ARC 7-Cursed Fates-121-Earl (Patreon)

Earl didn’t have to wait all night.

A little over two hours after he found the room, there was a knocking on the door, three quick raps, two heavy pounds, and then a short drumming of nails on the wood. With profound relief, Earl rose from his chair and opened the door. Geneva waited on the other side, smiling smugly. He quickly stepped aside so she could enter the room and closed the door behind her.

“I’m glad to see you, Teacher.”

“Oh, not nearly as happy as I am to see you.” She waved and he obediently knelt in front of her. A finger touched his forehead and he forced himself to relax as he felt the strange sensation of foreign mana pushing into his body. There were techniques that would allow him to pull down his natural defenses, but it was far too advanced for anything but a master amongst masters. The most he could do was make his teacher’s task a bit easier, though he couldn’t tell by how much. She removed her finger a moment later.

“You did good. Lou will be happy.”

Pride swelled in Earl’s chest. He was the steward of the house, but he had no illusion that he was necessary. His teacher could do his job alongside her other duties without a problem, better than he could. Besides that, if others knew of his lady’s capabilities and her future potential, there’d be a queue of talented men lining up to serve her. Earl’s position was nothing but his lady’s mercy. Rarely did he have the chance to aid her and prove himself worthy of it. He would have acted to protect his sister and Allen regardless, but knowing Lou would appreciate it was gratifying.

“It was a matter of course.”

“Not at all. Lou was quite insistent that I not strip you of your will or completely remake your mind. That means I can only give you the knowledge. It is up to you to use it to make effective choices. That is your accomplishment and it reflects well on both of us.” She flicked her fingers and he rose. “Come. It’s time to return. Lou will want you close by.”

-

Earl was not accustomed to acts of intimacy.

After his parents died, no one had time for him or his sister. If he was lucky, a kind stranger might pass on a few copper crowns or a bit of food, but they’d never think to hug a dirty orphan.

The bandits he joined weren’t caring individuals. He chose them to exchange the numerous threats of the streets for the singular threat of thieving. Surviving amongst them required a veneer of strength. Not a place for hugs or hair ruffling.

Lou saved him from that life and gave him a home, but she also wasn’t a warm person, at least to her servants. Earl understood. She was not their mother to hold and coddle them. It was more than enough that she provided a warm home and ample opportunities for growth.

Earl had given up on such things. Perhaps he would have it in the future, when he found a woman worthy to be in Lou’s service beside him. In the meantime, it was good enough that he could provide those things for his sister, when she allowed him.

That was why his lady dragging him into a tight embrace took him completely off guard. He froze as she laid her head atop his own and let out a heavy breath.

“I was so worried,” she whispered, voice strained with emotion.

Earl didn’t know what to do. His extensive training didn’t extend to comforting someone. He had experience calming Anna but the thought of treating his lady the same way he did his wild sister was abhorrent. “I…am fine,” he managed to say as he awkwardly patted her back. That seemed to satisfy her as Lou released him and patted his shoulder.

“You did good.”

“It was only what was expected of me.”

“I’d say you went far beyond what was expected of you.” He followed her gaze when she looked to the side, taking in the sight of Alana carefully cradling her nephew. The normally stern woman was shaking and he thought he saw tears in the corners of her tightly shut eyes. Nearby, Kierra held a sleeping Anna with a soft smile. “This was going to be hard. It’s still going to be hard but having you three back…it makes it easier.”

She patted his shoulder again. “Go on. Get some sleep.”

“I can assist you.”

“Nuh-uh. You’ve done more than enough.” Her other hand landed on his unoccupied shoulder and she ducked her head so their eyes were level. “I know how capable you are and I couldn’t be prouder to have you as my steward but you’re also a child. A prodigious child matured by far too many bad experiences, but a boy nonetheless. You’re one of mine. I probably haven’t done anything to inspire much confidence—"

“My lady, that isn’t true!” he reflexively interrupted, his deference pushed aside by righteous indignation on her behalf. He couldn’t tolerate anyone looking down on her, not even herself. “You’ve done so much for us. I—"

“Alright, alright.” She smiled but it was weak, quickly collapsing into a neutral expression. “If you have faith in me, then trust me to take care of things.”

“I want to do something to help you, my lady.”

“…then I want you to keeping doing what you’ve been doing. Protect the children. They don’t need any part of what’s coming. Bell’s going to take you three out of the city but she’ll be busy keeping you all safe. It’ll be up to you to care for them. To keep them comfortable, reassure them. Make sure Anna doesn’t run off to live with wolves.” She chuckled but the sound contained barely any humor. “Can you do that?”

“I can. I will.”

“Earl.”

He looked over as Alana approached. If Lou was distant, Alana was detached. She treated him respectfully, but she had a more traditional view of servants. They were there to do a job and were otherwise unacknowledged. His lady frequently took an interest in them, stopping to ask about their day or even giving them gifts. Alana hardly acknowledged them. Her current stare was perhaps the first time she’d looked at him properly.

“Thank you.” She carefully adjusted the sleeping boy in her arms. “The north is synonymous with death, but war is no place for children. They are meant to be protected. That was one point of Yulia’s views I agreed with. If she…if the worst happens, she’ll have some measure of peace knowing her son is safe.”

“I don’t know if she was captured,” Earl said. “The plan was to separate into three separate groups. Divide their attention. There’s a chance they escaped.”

“If they were still free, Geneva would have found them. Either the hunters have them or…” Lou shook her head. She nodded to Alana and the blonde held out Allen, Earl accepting the boy with gentle hands. Kierra wandered over and one of her hands patted Earl’s head, the elf radiating approval. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. We’ll handle it.”

“…if I may ask, what are you planning to do?”

The warmth around him was stamped out by an oppressive tension as three gazes narrowed. They didn’t speak but he knew the answer. He also knew that it wouldn’t end with Quest.

The leader of the bandits Earl joined, who went by the unenviable title of Rat, the boy had never bothered to learn his true name, was a legend in their business. Mainly because of his excessively theatrical nature but also because of how long he managed to go without getting caught. Being a bandit was not an occupation one practiced for longevity or security. In the end, sooner rather than later, a thief went after the wrong target and got into trouble.

Rat had lasted longer than most because he was cowardly at heart. He educated himself about noble houses and prominent businesses so that he could better gage potential targets. And he always acted with restraint. No violence if it could be avoided and if it couldn’t, absolutely no deaths. The bigger the action, the further its repercussions would travel.

From the look on the women’s faces, he knew they were about to do something very big and given their temperaments, there would be an abundance of death. Quest was its guilds and the guilds were the enemy. That meant the city was the enemy. Lou was a merciful woman, he was proof enough of that, but the mistress of the house was far from such.

The city was doomed.

The last time a city had been taken from the kingdom, it created a rift in the royal family that caused one king to abdicate and changed the face of the kingdom’s economy as they began to trade with the invader. That was an old city that was mostly forgotten and easily ignored. Quest was more than important. It was famous, the symbol of humanity’s perseverance and adventurous spirit. It was also profitable, the main point of collection and distribution of alchemical ingredients, including manabeast parts, for the kingdom.

Harvest wasn’t facing a disturbance. It was facing catastrophe, and his lady would be at the center of it. If he wanted to be of any use, he’d need to be much stronger. Earl resolved himself. There was nothing he could do now but, in the days to come, he’d have to work much harder for when the crisis inevitably continued.

He never wanted to be a weakness used against his lady again.