by Cox, Craig
“Braden, come with me.”
He didn’t have much of a choice, as the large man pulled him out of his seat, before walking to the back of the room and up the stairs. Half way up Braden realised Kova was following the two. As they reached the top of the stairs the hallway split into three. Knox took the right hallway. Half way down, he stopped at one of the doors and knocked on it softly. It opened a fraction of an inch, before fully opening, standing on other side was a dark skinned man. His face was covered in tattoos which stretched down his neck. Following Knox inside Braden was surprised by the luxury of the room, three large sofas, circled a small table on which sat three bags of gold and a knife. Behind one of the sofas was a round open window, the height of a fully grown man. A man sat on one of the sofas, he looked almost identical to the man at the door. The only difference between the pair, was that one was completely bald, compared to the doorman's long black hair which hung down passes his shoulders.
“Let me in.”
Braden turned around to see the man at the door struggle to shut the door as Kova pushed herself into the room.
“Kova, no, you know I do not allow you in here.” She began to argue.
But Knox quickly walked over to the door and after exchanging a few short words, slowly pushed her outside the room closing the door behind him. The dark-skinned man pushed a bolt across. Turning back to Braden, he motioned him towards one of the vacant sofas.
“Braden, may I introduce Manu and Badu, my right-hand men.”
Both men nodded their heads in reply. Braden looked at both of the men, then at Knox before his eyes drifted back to the three open bags of gold and broke into laughter.
Chapter XXVII
Ashe
Ashe and Alex took the main road, down through High Alton, down to West Alton. Even on this side of the wall she could see the industrial structures slowly taking hold of the elegant royal centre. More and more metal was on show on the walls and roofs of the buildings. Page had told them before that these houses belonged to the barons, whose lands specialised in iron and steel. Alex's face was full of excitement and glee as he examined each structure. After Braden had left, Page came and took Troy away for a special task he needed doing and Magnus had curled up on the balcony in the sun content to sleep the day away. This left her and Alex, ever since she had told him about the entire district dedicated to crafting and industry she knew Alex had been begging to go and as she was the only person other than Page, who knew the way around Alton she offered to show him around. Reaching the main gate heading out into the city they could see it was much quieter than the one they had entered through the day before, the portcullis was lowered and six armoured guards were standing on either side of the iron. As they approached one of the guards stepped forward.
"Halt."
"We are going to West Alton." replied Alex.
The guard rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly, before leaning his spear on his shoulder.
"You two are new to this side of the wall, aren't you? This gate is shut for most of the day, it only opens for two hours at dawn and dusk and another hour at noon. Not much traffic comes through here as most noblemen do not want to dirty themselves with the soot and grime which affects most of the district. But they still need swords, so they have to open it at certain times. Look, it’s nearly noon if you wait around for a bit, it will be open."
Ashe looked up to the sun to try and see where it was in the sky.
"You probably have a twenty minute wait."
Ashe thanked the guard before he turned back to the rest of his group. As the two walked away, she could hear the guards discussing some news that had come from the southern borders. Alex sat down on a bench in the shade of one of the walls surrounding an Earl's estate and Ashe took the seat next to him. They sat facing towards the gate, for a few minutes before she decided to break the silence.
"What do you think Braden is doing at this moment?"
"Either getting into trouble or causing it. He always attracts weird people to him."
"Like us?"
"Well not me, but I guess you could fall into that category, Ashe." Alex smirked in her direction and she replied by thumping him in the arm.
They continued the wait in light conversation, even though they had been together for three days Ashe realised she really didn’t know much about Alex or Braden. For some reason she had trusted them with her secret. Finally, the creak of moving chains stopped their idle conversation. Approaching the guard again he looked over their papers, before waving them through the half open gate. Ashe had to sidestep out of the way of a small cart pushed by two boys coming the other way. An older man walked behind, his arms firmly crossed, his eyes looking far up the road. He barked at the boys every now and then to keep their pace constant. Stepping through into West Alton, the vast change of styles and colours were still a shock to Ashe who had been to the district a few times before. It was almost a separate city, gone was the tall square buildings of the Greater Alton and the large estates of High Alton. Instead, each of the buildings was short and long, the colours seemed washed out and only a few splashes of green broke up the red, brown and black landscape. The sounds of the district had changed also, in Greater Alton, there was a constant noise, filled with people talking as they walked by, traders selling their wares, children screaming as they ran through the crowds, causing mayhem. The shouting of traders had been replaced by the pounding of hammers on anvils and saws clawing through wood and children were nowhere to be seen. Ashe found the district interesting, but from the look on Alex's face it was as if he had found heaven. He immediately headed off to the left, without giving her a hint of where he was going. Ashe quickly followed, darting around two people heading in the other direction before settling in beside him.
"Where are we off to?" She asked.
"My father told me that the greatest smiths in the Kingdom, worked the forges here."
