gestured at him angrily to kneel, and so he’d begun to kneel, when the pale boy yelled, pointing to Daveth’s sword. Daveth frowned at Aldric’s fear- weren’t they hired to be the muscle for this duchess?

He met the gaze of the Duchess again, and nearly flinched under that unnatural gaze. Most people did not have eyes like hers. Even Alysia, Lynnabel and Aurene’s eyes seemed normal compared to the Duchesses’ eyes, though he could not explain why. Her voice was like velvet, sweet and soft.

Daveth debated in his head for a moment; if she were to wear normal clothes, she might be less surreal and unnatural, and so then he composed a game in his head as to which clothes she should be in to make him less unsettled.

*****

“Let’s adjourn to one of the sitting rooms to discuss the situation for which I’ve summoned you, lord captain.” She said diplomatically, and as they moved through a side passage, Aldric hissed at him.

“You could pretend to be civilized. You’ve done it before, I’ve seen it.”

“I’m not sworn to her, Aldric, I’m sworn to you. I’m not obligated to kneel to her.” Daveth replied in an equally low voice.

“Bullshit, it’s called being respectful.” Aldric rebutted immediately. “Be respectful.”

“Fine, but I’m not kneeling, you’d better give up on that.” Daveth balked.

“You’d best start acting like a second-in-command and less like a fool, Commander.” Aldric ordered warningly as they entered the sumptuous sitting rooms.

The young woman glided around a massive desk and seated herself primly.

“I called you because I fear revolt is coming to these lands, Lord Captain.” She began and then added, “The House of Edelweiss has guided the people in these lands for a thousand years. We have watched over the land, guided its citizens, and kept peace for the entirety of our rule.”

She glanced at the unlit fireplace at the other side of the room,wishing that it’d been lit before in anticipation of the meeting. The room was chilly. She returned her gaze to Aldric.

“Lately there has been talk of revolt... and there have been a few small riots. Murders.” She sighed. “It pains me to see my people upset like this. But the fact is, someone is stirring them up. It may come to civil war, but I would like you to investigate and root out this problem before it escalates.”

Daveth rolled his eyes at this, but kept his mouth shut. A trio of servants came into the room and two busied themselves by the fireplace, kindling a fire while another brought in a carafe of wine and a tray of silver glasses.

The conversation dried up as the servants bustled about, but as soon as they took their leave, bowing without a word and exiting quietly, Daveth took his eyes off his silver cup and folded his hands.

“Understand that I’m asking this because I simply don’t understand and hope that you’ll explain it to me,” Daveth began, and Aldric glared at him immediately. The Duchess, observing the unspoken byplay between them, eyed him carefully over her cup.

“Duchess, we’re soldiers. Setting aside our skills at war, we probably make for terrible Inquisitors. Why have you hired us, a band of mercenaries?” He asked heavily. There were a number of emotions in his inquiry, and he weighed his words carefully despite them.

“I am sure your Lord Captain can explain it to you, Commander.” She remarked dismissively.

Aldric nodded. “I’m sure I can, Your highness.”

Daveth shook his head. “I’d prefer to hear it from your lips, Duchess.” Aldric’s brows lowered at this.

The Duchess raised a silvery eyebrow, but her lips quirked in what might have been a smile. “For the time being, I ask that you patrol the towns and communities and, if you can, prevent any more riots from breaking out. I will empower you to act in concert with the local militia.” She glanced to the side. “My family is... noticeable, Lord Commander. We can’t move as freely as you. It’s my hope that as you fulfill this role I have created for you, elements of this conspiracy that have eluded us may become... visible.”

Daveth waved that aside with a dismissive hand. “That’s not enough reason. You could have levied more militia from your own vassals, if you wanted more troops.” He frowned irritably. “Let them die for you.”

“Could I trust them?” She asked rhetorically. “I need a force to stop the riots, raids, and murders that is impartial, that won’t be swayed by politics.”

He shrugged, and she chuckled musically. “You see? You don’t care about my family, our lineage, or our histories and legends. You care about coin, and that is exactly what we need.”

