CANSTVER 11TH YEAR 548 ASMERIAN CALENDAR
As the sun peeked over the horizon through the window of Lord Daniels bedroom, the sudden sound of beating on his door awoke him. As he opened his eyes and looked around his rather large room, he saw that his door was being beaten hard enough to make the metal loop on the lock bounce upwards. Zena, Lord Daniels' wife, jolted as she woke up, nude under the covers of the bed. "My Lord!" Shouted a man outside their room, still beating on the door. "I bring word from our guards of the north gate!"
Lord Daniels got up from his bed in nothing but his pants and opened the door. "What is it man, why have you decided to wake me at such an hour?" He snapped.
"Forgive me my Lord, but I have urgent news relating to the Gregorian spy and the Scottkey family." The man, who was dressed in Guardsman uniform said as he knelt down and bowed his head.
"Very well, tell me all that you know about the current situation regarding Frederic Miller and the Scottkey family."
"Alex!" Zena exclaimed. "Can you talk outside for a moment please?"
"Why?" Lord Daniels asked as he turned around to see Zena covering herself in the bedsheets. "Oh, my bad Zena, I'll wait outside for you to get dressed."
"Thank you Alex." She said as she pulled the covers tighter to her chest. Alex stepped out into the hallway which had its walls covered in a fresh coat of whitewash. Where only the wooden supports are shown through, leaving space for lanterns to be mounted to the walls.
"Shall I tell you now my lord?" The guardsman asked impatiently as he stood there in the hallway fidgeting.
"No, wait for my wife to finish dressing and we shall speak in my quarters." Zena opened the door shortly afterward and the two walked in and Alex sat down at his desk.
"My lord, is it okay if Lady Daniels is here?" The guardsman asked.
"Of course, unless you're saying that my wife is untrustworthy?"
"Not at all my lord, I was-" The man stopped as Lord Daniels raised his hand.
"It is better to say nothing than what is on your mind sometimes. I learned that the hard way as an officer in his majesty's army. I may also remind you that you are also a part of now that all of the town's guards across the land have been moved under his majesty's direct authority." Lord Daniels said as he pulled a piece of paper out from his desk. He also took his stamp and lit a candle for wax. "Now, before I do anything further, such as writing a warrant for Mister Scottkey's arrest, what did you see and what did you hear that made it so urgent for you to come to me?"
The guardsman stood still as he recounted what had been told to him. The guard struck Lord Daniels as a rather odd gentleman. He was at least in his thirties and wore a marriage band and had well-groomed hair. But he seemed to be constantly checking over his shoulder as if something were after him. "I need you to calm down sir, you're putting me on edge, please, take a seat." Lord Daniels said as he pointed to the chair next to his desk.
He quickly sat down and as he did the leg of the chair broke and he fell to the floor. Lord Daniels held his amusement and quickly reached out to help the man up. "I cannot say that I thought the chair would break so easily."
"Oh no my lord, it's been happening all day. When I woke up I fell through my floor and when I tried to head outside I fell through my porch."
"Interesting, what would the cause be?"
"Well, I may have intruded on a business that I should not have."
"What business would cause such misfortune?"
"I had some dealings with a woman who claimed to be a sage and I've not believed her until today."
"Why would a mage do this to you?"
"I told her about the spy yesterday and how it was Frederic Miller. She seemed very distraught and she cursed me for it."
"Tell me," Lord Daniels said as he leaned forward, his eyes staring straight into his eyes. "what was her name? Did she have any relation to the spy?"
"Her name? Well, I believe it was Seraphina. I don't know if she had any relation to the spy."
"I don't know any mages named Seraphina. Unless she's from another nation, that's unlikely as other nations keep their mages from leaving their respective countries." Lord Daniels said as he pondered the arrival of a new mage in Greendale. Mages were a rare enough sight to behold but they normally had to announce that they could use divine powers before entering a city. There was nothing that he could do from preventing them from lying to the guards, however. "Anyway, this is all beside the point."
"My lord?"
"I need you to tell me about the Scottkey's, not your misfortune." Lord Daniels said as he brushed the conversation about the mage aside. "What have they done to warrant an arrest?"
"My apologies my lord, they seem to have fled the city last night. Connor Scottkey said that he was going on a business trip to see a castle worker to the north. However, the nearest castle worker is in Concord if you're going north."
"Is that all you have to go on? That they're heading north, I'll admit, the timing is quite the convenience but the Scottkey's are champions of the people in Greendale. If I were to write such a warrant, it would seem as if I were arresting them because they're wealthier than I. There would be riots before sunset."
"Well, that's not all my lord, I was not witness to this, but the guards of the north gate are saying that the Varin girl that was taken in by Frederic Miller was with them."
"Now, that I can work with, describe everything the guards told you and if there's anyone who can better recollect what happened, I shall need them as well."
The two wrote out a warrant with everything the guard knew about what happened. The guard left as Lord Daniels finished the first draft of the warrant. Lord Daniels headed down to the local printer in Black's Tavern basement. It was a dark basement lit by only a single torch in the far corner. Printer rooms had to be dark otherwise the wet black ink would turn a bright red that was hard to read on the white page.