She watched his eyes dart backwards and forwards across the road, scanning the open doors to workshops to see their trade and the skill of the workers inside. As they walked through the street Ashe saw a dozen smiths, some working on swords, others horseshoes. It seemed as if every smith had their own speciality. Ashe had also seen some tailors whose works were so beautifully designed she couldn’t take her eyes off them. Most of the materials the tailors in this part of the district used were hardy and strong, leather and wool, but the designs and technique they had used made them more beautiful than any silk she had ever seen. Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking up and down the streets Alex stopped. His eyes were fixated on a small warehouse on the corner of a busy street. From the outside, it seemed just like any other smithy that they had walked past and to Ashe's eyes a little worse for wear. But by the look on Alex's face, it was the one he had wanted to see.
"Why this one?"
"Look at the outside, he hasn’t spent hours sanding his door, shining the iron hinges or spending hours making the outside look good. Instead he would have used his time inside the forge."
As they got closer, Ashe could see what he meant The outside of the workshop wasn’t in great condition and as they got to the entrance, a small boy popped out from behind the half shut door.
"Good afternoon, Sir, Madam. How may I help you today?"
The boy had put on a bit of a flourish with his body movements towards them, far more than what was necessary for someone who didn’t have land to their name. From inside the workshop, she could hear the rhythmic banging of steel on steel, tap tap bang, tap tap bang. Alex arched his neck to peer around the boy, and see the source of the banging.
"Could we go inside?"
"I'm not allowed to let you inside."
Alex's head drooped a little, Ashe could see the excitement and desire on his face to meet the man on the other end of the hammer.
"Look, we are looking for a smith to produce some items for our master. Alex here once trained as a blacksmith for many years, before he joined our master's service. He
has been tasked to find the best in Alton." Ashe said.
"Well my grandfather is the best. Come on in." he said enthusiastically.
The boy turned sharply on his heels and headed back into the gloom of the workshop. Alex turned to Ashe and mouthed a quick thank you, before following the boy. He was too eager however, and had forgotten to duck, resulting in him smacking his head on the beam above the bar. Ashe had to stifle a laugh, as Alex rubbed his forehead. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she began to see the actual size of the building. Hidden behind the small shopfront was a large open room, filled with assorted household items. It was clearly where they spent their time away from the forge. A half-eaten sandwich was sitting on the side, and as the boy walked past he quickly whisked it up into his mouth. Ducking through an open door, they entered the main forge. The room was over twenty foot long and thirty wide, a large clay oven dominated the central area. The room was only half covered, the oven was sitting under the clear blue sky, the smoke dissipating into the afternoon winds. The rest of the room was packed with equipment and raw materials. Ashe recognised iron, bronze and what looked like silver in one corner. As the boy approached his grandfather, the tapping of his hammer stopped, as the old man looked up to face Ashe and Alex. He was in the latter years of his life, thin white hairs were plastered back across his head with sweat, a small trimmed beard, framed his well-worn face. His eyes were wrinkled from constantly squinting at the flames, but an inner fire burned brightly in his clear blue eyes. He was clad head to toe in heavy leather sitting on a stool in between the oven and an ancient beaten anvil. He looked rather menacing to Ashe and unhappy about being disturbed. In one hand he held a heavy one-handed hammer, in the other a pair or tongs gripping hold of a circular piece of steel. Standing up, he rested the hammer on the anvil and drew his grandson to him.
"Who do we have here, John?"
"They say that they came from High Alton, looking for the best smith around. And I told them it was you."
"Really, is that the case?" Ashe was about to reply when Alex butted in.
"Yes and no, we do come from the crown district and we do work for a lord, but the interest in blacksmithing is my own." Ashe shook her head slightly at Alex's honesty.
"Well then... Who are you?" "
Alexander Sir."
"Alexander, from the look of you, I think you have swung the hammer of creation more than a few times."
"Yes, my father was a smith back in our town and I was learning the trade, up until a short while ago."
"What happened?"
"Well..."
Ashe cut him short with a cough, which caught his attention. Page had told them not to reveal too much of their history, before Braden went before the King.
"My father, unfortunately passed away."
"I am sorry to hear that so why then are you here looking for a blacksmith, to finish your training, to find a job? I tell you now there is no shortage of blacksmiths in Alton, you would do better to move to a small city or town. I hear the Roost is after trained blacksmiths."
"Well to be honest, I wasn’t looking for either. I learnt all the basics from my father, I have successfully forged swords, shields, chain mail and helms."
"But I bet you have not made anything like this."
The old blacksmith placed his hand on the top of the steel ball which was lying on the anvil and spun it around to face them. The craftsmanship was stunning, Ashe had never seen anything so life-like. It was a helm of solid steel which was crafted into the shape of a howling wolf. Two fangs hung down from the top of the mouth, each finishing just above the eyes to allow for maximum vision. Around the edge of the wearer’s face, would be rows of delicate but razor sharp teeth, on the top of the helm sat a perfectly sculptured wolf’s face. The old man had obviously spent hours working on the piece, as individual pieces of fur were etched into the metal. Ashe’s attention was taken by two empty sockets.
