EPISODE XIII
The Warrior Who Defeated Hundreds
I am sad to inform you that things aren't very well down here. It's all heating up rather dramatically, and I am afraid another war will be fought. I have heard of your business in Falcos and the rumors of your connection with the Knights of Estovia. However, I hope you may return soon so that you may receive this letter and hastily travel back south. I know it would be easier for you to come straight up from Falcos, but I do not know where you are and your servants will not inform me.
Send my regards to the lovely Riamahn. I hope to see her soon. I expect to see you in Pelosia before the next full moon; you know where to meet me. If otherwise, I'll expect a letter in response. Again, I need your help, Evan; your skills are needed and will be much appreciated. Hope all is well.
Forever in your debt,
Argyle
-Pelosia
Early in the Year, 540 A.B.
I have rendezvoused with Argyle, and all is well. We have established lodgings, and -as it seems-� I may stay longer than planned. I hope to come back in time to see the garden bloom. Make sure the door to the kitchens is repaired, and if you make any other observations, have them ordered to be fixed as well. I am thinking of -perhaps- hosting another feast upon my return. Tell me what you think. As usual, I will try to write as often as possible. But, things are not the same here in Pelosia and Argyle and I are very busy. Even so, unless you hear otherwise, I am fine. Send my love to the other servants, and have them ride my horses. They need the exercise... the horses! All take care.
Lord Evan DuWynn
-Pelosia
Year, 540 A.B.
Bad fortune has befallen Pelosia. A third civil war has begun. Argyle has connections with the infantry. Hopefully, there's something we can do. I don't like to fight, but something needs to be done. Please, do not worry about me. I will continue to write as much as I am able. It is important that you keep the home in good condition until my return.
Lord Evan DuWynn
-Pelosia
Year, 540 A.B.
I will go straight to the point. By the time you receive this letter, I am sure that the travelers that passed through here -in the last couple of days- will have journeyed far, and the rumors may have reached Riamahn.
Let me tell you what really happened:
Argyle and I (accompanied by a small batallion of half a dozen) went to Holnier to join sides, yesterday morning. I wasn't sure whose side we should fight for, but Argyle was adamant about protecting the merchants' pass through the High Road.
When we reached Holnier, there was not a place you could turn to without seeing death or blood. While Argyle attempted to join the fight, by finding some captain, I was able to convince two of our guys (Lancer and Gathos) to separate from him, so we could scout the town. I hated leaving Argyle, but he was looking for a fight. I was looking for survivors. The two men (I should say 'kids', really, for they could not have been older than 18) that came with me, said they had friends here and were glad to help. Neither of them were prepared to die fighting. But, I am afraid they were not prepared for what we would find, either.
We found out, later in the day, that there was a family near the outskirts that was housing an insurrection party (against one of the lords). We heard that the house had been ransacked and everyone was killed. We also heard that the people who did it had gotten the wrong house. We also heard that they were not killed, but instead being held hostage and interrogated about the whereabouts of the small insurrection army.
Gathos knew the neighborhood, so needless to say, we went to check it out. The house was a lonesome two story shack made mostly out of stone. The owners, apparently, had a lot of land; since the next house was a pretty ways off. It was during the evening when we arrived. There were no lights coming from the dwelling. We were about to turn back when we heard a woman screaming.
Instinctively, I grabbed for my sword. Lancer grabbed his daggers, and Gathos held his crossbow in front of him. We just stood there. The scream was so piercing, we couldn't even move!
Now, Meredith, my story may frighten you. You do not have to read it. But, I must write down the way it happened.
Soon enough, the boys and I were able to see the scream's maker. A woman ran out of the house, through the front door. She was clutching her arms to her chest and we could hear her sobbing. I resheathed my sword and told the boys to keep their weapons raised. When the woman ran into my arms, I saw that she was very young, and she was covered in blood. Her dress was stained almost entirely, and it was ripped at many areas. When I asked her if she was alright, she spat blood onto my armor and collapsed. Her body then lay face down on the ground, with a branding rod protruding from her back.
The boys and I shared a thought, I'm sure: The monsters inside that house would have to pay, and there will be no more women running and crying and full of blood, that night.
