The Marquis Read Free Page B

immediately divorced Efilda’s mother and all his other bedda so that he could have six new Ancuman bedda.
    Within a few years he had several children from his new bedda, but only one boy, Dagrun. No sooner had the boy turned sixteen than the Healdend died of a heart attack in the throes of passion with a new Ancuman theow who had been sent as a ‘gift’ on the occasion of Dagrun’s coming of age.  There were no immediate signs of trouble – Efilda’s elder brother, Caenwald, was duly installed as Healdend, and Dagrun took up the position as Folctoga of the Castle Guard – a position formally held by his elder brother. It was when Dagrun installed a company of Ancuman wiga into castle security that some became suspicious of his intentions. Efilda was then bedda to a Folctoga of the Border Patrol, and lived within the castle walls with her daughter.
    Two years later, when Dagrun turned eighteen, he received a gift from his grandfather, the Healdend of Axum, of two more Axum bedda. However, on the feast night where everyone of importance was gathered, by command, assassins found entry into the castle and attacked and killed Efilda’s brother Caenwald and his entire family, as well as Efilda’s bedda and daughter. Nearly every member of Dagrun’s extended family was murdered.  It was fortuitous that Efilda herself was not killed – her mother had taken ill and Efilda had left the castle at short notice to visit her – not partial to Dagrun’s celebrations with his underdressed Ancuman bedda. Her mother lived in a cottage on the outskirts of the town since becoming bedda to a merchant.
    Her cousin Wystan was a member of the Border Patrol, the second of the two military wings of Samria. He was with his Healdend Caenwald when he was attacked, and whilst unable to save him, he was able to kill the group of assassins that had attacked them. The assassins were mostly Merians.
    ‘Merians?’
    ‘Meria is a vast uncivilized land to our east – they lack a central authority such as a Healdend and the demesne is are full of warring clans and mercenaries.’
    ‘So the Merians killed your family? Why would a demesne without central authority do such a thing? But you said most…’
    ‘Indeed, I have the same questions. Also, amongst those that we killed was an Ancuman wiga, though not one of the many in the Castle Guard. I had never seen him before.’
    Wystan immediately feared that Dagrun was somehow complicit in the murders, and suspecting that Efilda’ life was also in danger, he decided to flee the castle while he could. He also suspected that he might not live to see morning – given that he had seen the Ancuman assassin. Gathering his surviving men, he went in search of Efilda, and finding her, they rushed to the main barracks of the Border Patrol outside of town where they collected as many wiga and resources as they could before fleeing. No one was prepared for such an occurrence so they were able to leave without interference. They then travelled as far away as possible, and the furthest, and safest point from the town was Subari.
    Although they knew that it was the Ancuman – if not Dagrun himself – who had orchestrated the assassinations, nothing could be proven. Dagrun proclaimed that all the assassins were killed and all were Merians, and it was a great tragedy. He promised retaliation against Meria, but any retribution planned had yet to eventuate. He also sent envoys to his sister to request that she return to the safety of the town but she refused.
    Their new home, Subari, was a demesne whose only access to the rest of Samria was through a mountain pass that was only open nine months of the year. Covered in snow during the winter, and easily defendable during the other months, they were safe from attack by land. They were, however, vulnerable by sea.
    ‘Where is your village?’
    ‘We have two, a village to the north in the mountains. It is near the pass so that we can guard the road into Samria.