"Here, two sapphires will be attached." He replied as if he knew what she was thinking.
"It is for the Lady Isabel Westwood, more specifically for the champion of her tournament in two months. She is a loyal customer, I have made two similar wolf helms, and many other items in the past."
"It is truly stunning, may I?"
Alex motioned towards the helm with outstretched hands. The old man nodded handing him a pair of leather gloves, before passing him the helm. Alex examined every inch of the helmet running his fingers along each line and edge.
"And your name, young lady?"
"It is Ashe."
"Nice to meet you Ashe, my name is Cecile and this is John. Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes please, water would be great, thank you."
John ran off without a word from his grandfather. Ashe looked around the open workshop, she spotted a few swords hung up to one side, next to an intricate set of plate armour hanging on a rack.
"Yes, that piece. It was commissioned by a Knight, Sir Ardol Greatwood, if I remember correctly, unfortunately, he was killed in a jousting accident before he could claim it. Luckily, he had paid half up front so I haven't lost anything."
"Why don’t you sell it?" Ashe asked.
"I have tried, but the problem with plate armour, is that it is made to the exact size and shape of the man who purchased it and Sir Greatwood was a rather large man. Plus, his personal arms are engraved across the back which puts off many potential buyers."
Ashe took a step back to slightly line Alex up with the unused armour and in her view, they matched up extremely closely. Cecile's eyes also flickered back and forth, after noticing what she was doing and he smiled at her. John returned shortly with the water and a small loaf of bread. Cecile walked back over to Alex and the two began to discuss, what Ashe could only take a guess was the process of making the helmet itself. John sat next to her for a few moments before he walked over and tried to join the conversation. Ashe sat in silence and watched the three talk amongst themselves, her eyes wondered across the room taking in the assorted weapons and armour, which adorned Cecile's workshop. Most of the wares were relatively new and just awaiting final touches or for their new owners to pick them up. A few had gathered dust and Ashe wondered if these were also the left-overs of dead Knights and Lords.
Chapter XXVI
Ashe
The day had warmed up considerably before Alex finally returned his attention to Ashe, he spent a good five minutes apologising for forgetting about her. Ashe had actually enjoyed the peace and quiet, so much had happened over the past few days that she was happy to have some quiet time, even if she was still sharing the room with three other people. As the hours had drifted by she had contemplated just slipping out and leaving Alex with the blacksmith. She had thought about leaving Alton altogether, but then she thought about Braden and hesitated. He had something about him, she couldn’t put a finger on what it was. At first, she had thought it was his looks, or his personality, or the way his chest glowed to her. Ashe had also grown attached to Troy over the past few days, the few hours she had spent with the boy the day before, had pulled at her heart strings. He had gone through the same ordeals as Alex and Braden, since they left their home but it hadn't fazed him at all, if anything, the adventure had just made him more excited than ever and the way he looked up to Braden. There was also the dreams that seemed to happen every night since she met the trio. What were they? Did they mean something? She also couldn’t deny that the whole business of Braden becoming the Lord of Arda was entertaining. She snapped back to the present, Alex had just finished explaining to her that Cecile had invited him to come back the following day to look at some blades he was forging, for a local knight.
They said their goodbyes at the shop front. Alex was unhappy about leaving, but from their conversation, it was Cecile who had shooed him out of the workshop to spend some time with Ashe who was looking bored sitting in the corner. They said a final farewell. Alex tried to explain everything that the old man had shown him. It sounded extremely d
ull to Ashe, but the passion in his voice forced her to smile and pretend to be interested. They took directions from a tanner a few roads away from Cecile's workshop and began to work their way back to Greater Alton to buy food before heading back to the Citadel. The gates between the outer districts were open and the guards were there for presence, not to limit or check anyone who passed through. Ashe was looking for a tailor who could make her some clothes. Page had offered to buy them all new clothes and even though Ashe was thankful for the gesture, she was unsure what Page had in mind for her. After years on the run, sleeping rough and sometimes struggling to make enough to buy food she had had no use for dresses and favoured trousers. She hadn't touched silk or lace since she was a little child, so the thought of dressing up in them was not her idea of fun. She had however, taken the money that Page had put in her hands to pay for her own choice of clothes, but it was only given on the strict instruction, that she was to come back with something suitable to wear in front of nobility and royalty. She had asked Page why she had to dress up, even though it was Braden who was going before the King and not her, but he had explained that everything about Braden will be examined, not just when he went up to the King, but in the coming days and weeks. The company he kept and how they acted and looked would be scrutinised. Page had spent the next hour trying to get Troy's slang under control just in case he was spoken to. It had made her laugh out loud more than once, as the older man got increasingly frustrated with the boy before Troy stuck his tongue out and pronounced everything perfectly. Ashe had a smile on her face as she wandered through the stalls near the West Alton gate looking for anything that was to her taste. Alex followed behind, although it was clear that his mind was still back at Cecile's.