Another scream filled the newborn night, and we realized that the young woman that had died in my arms had not been the owner of the previous one. We ran towards the house. When we were about ten feet from the front door, a large bearded man stepped out. He was running towards us, swinging a ball and chain above his head and yelling frantically. I barely had time to pull out my sword. Gathos was able to pierce a bolt in the man's right shoulder, an instant after the iron ball took Lancer's head off his shoulders. I told Gathos to run and get help as I deflected the next ball's swing with my sword. It hit the chain, forcing it to coil around the blade. The impact of the ball on my sword took it from my grasp, but the bearded man just stood there. He was amused at how he had disarmed me. I took that advantage, grabbed one of Lancer's daggers from the ground, and lunged at the large man. He swung at me with the ball and chain, but it was too late. His breath was already on me, and Lancer's dagger was embedded, deep, through the side of his neck. The man fell like a stone. As I retrieved my sword from the chain, I was hit on the back of the head.
I woke up in a damp corner of a dimly lit room. I was not alone. Six women were gathered around a single candle, and a young man lay curled beside me. The boy was Gathos. The ladies said: 'they' had captured him too, and that 'they' had brought us down here not too long ago, while we were unconscious. It turned out, we were locked in the house's underground cellar. Gathos had not awakened yet, but even in the dark, I could see a rise in the scalp of his head and a line of blood running down his forehead. I took off my shirt (my armor and weapon were gone) and wrapped it tight around the boy's head. When I asked the women who they meant by 'they', the women said: "The devil men. The ones in armor"
I wasn't able to find out much more before the basement's door opened and a tall, slender man in armor came down. I did notice that the women were pretty battered and bloody, once the light from above engulfed them. The man snorted at the women, then looked at me. "You live!", he said, "Come with me".
I followed him upstairs, to the kitchen, were four torches (one in each corner of the room) lit most of it. These, were obviously not lit when the boys and I first arrived. The kitchen was a mess. Almost everything was destroyed, and the table was badly stained with blood. The man said his name was Raul, and he sat on one stool that had survived the ransacking. He said he was an important right hand man to a 'big' important Lord in the area. He did not say whose... Then, he asked for my name. I gave it to him. If this man happened to know who I was, my alibi would not work if I lied to him. "I was just passing through. I have no interest in your war", I told him. "You were wearing a lot of armor!", Raul said. "It's Pelosia! How else am I to walk about?", I replied. The man smiled, "Very true...". He turned somber, "But, you did kill one of my men..."
"He blew that boy's head off!", I said angrily, in hopes of intimidating him. Raul was clearly young.
"Yes... who were those boys, anyway? Why were you with them? Were you not merely... passing through?", he grinned.
"I am getting old, Raul", I told him, "I cannot afford to rely only on my sword, as I did when I was your age."
Raul's face was blank.
"Bodyguards", I explained to him, "I needed some protection. I'm on my way to Falcos and I have no intention of concerning myself in any trouble!"
"Ah! Well then", he replied, "In that case, you may go. Your armor and your sword are in the front room, next to the fireplace". He grinned again, "After all, this doesn't concern you".
I gave him a defiant look and walked out of the kitchen. In the common room, I saw my belongings next to the fireplace. I also saw seven men who, all but one, turned abruptly to look at me, stopping whatever it was they were doing.
Straight ahead, to the right of the fire, stood a large bearded man that looked like the one I had killed outside. Next to him, on the ground, were two sets of ball and chain. He was bare-chested (as I was). He had been looking into the fire when I walked into the room. Now, he was staring intently at me.
If you were to have looked around the room, in a semicircle, the wall to my left being the first wall, the one straight ahead being the second, and so on... You would see six other men. Next to the bearded man, in the corner between the second and third walls, was a small round table. There were many bottles and drinking glasses on it, and there were three men, playing cards, sitting at it. One was dark-skinned and well built. The other two appeared to be twins. They were redheads, and each was thinner than my pinky. The three men interrupted their game to stare at me.
Further to the right of the table, was the front door. The was a tall man in armor guarding it. He was completely protected by metal, except for his head. His helmet was on the floor, by his feet. He looked straight at me; he was holding an axe with both hands. Towards the first wall, a blonde young man sat next to a bundle of blankets, underneath a window. This part of the front room was even more destroyed than the rest, and the blankets were crawling with cockroaches and other bugs. The blonde boy turned his attention from the bundle of blankets, and our eyes met. Inside the bundle, surprisingly, an old man slept.
I moved forward to the fireplace. As I bent down to gather my belongings, something heavy tapped my shoulder. When I turned around, the big bare-chested man's face was inches from mine. "You kill Horse?", he asked me. I turned from his foul breath to my armor, "I don't know what y-"
He grabbed me, spun me around, and growled, spitting on me, "You felt Thunder?!" Then, he slugged me in the face. I almost ended up in the fire. I had to drop my things to keep my balance. "He has now!", I heard someone say, and then laughter. I faced the big guy once again. I knew my nose was broken, and I could feel my blood trickling down to my lips. I could taste it. "You're Thunder", I half asked him. "Yah!", he replied laughing.
