Warin
"Lord Ashcroft is here,” Beth informed Warin of the arrival of another lord.
“Ashcroft?” Warin asked confused. He had studied all the lords, politicians, and others he was to meet with, many of the names were unfamiliar to him, but he had done his best to learn them, and greet them, and at least understand what business that they had.
There had been dozens of meetings. Those who sought trade and business opportunity in Holderness, those who sought favor, or something else. Dozens of gifts had been handed over to him for his father, and Warin was bored to tears but he couldn’t recall any Ashcroft, couldn’t recall the noble house at all, if it was indeed one.
“He isn’t on the list,” Beth told him finally, “But said he has urgent business with you,” his wife continued.
“Alright, let him. Whats one more damn face to face,” Warin hissed.
A hooded figure entered the room behind Beth. His wife offered him a seat, and the lord thanked her before she slipped out of the small rented office space, and the door closed behind her.
The hooded lord pulled his hood off his head, and Warin heard his breath suck in. He didn’t know how she didn’t notice.
Warin stood, and offered a respectfully nod of his head and offered his arm. “Lord Crown Prince,” he said to Osmund Gisking.
The prince smiled. It was a gentle smile, but seemed true enough to Warin. Pleased at being identified. “Lord Warin,” the crown prince she respectfuly. “Please forgive my deceit, but there are those I do not wish to know of this meeting, and please, tell your wife I am sorry for lying to her.”
“Of course Lord Crown Prince,” Warin replied. “How can I help you?” he asked curious.
“We share enemies,” The Crown Prince said bluntly, and that forced a smile onto Warin’s face. He had heard the Crown Prince was blunt, and Warin like that.
“Enemies?” Warin finally asked.
“The Fabian Order of Drala,” The Crown Prince informed him.
“Ah,” was all Warin could say.
“You have done well against the traitors,” The Crown Prince went on. “Some might even say better than myself,” he said with a smile. “You have arrested or killed several of their high ranking members, mostly members of the faith, destroyed several of their largest bases in the Holderness Sector, and forced them to ground,” Osmun said with a nod. “It is all rather impressive.”
“Thank you Prince,” Warin said, and meant it.
“Please Osmund will do. When men share enemies, they should be friends,” Osmund told him.
“I did not know they are your enemy,” Warin said.
THe Crown Prince almost spat. “They are the Commonwealth’s enemy. Bunch of traitors and worse, but they have friends in high places, and they would just a much like to see me dead as you.”
Warin was silent for a moment. It was no surprise that they wanted Warin dead. That was common knowledge to anyone that knew about the Order. “Why do they want you dead?”
“Because I am my father’s son, and heir,” Osmund told him. “And yet I am not my father. I have no love of the order, what they stand for, or how they operate, and they have tried to kill me, and I am sure they are the ones responsible for the death of my mother and grandfather.”
Warin didn’t speak. As far as he knew the queen had died after a long sickness after the birth of her last child, and his grandfather, on his mother’s side had been killed on the orders of his father, which meant that the King was involved in the order.
“The Ansgar was a horrible affair, but the Order should have just killed me outright, or perhaps my father had merely sought to scare me. Either way, I have made it my mission to act against them, as it seems you have.” Osmund told him. “I need friends I can trust, as we all do. I hop you do have some?”
“Yes lord,” Warin said.
“Good, make sure you keep them close, and those you can’t trust, get rid of. The Order hides in all places, and you do not wish to have an Ansgar on your hands,” Osmund told Warin.
“I cannot remain for long,” The crown Prince continued. “I wished to offer you this,” he told him and hand Warin a small data chip. “There is information in there you will find useful, and I wanted to tell you that should you need it, you have an ally, but to be careful. The Order is not as toothless in Holderness as you believe, and their strength throughout the rest of the Commonwealth and Nebula are immense.”
“I..” Warin began but shook his head. “Thank you Osmund.”
The crown prince nodded his head, and placed the hood back over it bfore leaving, and Beth came back in the room.
“Get Ozma in here now, and get me everything you have on the Ansgar,” Warin told his wife.
