jeriendhal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jeriendhal) wrote2007-01-17 04:16 pm
jeriendhal) wrote2007-01-17 04:16 pm
Andrea's Story continued
27
“It's not fair,” Andrea muttered to herself. She sniffed, picked up the soggy kerchief off her work table once again and wiped her sore nose. Then she bent over her work piece again, a long strip of tanned leather to incorporated into a vest, which she tapped at carefully with one of her smallest chisels. The engraving she was working would resemble a long, unrolled scroll when she was done, filled with quotations from some of Arthur's favorite stories. Stories that he'd never read to her, or himself, ever again.
There was a sharp knock on the workshop's door, and she called out, “Go away!” to whomever it was coming to bother her this time. Why couldn't they all leave her alone so she could finish her work?
“Open the door, Andrea,” Master Tez called back. “Now.” His tone was sharp, unamused, and commanding. Andrea bit down on her lip, wiping tears out of her face as she set her tool down and unlatched the door. He was standing in front of her, arms crossed, looking irritated, dressed in an unusually casual style for him, just a simple linen tunic and trews. “That was hardly an appropriate way to address your master, Andrea.”
“I didn't know it was you,” she said defensively, “I thought it was Cook again, trying to bring me something to eat. What do you want?”
“For you to go to bed. You've been locked in your workshop for over a day and a half, with no food nor drink nor rest. It's time for you to sleep.”
“I'm not...” she yawned widely. “Damnit, I wasn't sleepy until you said something. Anyway, I can't go to bed yet. I have to finish Arthur's vest.”
Master Tez's stern expression softened marginally. “Not to be callous, Andrea, but there's no hurry at this point.”
“Don't you think...” She was mortified as a heavy sob escaped her throat and the tears began to roll down again. “Don't you think I know that.” She fell back into her chair as Master Tez rested his hip against her work table. “Why... why did he have to go? He... he... he just left! He... he.. didn't say a word to anyone! Didn't say a word to muh... muh... me!” As she cried uncontrollably, she felt Master Tez's hands circle her waist, letting her bury her face into his shoulder.
“Shh... don't be angry at Arthur,” Master Tez said, after letting her cry for a few more moments. “Ogres leave when they feel themselves grow weak and begin to die because that is what ogres do. It is a biological imperative, which they can no more ignore than you can persuade yourself not to bleed four days out of the month. It says volumes about him that Arthur managed to fight that urge when he first lost his arm. We could have lost him that day, instead of twenty years later.”
“He's all alone out there,” Andrea said. “He's all alone in the woods, curled up in hollow maybe, dying, or already dead.”
“If he isn't dead yet, then he is sleeping right now. As they grow weak from hunger, an ogre goes comatose. They begin to dream, remembering all the happy, wonderful moments in their lives, before they pass on to whatever is beyond this world. Right now, I suspect he is remembering you, Andrea.”
She raised her head up from Master Tez's now sodden shoulder. “Do you think?”
“Well, either that or Cook's meat pies,” Master Tez said with deadpan seriousness. It enough to make her snort out a laugh, which made her hiccup, which made her laugh again. By the time she'd recovered from that, he had dried her face off wit ha kerchief and was leading her to the door. “Bed for you, and then food immediately after you wake up, your master so orders.”
“Yes, Master Tez.” She followed him obediently out of the crafting tower where her workshop was nestled, heading towards the slave quarters. They both paused as they heard a shout at the gate, and a pair of elven riders on blindingly white horses trotted through onto the grounds, heading towards the main tower. They were dressed in matching uniforms of dark blue silk accented with silver embroidery, and bore curving elven swords and fine bows in their saddles.
“Cursed gods,” Tez muttered as they riders headed towards them. “Eyes down, Andrea. Better, get on your knees and don't even think about raising your head up,” he warned quietly. She hastened to obey, dropping down to her knees and bowing her head, starting resolutely at the grass as a double set of horse hooves entered her field of vision.
“You there, servant!” Andrea very nearly raised her head at that before Master Tez gave her a sharp kick to her ankle.
“Yes, noble warrior?” Master Tez answered, his voice carefully neutral.
“Where is Tez, the one you have the privilege of obeying?” She realized abruptly what had happened. Not wearing his usual merchant finery, the two riders had mistaken her master for an elven commoner, higher than a non-elven slave, but not as worthy of consideration as a noble or craftsman.
