"...and then the man grabbed by the collar, like I had thrown his whole family into a river."
Serena nodded slowly to the old man, who she suspected was half blind and hard of hearing. She was seated on a wooden chair opposite him. The man had gone off on a tangent in the story he was telling even now she found it difficult to follow what he was talking about.
She still kept a smile and drew the hood closer to her face. How in the world has she ended up in this place? It was by her own doing of course but she had not expected this to be the outcome.
She had simply asked Livia if she could see Darius. The woman had ignored her and then finally replied to her when she spoke louder. Livia declined her request and told her she would be acting as her proxy.
Rightfully, Serena gave the silent treatment for a few minutes but she caved in and told Livia her request. She wanted to visit one of the towns in Ironshade. Initially, Livia gave her a stern no and said it was the end of their discussion. Serena was not fazed and pressed on.
Eventually Livia gave in and said Serena would accompany her to run one of her errands. The ride on the horse was the most uncomfortable thing she had done in so long. Livia was of course the ride and Serena had to clutch tightly to her. Unlike Darius Livia rode without much care and her horse was built for whatever dangerous rides she went on.
Serena held her tongue, she nearly complained about the whole trip but she thought otherwise. It was an amusing thought even thinking of how she would have imagined someone such as Livia would take on such a rough riding style.
She did not say much when she told her to stay put with this man, something about her running errands and she would be back to later come get her. There was not much Serena could say except grumble in her head, she turned and knocked on the door with uncertainty.
And there she found herself wound up with this old man that looked like he would give up ghost at any given. His name was Mike, as he said. She let herself in and the shaky man followed in after her, he seemed content with the explanation that she gave: Livia had brought her here.
The house was larger than she had expected. From the outside, it looked like a modest stone cottage with vines curling around the wooden frame, but inside it was long and deep. Narrow halls led into rooms she couldn’t make out clearly, and the furniture was older than anything she’d seen so far in her stay in Ironshade– wooden with hand-carved detailing, chipped in places, but clearly well cared for.
The air smelled like dried herbs and ash, and something else, like ink and rust. She couldn’t quite place it.
Mike had led her to the sitting room, if it could be called that. It was really just two chairs across from each other with a tiny table between them. A woven rug covered the uneven floor, and dozens of books and rolled parchment crowded the nearby shelves.
"You don’t take sugar in your water, do you?" he asked as he stood slowly and reached for a clay pitcher on a narrow shelf.
The house was quite large for an old man such as himself, she wondered if he had family around or did they move away. What strange behaviour would it be if they did.
"I–no, I am fine," Serena replied quickly, sitting up a little straighter in the chair. "Thank you."
Mike gave a noncommittal grunt and poured himself a cup anyway, settling back into his chair with a faint groan of effort. He sipped it and smacked his lips. Serena quickly understood that this man did not understand that she was a puppet Ambassdor, the thought did bring some form of comfort to her.
"Good water today. Comes from the east well. I tell Livia that well is cleaner than the one behind the tanners. She never listens." He sniffed, then leaned forward with watery eyes. "Now, where was I?"
"You were talking about... someone’s collar," Serena offered hesitantly.
"Ah! Yes! The collar!" Mike wagged a bony finger. "This fellow, name was Berrick or maybe Darrow, I can’t recall, he grabbed me right here." He clutched at the front of his tunic dramatically. "And said, ’You’ve got no honour, old man!’ Imagine! Me! No honour!"
Serena gave a polite smile, but her eyes drifted past him. A window let in a slant of sunlight that caught the floating dust in the air. She shifted again. How long had it been since Livia left? Twenty minutes? Thirty? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveIꜰire.net
Mike droned on about how he’d bested the man with nothing but words and an old cane, and Serena nodded along, her mind already elsewhere. She had not been to this part of Ironshade before. The buildings were more spaced out than in the central village, and the terrain was rockier here. On the ride over, she had noticed farmlands thinning into the dense woods. A place people likely came to forget things.
She looked around the room again. The walls were lined with small wooden carvings, animals mostly, owls, wolves, horses. Some were detailed enough to be lifelike. Others just strange shapes worn by time.
"...so I told him," Mike was saying, "no son of Ironshade gets to threaten me on my own land."
Serena blinked. "I’m sorry?"
"Ironshade," he said louder, leaning in again, "it’s been this way for a while now. Sad, truly. Ever since the old Alpha was forced out."
Serena sat up straighter. "Forced out?"
Mike nodded with a heavy sigh and waved his hand as if brushing away a fly. "That man should’ve died in the woods, not behind closed doors. Not saying I liked him. I did not. But what happened to him... it cursed this place, you know?"