"Well let me tell you something, Thunder", I said to him, "Horse was an ugly, annoying son of a bitch... And, yeah, I killed him".
Thunder's smile was erased, and I punched his face with all my might before he could react. I knew it wouldn't do much, so I instantly threw myself at him. That's when the room went wild. I was able to knock Thunder down, and while we were wrestling around for a few seconds, all I could hear was loud boisterous laughter, and a "Ho, ho, he's gonna know some Thunder now!" and some "Get 'im Thunder!" and "Stupid idiot, I woulda ran!"
When Thunder and I got separated, we both got to our feet. I could see his nose was bleeding too, and his belly was stained with my blood. I had my back to the fire. Behind him, I could see the door to the kitchen; Raul appeared to see what was the commotion. He began to yell something, but I didn't get a chance to let it sink in; I was busy dodging a thunderous blow. Thunder was slow and sloppy. I managed to retaliate with a blow to the stomach. He slouched and grunted. It seemed, it was going to take me all night to take him down... IF I took him down!
When we half rotated around the room (the rest of the guys were forming a kind of circle around us), I managed to hear Raul yelling "Stop this! Stop this at once!" and something like, "He is free to go!". Then, I saw the armored guard close in next to him. He held his axe up to Raul's neck and whispered something in his ear. Raul quieted down after that.
Thunder's rage was not subsiding, but he was beginning to breathe heavily. I had dodged all of his punches and kneed him a few times in the stomach. It seemed Thunder was as dumb as he was big, and he was useless without his ball and chain. I guess he realized this because when his back was to the fire, he ignored me and turned to get his weapon. I'm not usually cruel, but I was not about to let the fight lose its fairness. As he bent to pick the weapon up, my foot lunched upward between his legs. I hit the groins with too much unintended strength. He turned red and collapsed, crying like a baby.
"Not fair!", one of the twins yelled, then laughed. Then a deep undertoned voice said, "That was not very dignified". I turned around to see the dark-skinned man was standing in the center of the room, with me. He was wearing blue robes, and from under them, he produced two knuckle-knives (which handle is hollow which the user slips four fingers through, leaving the thumb to press around it; the blade then seems to come from the knuckles). His blades, one in each hand, were triangular shaped; with their deadly pointed edges pointed solely at me. "It consoles me only to think that your death will be just as undignified...", he said, grinning, "Maybe, even more..."
He lunged at me with lightning speed. I was able to dodge him, but one of his blades grazed my chest, and the cut immediately began to bleed. I was not able to think about it, though. Because the man quickly turned around and lunged towards me for another try. Luckily, I had predicted that one, and I was able to duck just in time. With my body under him, I grabbed hold of his legs and pushed upward, sending him flipping to the kitchen door. Raul had to move out of his way. The room went wild with cheers and laughter once again, and I heard, "Come on, kill him, Shavi!" It was a good move, and I would have laughed too if not for the fact that when Shavi stood up, he still had a knuckle-knife in one of his hands.
This time, he pondered things. I was able to glance at his other weapon in the kitchen. If he were to go get it, I would have gotten my sword. He didn't turn to get it. He simply edged toward me, very slowly. His eyes darted a deep look into mine. He lunged again, but I was ready. I grabbed his armed hand with one of mine, and I hit him on the chest (with my palm open) with the other. He dropped his weapon as he gasped for air. I let him go, but as soon as I did, his hands were around my neck. I slipped my hands in between his arms and pushed upward, releasing my neck from his grip. Continuing the motion, I grabbed his arms and held them behind him. Then, I hit him between the eyes with my head and threw him aside. He landed unconscious, next to Thunder, who was now a human ball (still crying).
Now, I was angry, "Who's next?!"
I really didn't expect anyone to challenge me, so I was very surprised when the old man stepped forward. Apparently, he had awakened sometime during the fighting. Who wouldn't have?! He bowed and said, "Now, you die"
I released a deep sigh and got into fighting position just as he was doing so. I really didn't want to fight him. Could this old man have possibly been a cold-blooded killer? All the guilt ran from my mind the moment I received the first of the five consecutive hits to my face, neck, and chest. In a flash, I was on the floor, and I could taste warm blood again. The old man was quicker than a human being! But, he had stopped the assault. I heard laughing, but it seemed like it was a mile away. I stood up again, and when I saw the old man, he was attacking me again; a blur of hands and feet. I felt pain in my head, my arms, my legs, even my back. I have no idea how many times he hit me that time, but I ended up on the floor again. Every one of my bones was hurting. Even if I could have gotten up, I didn't want to.