“He is on the grounds, noble warrior. The last I saw of him he was heading towards the slave quarters.”
“My thanks, servant,” the rider replied. They trotted off again, leaving Andrea staring at the churned up earth where the horses' hooves had dug in.
“You can raise your head now, Andrea.” She stood up, brushing off her knees as the riders came to a halt by the door to the slave tower.
“Who are they?” she asked.
Master Tez was frowning. “White Riders, from the Moot Grove, equivalent to a human king's personal guard. When away from the Grove they speak in the Moot's name. There are only nine of them, none less than two thousand years old, and they are trained to the heights of war and diplomacy. To send two on a single errand means something has twisted the Moot's tail fiercely.”
“Why are they here?”
His frown deepened. “I have an idea, and you can likely blame that fool Velan for the answer.”
In the distance the riders had dismounted and knocked on the door of the slave tower. Groom opened it and stepped out, dropping immediately to his knees in front of the two noble elves. Andrea couldn’t hear their query to him, but Groom raised his head to look around, eventually spotting where she and Master Tez stood, and pointed in their direction. The first elf glanced towards them, looking angry. He raised an arm as if to strike Groom down, but his companion quickly grabbed his wrist and stayed his hand.
“At least one of them has modicum of intelligence,” Master Tez noted acidly. “If he had injured Groom, they would have both answered for it.” He took a deep breath and his face visibly relaxed as the White Riders walked back towards them, leading their horses and looking considerably more humble. She started to kneel again but Master Tez caught her elbow and motioned for her to remain standing.
“Forgive me, but you are… you are Tez?” the first rider asked. His grey-faced expression reminded Andrea of Valen’s that day twenty years ago when Master Tez had spoken that single word that had reduced an arrogant master craftsman to a scraping, bowing penitent.
“I am. Who might you be?”
“Rider Avanar. My companion is Rider Kavin.” Avanar swallowed. “Forgive me, Eldest, but you did not identify yourself…”
“Nor did you,” Master Tez said. “I feel no obligation to wave my name about to those who do not give theirs first.”
“I am sorry, Eldest. When I saw how you were dressed, standing next to a mongrel slave, I assumed…”
“Yes you did. Pray you don’t in the future. Did you expect me to be wandering about my own manor wearing polished silver armor and a magical cloak?”
Rider Kavin, who up until that point had been doing a fair imitation of a blank stone, blinked and bit down on laugh behind his companion’s back. Andrea did her best not to look directly at him. It appeared at least one of the White Riders had a sense of humor.
“Not precisely, Eldest,” Avanar said, appearing to recover his wits. “Again, please forgive my error and rest assured it will not be made in the future.”
“I shall keep that in mind,” Tez allowed. “Now, if you would be so kind, what prompted the Moot Grove to send two White Riders on a single errand? Not to speak to me, surely.”
“It was precisely for that reason…”
“Not precisely,” Kavin interjected. He was met by a glare from Avanar, who quickly regained his composure and focused again on Tez.
“It was thought, by certain individuals outside the Moot…” At that statement Kavin raised his eyes to the heavens innocently, “…that a single Rider would not be enough to persuade you, Eldest.”
Tez sighed. “Persuade me to do what? And if your next statement contains the words lead, rule, wisdom, or guidance please leave immediately and inform the Moot Grove that they will just have to solve all of their problems by themselves.”
Andrea turned to stare with frank astonishment at her master. She knew he was odd for an elf, but who was he that he was thought of so highly by the leaders of all the elves, and that he thought so little of them? Eldest?
Avanar, who had opened his mouth to apparently say at least one of those forbidden words, closed it again. After a moment’s pause he said, “Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this more privately, Eldest.”
She felt her heart soar as Master Tez stated flatly, “Andrea has my absolute trust, Rider. You may speak in front of her as you would to me. And I have no interest at all in inviting either of you into my home.”
“But she is…”
“Wearing a slave collar, which I strongly suspect is at the root of the problems that the Moot wishes to discuss with me. Speak to both her and myself, or not at all.” Tez drew himself up a little taller. “First off, you may explain how you learned of my presence in the Domain.”