Daveth’s brows lowered angrily at this flippant statement.

“I care about the lives of the men and women that are under my command, Duchess. I don’t want them dying for some meaningless rivalry.” He retorted, and she nodded. “Of course you do.” She acknowledged.

There was a pause in the conversation as Daveth considered these things. He wanted to make a list of demands, charge extra, demand luxuries, but this was not his negotiation. Instead he gripped his silver goblet, warping it with crushing strength as he suppressed his growing anger. War, he could understand. Monsters? Mutants? Demons? Bring ‘em by the dozen. He’d fight and die a warriors’ death. Politics, though. That was offensive to him. Nobles sending armies at each other over slights, perceived or imagined. There was nothing clean about such things, nothing human. Humans weren’t tools or toys. That’d been the entire point of the War of Liberation, three hundred years prior: humans refused to bow to false gods and goddesses any longer.

How could he rescue this situation?

“Bring me a map of your Duchy.” He finally said, and the duchess and her brother exchanged bewildered looks.

“A... map, Commander?” She asked tentatively. Her eyes went to Aldric, who shrugged slightly. Her eyes returned to the giant.

He nodded at her. “A map. Let me see what it is we’re putting our lives on the line for.” He said finally, heavily.

She whispered to one of her guards, who nodded and left the room briskly.

A servant brought in a stack of maps, and Daveth sorted through them.

“So here is Nauders...” He indicated. “You have a chain of shanty towns- small towns really- here...” he mused, and eyed part of the map critically. “Landeck is here...” He mused, and pointed in an abstract gesture. “That means those villages would be there, there, and there...” he muttered to himself as he oriented himself.

“Here.” He said, and pointed to a small hilltop. “I’d bet there are bandit raids aplenty here.” Daveth muttered.

Aldric eyed him curiously. “Really?” He asked skeptically.

Daveth nodded. “It’s what I’d do. Come charging down the hill here where the road is, waylay people and then retreat around the hilltop to the rear. The pass here is what really sets it up as an ideal spot.” He moved his finger slightly south.

The duchess’ eyes widened, and there was a sense of the guards stiffening slightly.

“It is... mysterious that you would say that so... casually.” The Duchess remarked. “It is as you say, there have been a couple of bandit attacks in that area recently. We have sent soldiers but returned with nothing.”

She made a small gesture with her hand that Daveth couldn’t interpret.

“That land belongs to my uncle.” She smiled mysteriously. “Would you care to guess what he uses the land for?” She asked challengingly.

Daveth raised an eyebrow as he traced the map’s geograpies with his fingers. “The elevation isn’t ideal for cattle, and unless there’s been some terracing for crops it’s probably not ideal for farming either.” He mused, and then chuckled suddenly. “I’d guess a tannery or brewery.”

The Duchess’ eyes grew round and her guard stepped back in obvious shock.

“You would have no way of knowing this.” She said wonderingly, and he raised his eyebrows.

“I guess I’m right?” He asked rhetorically. “But the winds usually blow this way, correct?” he asked casually, drawing a finger across the map. “Tanneries stink. By putting them here, it’s ideally suited for him to process leather without upsetting the local peasantry.”

Aldric eyed his commander thoughtfully. Sometimes he could pull the strangest nuggests of wisdom from wherever it was he kept them.

Daveth waved his startling revelation away with his hand. “You want us to patrol Nauders, these hamlets, the town of Courland and...” he frowned. “I can’t read that.” He said, and pointed at the script above the burg, which was small and barely legible.

“Ansbach, Lord Commander, and you are correct.”

He gestured at Landeck. “What of Landeck?” he asked, and she shook her head. “That is beyond our borders, and I would ask that you... walk lightly, there.” She said quietly. “There has been a long-standing enmity between our peoples going back two hundred years that we have only begun to mend.”

Daveth remembered Aldric’s convoluted explanation of the relationship between the people of Landeck and Nauders and rolled his eyes.

Daveth stroked his beard and tapped his finger meditatively against his mouth as he thought. “It would be easy to point to the cause of your unrest there, Duchess.” he remarked finally. “If there’s been a long-standing feud, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t start it again.”

