Chapter 03: Red Sword
866 Words
WESTHOLD
WINDHILL
The snow is deeper than last year snow falls in Windhill as a red horse trudges on through the thick snow and arrived in front of a manor.
The man riding the horse has blonde hair and blue eyes. His facial hair is striking and he could be categorized as handsome.
But he is also possesses this maturity that makes him to look fatherly.
His body is well defined and there are some scars that riddle his arms. This is a man who clearly participated in many wars.
In his left hip is a red scabbard storing a red sword of high quality. The scabbard is made of fyresoil, a kind of metal only found in Aeropa, in Western Lands.
‘Hah’ he sighed
‘I arrived.’ White snow keeps falling but the moment snows falls onto him, it would quickly dissipate like there is an invisible heat covering the man body.
The man when he finally arrived in front of the steward of the manor he quickly introduces himself.
‘I am Count Lancel of Morova from the House of Wellham. I came here to meet my nephew.’ He introduces himself and his intention.
‘No servants, milord?’ The steward asks clearly perplexed.
Lancel smiles.
‘No, I prefer go make the trip alone. And who would dare attack me in Westhold?’ and he chuckles. The steward nodded.
‘Of course, milord. Your reputation is spread far and wide.’ The steward complimented and Lancel just smiles.
The steward quickly urged him to store his red horse on the stable and quickly trying to lead him inside.
But Lancel hold up his hands and said
‘I would like a moment by myself, Steward Errol.’
‘As you wish, milord. If there is anything you want, just call us. Third Young Master is still inside his room. I will inform him of your arrival. He would be happy to hear you reach here safely.’
Lancel nodded.
The steward then return back inside the manor to inform while Lancel began to walk around the manor and then he spotted it.
A large tree. With no leaves and only dead branches. But Lancel smiles. This is where he first met his wife Kyra.
Lancel at the time was young and handsome, Kyra was beautiful and capable. They were happily married.
But his wife died of the Winter Bite.
Sarun seems to love his wife since He took her from him.
Then Lancel focused on his job, managing his people and protecting the people of his dominion from the Western Barbarian.
When he managed to repel 30 out of 30 Western Barbarian pillagers excursion from coming down the mountain, King Rheulius granted him the title Count and he is sent to Vassal Prince James Arhan, the ruler of Mosova.
He is given a large land and a retinue of soldiers.
When Julius, who was then a Prince, rebels against his father, the Wellham’s supported the wrong person.
The Wellham’s were executed during the Purge but he is spared since he did not meddle in the matter of the succession and also because the Vassal Prince James vouch for him.
If there is the Black Dragon guarding the Dragon Pass, and the Vicious Tiger guarding the Dragon Gorge, then there is the Red Sword guarding Morova.
While most of the Wellham’s during the reign of the previous King was a scholar, he was the black sheep.
He went to the Western Land, Aeropa, to learn martial arts.
He roams in Jianghu and manages to become one of the few that is renowned in Jianghu and then he returns to Westhold.
The Jianghu is just a rabble of powerful people in martial arts that does not know how to be united and they keep scheming against each other.
No wonder, even in the previous dynasties, the Imperial authority doesn’t care too much for them.
What good is good martial art skill when they are not united in the least? But martial arts could also make a general like the Black Dragon.
And him, the Red Sword Lancel.
Because of his martial art skills, there is rarely any opponent in battlefield that could defeat him and wherever he slashes with his red sword, Fyrerend, red rain of blood will follow thus earning him the name Red Sword Lancel in Jianghu and among the common people.
It is also because of his strength that King Julius believed that it would be easier to keep him around than to execute him thus losing the King a capable official that could drive the Western Barbarians.
The King of Westhold appreciates talents.
It is ironic that the scholar’s profession who his family so prided themselves on was the one that got them killed while he the one who stray from his father path manages to keep his head.
He sighed again.
Then he averts his gaze from that tree and ready to come in.
As he walks step by step on that snow filled path, he is determined to help Charles, his young nephew.
Maybe he will teach him some skills to strengthen the body of that young child.
Joana, his sister has suffered much in the House of Martell’s. The only thing he could do is to help Charles.
With that determination, his eyes shine again like when he was young. A gaze full of certainty and determination.
And then he enters the house
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- Writer