Rider Kavan cleared his throat and took over the task of explanations from Avanar. “The Artisan Velan traveled to the Moot Grove, to beg forgiveness for his clan, in recognition of crimes that need not be mentioned here. A curious thing to do, given that they'd been well hidden for several thousand years, but apparently the need to unburden himself after encountering you became too much to bear. During his speech, he mentioned you had been witness to the crimes personally. Obviously the only elf that could have been witness and still living to tell the tale was Tez the Eldest.”
“Of course,” Master Tez said.
“Naturally this caused great excitement and consternation in the Moot Grove. To discover that the Eldest was living amongst elvenkind again was a cause for great joy.”
“Because, of course, the first thing that I would think to do upon being revealed would be to solve all of their problems for them,” Master Tez said flatly.
Kavan shrugged. “That was the general gist of the debate that Avanar and I attended, yes.”
“We are in a state of crisis, Eldest!” Avanar declared. “The Domain is surrounded by enemies! Elvenkind is threatened with extinction by the lesser races! We need you w-- aid!”
Master Tez raised an eyebrow. “Extinction is the last thing I believe elvenkind ever has to worry about, unless my luck changes. Whether or not the Domain survives the next hundred years is a more believable question, and none of my concern.”
"You would see Elven civilization destroyed?!"
"Every civilization dies, Rider Avanar," Master Tez said, his voice cool and unsympathetic, "even Elven ones. I have seen this entire world and the races that inhabit it, elven, human, goblin, ogre and other forgotten peoples whose names are remembered by only me, reduced to complete, lawless barbarism no less than five times. What happens in this small corner of the world will be remembered, if at all, as a minor footnote in history, until it too is forgotten. What will occur to the arrogant people that inhabit this fortress forest is of no concern to me at all."
"Told you this was pointless," Kavan said to Avanar, before his companion could protest again. "Come along, brother. We will leave the Eldest to his solitude, and report our failure to the Moot. Safe riding to you, Eldest Tez."
"And to you, Rider Kavan," Master Tez replied. He folded his arms as Avanar and Kavan mouned their horses, looking impatient to see them away.
They started to trot towards the manor gate, but halfway there Rider Kavan brought his horse to a halt and wheeled it around to face Andrea and Master Tez. "What of your slaves?" he called back to them.
"What of them? They are my concern alone, Rider."
"The Barrier is designed to keep out the curious and the foolish, to make outlanders cautious and unwilling to test its defenses further. There are some of the Moot Grove who believe it can also withstand a determined assault by an organized and forewarned force, but I and others are not so sanguine. If this fortress forest is breached, would you defend it?"
"I would decamp," Master Tez said flatly.
"Taking all of your slaves with you?"
"Naturally."
"You have, what, at least two score of them? Do you believe you can protect them all, with no other allies? Where would you go to? No elf is welcome in ogre or goblin territory, and I doubt you could find a sympathetic human either at the moment, not with the arrogant lot that hold the crowns of the eastern kingdoms. How many of them will you be willing to lose, during the flight to whatever safety you think you can find beyond the forest?"
“You are remarkably compassionate when it comes to the subject of servitors.”
“I am not an idiot. I know the history of the old border wars and the reputation we have managed to garner in the human kingdoms.”
Master Tez's eyes narrowed. "What alternative do you suggest?"
Kavan dismounted, holding his hands out in supplication. "Approach the Moot. You are the Eldest. Whatever your opinion of the Domain and however much you hold yourself apart from it, your words would carry great weight."
"Do you seriously imagine they would listen to me?"
"Enough might."
“Then take these words to them. Tell them if they wish to insure peaceful borders, they must start with emancipating all slaves held in the Domain, and allow them to return to their homes or serve of their own will. Take down the Barrier and allow the free trade of merchants. Stop hiding like frightened rabbits and engage the world beyond with more than careful diplomatic missions and sneering merchants deigning to bring elven goods to the heathens.”
Avanar finally spoke again. “You would allow lesser races to walk about freely in the Domain? You would deny us laborers to permit our nation to be kept in the style it deserves?”
“If it can not keep itself in this current style with willing labor, then it does not deserve to stand,” Master Tez said.
“You speak as if you hold moral strength in this argument, but you hold slaves willingly enough,” Avanar sniffed.
“He takes in slaves that would not survive in the outside world!” Andrea interrupted. “If Master Tez had not rescued me, I would have been dead at the hands of a mob! I may wear his steel around my throat, but I and everyone here serves him willingly, out of loyalty, not fear!”