The Duchess shook her head. “The former Duke of Landeck is my father, Lord Commander. There is a very personal interest in peace between us.”

Daveth raised his eyebrows. “Impressive.” He said, and she nodded.

“You will need to change your heraldry while you are under the employ of the White House.” The Duchess insisted, and while Daveth folded his arms stubbornly, Aldric raised an eyebrow and tugged on his beard.

“Oh? How so?”

“The Duchy of Nauders’ colors are the White Tree of the Edelweiss on a field of green. While you are under our employ you will fly these colors.” She stated.

Daveth glared at Aldric, who made a hand sign at him. Daveth signed back at Aldric, who gave his second in command a startled look.

Aldric picked up the thread of negotiation smoothly and grinned at the Duchess.

"Of course, but first, there is, shall we say, the matter of agreements and accords?" Aldric began.

*****

“I didn’t want to say this in front of the Duchess, but Aldric, she shouldn’t need an entire army to search for conspirators. Even one as small as ours. We fight battles, monsters, bandits, the like.” Daveth remarked bitterly back at camp. The negotiations were lengthy, wordy, and Daveth had the beginnings of a headache.

“Ah, but you did.” Aldric remarked dryly, tamping tobacco into his pipe. “But you surprised me anyway; I guess you do have a civil bone in your body somewhere.”

“I’m always civil, Aldric. You expect me to cringe and lick boots however and you’ve got something else coming.” Daveth retorted, waving away pipesmoke. “And this is why you kept this one to yourself, isn’t it?” Daveth demanded. “You got us into some mess between nobles and we’re the ones that’re going to take the hit. You knew I’d refuse.”

“Of course I knew you’d refuse. But this is still my Company, Daveth. I took this job for several reasons, and to hell with your sensibilities of war.”

“Like what?” Daveth argued, irritated.

“She’s offered us a lot of money and food, and more besides. Also, if this does take forever and a day- as I suspect it will- we’ll have warm beds and roofs for our precious troops for the winter months.” Aldric remarked, tipping a significant glance towards Daveth.

“Shit, I didn’t think of that.” Daveth replied.

Aldric nodded. “Lucky for you, I did. That’s why I’m the captain.”

“Daveth...” Aldric began, and then took his pipe out of his mouth and inspected it carefully. “How are you holding up?” He asked quietly. “It hasn’t been long since Jonan’s death, and I know he was your mentor. You know, as a friend, I’m concerned.”

Daveth shook his head, puzzled. “I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.” he replied. “Still, he was something, wasn’t he?” Daveth remarked, and Aldric barked a laugh. “Something? Yeah, he was definitely ‘something’, all right.” Aldric replied.

“What’s next, Captain?” Daveth asked, lacing his fingers together and cracking them.

“Now we attend a ball.” Aldric stated casually, puffing on his pipe contentedly. “Chat, dance, get a feel for the nobles.” He took the pipe out of his mouth and pointed at Daveth with the stem.

“Keep an ear out Daveth, and pay attention to what they say and how they say it. No rash actions, mind you. We don’t know these nobles; they could all be plotting our client’s downfall, or they could be disgruntled and bear a grudge but intend no ill will. Some may support her because they genuinely prefer the House of Edelweiss, some may support her in order to ingratiate themselves to us, but may plot through the teeth in their smiles. The long and short of it is that there’s about a billion justifications to help her, hinder her, or simply do nothing at all and wait to see how everything plays out, and you’ll have no way of telling them apart simply by listening... but you need to listen.” Aldric explained.

He glanced up at Daveth. “You made an impression they won’t soon forget, i think.” He remarked blandly. “Actually, we can use this. The boorish and uncouth Daveth and the refined gentleman that is myself.” He chuckled at the absurdity, stroking his coat. Daveth responded with an obscene gesture. Aldric chuckled at that.

“Get some clean clothes. Clean, serviceable. You can’t be a gentleman, but you can be a distinguished warrior.” He snorted. “Because that’s what you are. I’m not going to tell you to not carry a concealable weapon because you probably will anyway, but I am going to ask you to carry your command baton.”

