The east-most village in Kenric's domain, Rhyl, had been destroyed years ago, when his father had still been alive. It had not been feasible to repair it, especially since it took too long to reach in time to defend, and so had been left in its destroyed state ever since.
Rhyl sat on a small hill, its mangled, blackened husk now overtaken by years of vegetation. Kenric could see it from inside his carriage, the barely-present path passed from right beside this hill. Livestock used to graze on the grass on those slopes. Now no more.
Passing the corpse of Rhyl told Kenric that he was about to leave his territory. Soon, he would be in Aubet territory.
The carriage rode on, and the greenery looked the same. A village passed, one that Kenric had never seen before, and then after some time, another village. The path rode straight through a third village, and just a short while later, city walls came into view.
Alain Aubet's city: Brio.
Its stone walls were the same as Blaidd's, the same as any city on the frontier: of modest size, but of solid make. They would protect well, but did not leave an impression that someone would write home about.
Kenric's carriage made its way to the gates, smaller than Blaidd's, but with more care put into their polish. After checking the seal on their papers, the guards let them in. They entered into the streets, looking at the new city through their windows, and Noodle was the first to comment.
"It's… nicer than Blaidd."
He wasn't wrong. The walls of the buildings stood straighter and fuller, rarely revealing the wooden slats within, there were more people out and about, and just the environment, from the volume to the tones of chatter, seemed more energetic. Even the roads were paved, not in any fancy way, but even the most basic of pavement was more than what Blaidd had.
Noodle seemed to realise that what he had said might be interpreted as an insult towards Kenric, so he laughed nervously, "I-I mean, I still like Blaidd better! It's… homelier?"
Kenric ignored him. Their carriage rode through the streets, the driver stopping multiple times to ask for directions. There was a castle that loomed above from behind most of the city, and that was apparently where Lord Aubet lived.
They reached the castle, and after another round of checks at the gates, were allowed in. The servants stopped the carriage in the bailey, requesting them to disembark, promising that their luggage would be sent to their rooms. The carriage was led away to the stables, and Noodle, Elizabeth, and Kenric followed a servant to the keep.
It was a fine castle by Kenric's estimation. Very limited finery, practical, with dedicated workers who all looked focused on their tasks.
"This is the lord's hall," the servant leading them said, stopping in front of a heavy wooden door. He knocked, and a deep voice announced, "Come in!"
The servant opened the door and let them enter. The lord's hall was fancier than the rest of the castle: candelabras, a rug, and statues of the hooded Mother and the armoured Father. Certainly, there was more splendour here, but not by much. In the centre of the hall, at the massive table, sat a man in long and loose bright clothing. He had dirty blond hair and was quite handsome, but it was marred slightly by the emerging chubbiness on his cheeks.
Kenric himself only ever wore a leather vest with a white shirt underneath and trousers over boots, so they could not have looked more different when it came to clothing.
"Ah, Lord Wulf," The man said, "A pleasure to meet you at last." He stood and approached Kenric, shaking his hand.
"Lord Aubet," Kenric returned neutrally.
"We live in bordering territories, yet this is our first meeting. Fascinating, isn't it? You look very different from your father," Alain Aubet said, "Now, who have you brought with you?" He looked at his companions.
"This is Elizabeth Filangris," Kenric gestured at her.
Elizabeth curtseyed, evidently an experienced movement judging from the ease and smoothness she performed it with, "My Lord."
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Lady Fliangris." Alain's lips twitched, the smirk on his face barely hidden as he took her hand and kissed it. A minor lord like him should have been very nervous in front of the daughter of a duke, but his amusement told Kenric everything. He knew of her humiliation.
To her credit, Elizabeth bore it with grace. She did not let anything but politeness show on her face.
"And this is Ned, my bodyguard," Kenric said, gesturing at Noodle next.
He saw Elizabeth blink out of the corner of his eye, and suppressed a smirk of laughter. He'd forgotten that she'd never even heard his real name until now.
"You must be skilled indeed," Alain said, turning to Noodle, "To be appointed the sole bodyguard of the renowned Lord Wulf."
Noodle grinned, thumping himself on the chest, "Of course! That's just what I do."
"Indeed, indeed," Alain nodded. He refocused his attention on Kenric, "Now, let us speak of what you came here for. Come, sit." He took a seat behind his table again, and Kenric took a seat opposite of him.
"You said you had an offer for me."
"Yes, I do," Alain said, "I know you've been asking for reinforcements and supplies for a long time now, and I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."
"That being?"
"I have a problem," Alain said, looking troubled, "And I could use the aid of your battle-hardened troops."
"Bandits?" Kenric asked.
"Bandits?" Alain repeated confusedly, "Oh, you've heard about that. Yes, I am having trouble with some bandits as well, one of the twelve bandit lords, in fact! But I can deal with that myself."
"A bandit lord?" And suddenly Kenric was a lot more interested than he had been a second ago, "Which one?"
And just as suddenly, there was a hint of steel in Alain's eyes, "It does not matter, because I didn't call you here for that," he said cagily, "I have another problem: there is something… evil in the Forest of Antome."
"Evil?" Kenric asked.
"Yes, my soldiers first encountered it a few months ago. They were supposed to cut through the Forest of Antome, but a squad was lost," Alain said, "So several search teams were sent to find them. They were lost as well."
"So you have no clue what this evil is or looks like," Kenric said.
"Yes. But I keep losing soldiers to that forest, and I cannot afford to lose anymore right now," Alain said. He spoke like it was a matter of logistics, but Kenric thought he spied something else, an inkling of fear, as he continued, "I need your troops, men of skill who have faced armies of raiders and who knows what else. My soldiers are woefully lacking in experience in comparison."
Kenric narrowed his eyes but did not say anything. Even the lord of a territory bordering his would not admit that these 'raiders' were backed by Wereion.
"And what will you give me in return?" He asked.
"Well, as I said, I need my troops, so I cannot give you reinforcements," Alain said, "But I do have supplies. We have this amazing quarry—"
"Food. A year's worth," Kenric cut in.
Alain paused, and Kenric could see Elizabeth's face twitch at his unsubtle interruption from his peripheral vision. However, he could not care less; they were making a deal now, and he had no patience for the whole circular dance routine that nobles loved indulging in.
"A year's worth?" Alain chuckled uncomfortably, "That's a lot, are you planning on laying siege?"
Kenric did not say anything, silently waiting for his answer.
"Truth be told, we've had incredible harvests for the past few years..." he thought for several moments more, before nodding, "Very well, deal!"