The man at the press was hard at work printing propaganda for the king. Writing flyer's about the king's arrests and hanging of traitors to the country. These flyers were very effective and gave the king more and more support. While most people read the flyers and the propaganda as a fact there were some who were very skeptical of the king. Lord Daniels knocked on the wooden support in the center of the basement. This startled the man at the printer who jumped at the sound. "Who goes there?" The man said as he turned around.
"A client, good sir." Lord Daniels said as he came closer.
"What do you think you're doing scaring me like that, the hell is wrong with you?" The man barked.
"Nothing sir, I apologize, I did not intend to frighten you. I am here with an urgent request."
"Then, we can talk under light but give me a moment. I must finish the last of his majesty's message for the week."
"Of course, his majesty takes priority in all cases," Daniels said as he went and took a seat on the wooden bench under the torch. The man finished with his work and sat down next to Lord Daniels. "Now, what was this urgent business that you needed me to aid you in, sir?"
"Shall we start with introductions?"
"Oh, yes, you would like to know who you're doing business with. I'm Herry Drent, the owner of this printing press and writer of all of the papers in town, and you are?"
"I am Lord Daniels, owner and governor of all of the territory his majesty has entrusted to me." The man's face turned pale and he quickly fell to his knees. "I am so very sorry my lord, forgive me for my rudeness."
"Oh, all is well sir, I am the one who should apologize for startling you while you were working so diligently for his majesty. So let's put that behind us and continue with our business."
"As you wish my lord, what is it exactly that you wanted to do?"
"I have a warrant that I would like posted on all bulletin boards in Greendale. You may have heard about the Gregorian spy that fled to the north yesterday, correct?"
"Of course my lord, everyone has. Is that the warrant you want to be printed?"
"Not exactly, the warrant I want to be printed is for the Scottkey family."
"Scottkey's?" Herry exclaimed. "Why, were they assisting the spy?"
"That is the belief right now, I need to bring them in for questioning and give them a trial. They were last seen with the adoptive daughter of the Gregorian spy, Frederic Miller, and they were also heading north to Gregoria."
"I shall do as you command my lord, just tell me what you want to be written on the warrant."
"I have already written it, here, this is what I want posted." Lord Daniels said as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a rolled piece of paper. Herry unrolled the paper and read the warrant.
It read;
To all who shall read this warrant. I Lord Alexander Daniels hereby proclaim the Scottkey family felons to the state of Asmeria. For the reason of treason, and aiding a spy of Gregoria they are hereby ordered to turn themselves into the proper authorities and hand over all evidence that could help with the investigation against them.
They have last been seen fleeing north to the City of Concord. Anyone found aiding the Scottkey's will also be arrested on grounds of treason and properly dealt with at the gallows if found guilty. I say this not without reason nor do I hold any ill will against those accused. All shall be laid before the public in the fair court of his majesty.
Signed, Lord Alexander Daniels.
Herry stood up while still looking at the warrant, he walked over to the press and set the letter aside and started arranging the press to print the warrants. He reached under the press and pulled out a small box. He brought it to Lord Daniels and handed him a pencil. "My lord, please write your signature on this box, so that I may print it on all of the copies," Herry said as he gave the box to him.
He wrote the best signature that he could on the box, and handed it back to Herry. Herry took the box which was a stamp and placed it into the press. "I will have fifty copies done by sundown, my lord. Will that be all for you?"
"Yes, I believe that was everything I needed today. Thank you Mister Drent, how much will this cost?"
"Nothing my lord for my behavior earlier, I will happily do this deed without a fee," Herry said as he shut the press.
"Very well, I need to be going now, please proceed with haste Mister Drent."
"I will my lord, have a good day and I hope to see you in the future."
"Likewise Mister Drent." Said Lord Daniels as he shut the door behind.
He headed to the great hall where Captain Lawrence was waiting for a prisoner to be sent to the gallows for stealing a horse. The great hall of Greendale was lacking in its ability to stand up to its name. It was built five hundred years ago and was in disrepair. Alex had set aside some funding to rebuild it but all of the supplies had not arrived nor would they as the Scottkey's had fled north.
"Captain!" Lord Daniels shouted from the street. "Just the man I wanted to see."
Lord Daniels told Captain Lawrence everything he had learned and explained that he had already made a warrant. "What shall I do now my lord?" Asked Lawrence.
"Assemble your best riders and head north to capture them. I doubt his majesty, the king, would want them to escape justice's swift hands."
"Of course my lord, I shall personally lead the effort to capture the scum and return them here."
The captain formed a squad of horsemen from the guardsmen and rode out after the Scottkey's with haste. The warrant was posted all across Greendale by nightfall and in the morning masses of people surrounded the bulletin boards and shop windows that had the warrant posted. Lord Daniels did not give a speech nor did he address the public. He instead wrote a letter to Sir Wentworth and sent it by courier to King's Helm.
The townspeople were in shock, no one had thought that the Scottkey's descendants from the noble house of Scottkey could betray Asmeria. Some were outraged and rioted, some didn't care but what was most understood among them all was that the entire house of Scottkey could no longer be trusted.