Daveth moved his hand in a cutting-off gesture.

“That ridiculous thing? It’s embarrassing.”

“That was an order, Daveth.” Aldric replied. “It’ll remind them you’re not just a grunt, a man with a gift for fighting.”

*****

Daveth left Aldric’s tent in a meditative mood. Audra fell into step beside him and he nodded at her.

“Will you need me for anything?” She asked curiously. Daveth started to shake his head, but changed his mind. “Sort of. Want you to do a little scouting.” he said. “Come to my tent a moment.”

When he reached his tent, Eirawen was standing there stiffly.

“Ah, Eirawen.” he greeted, already feeling the chill radiating off of her. She dipped her head in response to his greeting.

“I wanted to speak with you, Commander.” She said by way of greeting, and he nodded.

“I wanted to speak to you, too. But I have to talk to Audra first. When she leaves you can come in and we can talk.” Eirawen nodded.

Once inside his tent he tossed his cloak onto the rickety wooden chair and shivered a little.

“That one is hard to get along with, Commander.” Audra said quietly.

“She’s not particularly sociable, but she’s a good warrior.’ He replied distractedly. He grabbed a piece of parchment and fetched a charcoal pencil. “Besides, she saved my ass in Ankar Set.”

“Alysia saved your ass in Ankar Set too, Lord Commander.” Audra reminded him.

“Another unsociable warrior.” He replied with a roll of his eyes. She giggled a little. “Now attend. Southwest of here there’s a pass through some hills, or perhaps a pair of cliffs. Ripe spot for bandit raids.” he said while sketching. “It’s between a town called ...” He racked his brain, what did she call it? “Ansbach and Landeck.” he said, and passed the scrap of map to her. “You’ll recognize it because we didn’t take this route into Nauders.”

“Hmm. You’re right. This looks like an excellent spot for raids, Commander. What do you want me to do?” She asked.

He laughed. “I want a map. No combat. You’re going to be as sneaky as you can be, Audra. You’re not to be seen or found by anyone. Cover this area and mark hills, cliffs, caves, mountains, whatever. I’m told there’ve been a couple attacks in this area and I want to make sure that I’ve got an escape route, spots for counterattack, I dunno. I want to know everything.”

She nodded. “You can count on me, Commander. I won’t let you down.” She said seriously, and then, eyeing his command baton, dipped a curtsey. “Your lordship.” she said jokingly.

“Do that again.” He remarked casually. “See how much time you can spend in the stocks.” She ducked out of the tent, laughing cheerfully.

Eirawen entered the tent, and eyed him carefully.

“What is it, Eirawen?” He asked her.

“What kind of fighting can we expect, Commander?” She asked in her customary low, husky voice. He shook his head. “I think we’ll fight some bandits. Perhaps a few scuffles here and there.” He remarked. “I don’t think it’ll be a war. We’ll knock some heads together, make a show of force, and likely whoever is leading this farce will fold like a house of cards.” He made as if to spit, but changed his mind.

He glanced at her. “The people of Nauders have a long history against the Northern Avalanche." he pointed out to her. "That armor of yours paints a pretty target on us."

She glanced down at the jagged white thunderbolt scrawled across the breastplate of her enameled breastplate. "I have no fear of the Void." She decided simply.

"Get rid of that mark." Daveth insisted, but she shook her head. "This was my father's armor. I will not deface it." She declared simply.

"So he had tits too?" He asked doubtfully. The breastplate was obviously designed for a woman's figure. Rather, the whole armor from head to toe looked to have been crafted exclusively for her.

"The Goddess Eisa reshaped it to suit me." Eirawen explained patiently.

"All the Gods are dead, Eirawen. You're not bound by them any longer." Daveth offered, but she rolled her eyes. Daveth pressed on. "Either change out of your armor while we're in Nauders or cover it up. I don't want to make waves with our employer."

Eirawen shouldered past Daveth and exited his tent, leaving him frustrated and chilled to the bone.

"....and I have to attend a fucking ball." he muttered to himself irritably.