“Andrea, be silent,” Master Tez ordered, and she nearly bit down on her tongue in her haste to comply. He turned back towards the other elves. “My servitor spoke out of turn, but her words are true enough. Thanks to the idiotic policies of the Moot, the only means for others to use the Domain as sanctuary is for an elf to agree to collar and enslave them. If the Moot would finally remove the Barrier and that foolish law, I would free all of my servitors the next day.”
“Eldest, please, I must beg you again,” Kavan said. “Your words have merit, I can hear them. Why will you not bring them to the Moot Grove?”
“Because if they refuse to see reality, with all their supposed wisdom and resources, they will not listen to me,” Master Tez stated flatly. “I have no desire to lead, especially those who would not follow me. That path inevitably leads to disaster.”
“I accept your,” Kavan visibly bit down on the word wisdom, “opinion. Come on, Avanar. We must find lodging for the night.” He remounted his horse and rode off without another word, Avanar following with evident dismay.
When they had passed through the manor gate and disappeared, Master Tez let out a sigh. “I’m going to have to move again,” he said absently.
“Move?” Andrea asked.
“They’re just going to come back, demanding I fix all of their problems for them,” Master Tez said. “Better to just move everyone out of the manor and deeper into the woods, away from settlements. Perhaps then they’ll get the idea that I want nothing to do with the Moot and its self-inflicted problems.”
“But… don’t you care about the other elves? Wouldn’t it be bad if the Domain was invaded?” The gods knew she’d rather not have her own late and unlamented birth country come knocking around any time soon.
“As neither side is in the right, who would actually win is of little importance to me. I care nothing for other elves. Racial loyalty is perhaps one of the most pernicious habits for sentients to rid themselves of.”
“I don’t understand.” In counterpoint to her complaint, Andrea’s stomach took that moment to growl loudly.
“Don’t worry yourself about it,” Master Tez advised. “Come along, let’s see you fed.”
She followed dutifully, but questions in her mind still demanded to be asked. “Master Tez, why did those White Riders think you are so important? They called you Eldest, what does that mean?”
“It means I’m the eldest elf,” he replied.
“Eldest elf where?”
“Eldest elf, anywhere.”
“You’re joking.”
Master Tez’s expression became cool. “Not about that, I’m not.”
“Shouldn’t that make you king or something?”
Master Tez let out an annoyed snort. “Or something, yes. They imagine it gives me wisdom that I truly do not possess. I have never managed to convince them otherwise.”
“But why are you a merchant then?”
“Because I choose to be. The ability to choose what ever one wishes to be is a very rare gift. As a merchant I go where I will. As a king I would shackled to a court, as surely as I’m going to shackle you to a dinner table if you don’t stop asking foolish questions and get some food.”
“Yes, Master,” she replied obediently, then contradicted herself by asking, “So how old are you anyway?”
A few minutes later, as she tried to cut her meat with her hands cuffed in front of her in the dining hall, Andrea reflected that perhaps laughing in disbelief hadn’t been the wisest reaction.
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That last line had me laughing so loud the kids came in to see what was up!
Firstly... OH NO.. not Authur! That is such a sad way to start the piece. I liked the explanation of Ogres going away somewhere to die. Somehow that seems entirely fitting for an ogre. All the same *sob*!
Neat round about way for Tez's return to be discovered by the other elves. I like the way he deliberately misdirected the snotty White Riders without actually telling any falsehoods and tacking them down a peg or two in the bargain. And his exasperation at being asked 'once again' to step in and solve every bodies problems. I could see how in the past he might have been tempted to do so and maybe even managed to maintain some kind of peace until idiocy finally overtakes the masses and it all comes crashing down. He's probably been not only once but many times bitten and would much rather steer away from it all and let fate and stupidity take it's course.
I was reflecting that with Andrea's initial exposure to Tez as being such an accomplished figure held in awe by his own people it makes it so much more delicious that she next encounters him as a slave....
And that she isn't particularly shocked by this. *lol*
With the rumbling of possible invasion and Tez preparing his 'family' to flee things look like getting REALLY interesting.
*Eagerly awaits the next installment.*
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(Anonymous) 2007-01-18 10:24 am (UTC)(link)Oh, and she's perfectly Not Shocked at finding him a slave later. As you'll see... :)
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