"There must be a way to stop this!", I thought, "There must be a way to defeat him!" But, he was too fast. It was over. I was going to die that night. "No!", I convinced myself, "Have to concentrate. Have to focus! Pay attention to every detail, as if it were slow-motion. Then, anticipate his attack, match his speed with every move... I have to... But, I'm too tired... I hurt too much".
I looked up at him. The blur that was his face was grinning, and he was laughing along with the others; a laugh I could not hear. Then, I saw something on his shoulder. Something small was crawling on him, and he didn't seem to notice. The thing crawled across his chest and the man kept laughing. I got up on my hands and knees. The old man quickly kicked my belly. I threw up blood and whatever my last meal had been. Oh, Meredith, how I wanted him to end my life right then and get it over with! I was able to stay up on my hands and knees, but the kick had sent me closer to the fire. A few more kicks and I would have been dancing, along with the flames. I looked up and I saw the place where he had been sleeping. It was crawling with cockroaches. I looked at the old man again, and I realized what was on him was a bug. It crawled up his neck and into his mouth. The old man just laughed. When the bug came out of his mouth to travel up his face, the man still laughed.
I turned my head to the floor and gasped, as loud as I could, "Please! No more!"
"You heard the man! No-", I heard Raul say, but I'm sure he was silenced by the axe.
"Everything is swell", the old man hissed, "Tonight, this man dies".
It was then (when I'm sure the final blow would have struck) that I grabbed one of the logs of the fire (slightly burning my hand) and I threw it at the bundle of blankets near the window.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!", the old man yelped as the sheets quickly caught on fire, "My babies!!!" Then, he leaped to them, and tried to stomp the fire out with his feet. While everyone was either looking at the old fool or laughing at him, I was able to get up. It was painful, but I managed it. I picked up my sword, very heavy in my sore arms, and approached the frantic elder. "Now...", I gasped, "stay...", as I slowly plunged my sword through the man's back, "still."
The blonde kid became hysterical, "Noooo!", and he began to punch me countless times on my back, "No, no, no, no". When I pulled my sword out of the old man's body, he backed off.
"Enough!", I yelled.
"Tell us where the insurrection is, old man!", the man with the axe yelled back.
"I don't know what you are talking about", I said and headed towards my armor. As I bent to reach for it (pain striking in every inch of my body) the man's axe blade landed on my chestplate, inches from my nose. I rose to meet his gaze. He eased his axe away from the armor and placed one of the sharp edges below my chin. I fiercely smacked it away with my blade, creating a few sparks in between us. I knew he could see my eyes were fiery with rage, and he raised his axe once more. However, I deflected it with my sword before it got to close. This enraged him, and he pulled his axe behind him, ready to swing. At the next instant, I jumped back just enough to miss the swinging blade. But, my legs caught on the unconscious Shavi, and I fell over him and on top of Thunder.
"Stand up and fight, old man!", the armored man yelled at me.
I was able to stand up (with the help of Thunder's angry shove), sword still in hand, and face the man with the axe. He swung at me again, and I barely contained the blow with my sword.
"This isn't a fair fight! I need armor!", I told him, "And there's hardly any room in here for this!"
"You've got all the armor you need", he replied, "and plenty of room... to die"
And he swung his axe again. This time, when it met my sword, the axe sent it flying across the room and all the way outside, shattering one of the front windows. Before his next swing came, I did the only smart thing I could have done. I climbed on top of the small round table, stepping on a pile of playing cards, and jumped out of the broken window. It did not take me more than a second to find my sword, but neither did it take long for the armored man to step outside through the front door. The wyrld had already been spinning in my head, and the jump out of the window had only made it worse. I was not yet standing up when his next attack came. He had raised his axe above his head, and it now came speeding down. I rolled out of the way, just in time. I used the roll to gain momentum and get to both feet, but that same momentum overpowered me, and I staggered backwards, fortunately dodging the armored man's horizontal follow-up swing. He noticed my unstable feet. I was fighting like a drunk! So, he took it slow. He neared me. I raised my sword in front of me. As he swung hard to separate me from my weapon, I fell forward, into him, toppling us both to the ground. I rolled from on top of him, onto the hard soil. I could not feel my sword in my hands anymore. I looked to my side to see that he was not holding his axe, and that my sword was near his feet. His armor was full of vomit, apparently mine, and he was quickly getting up. I also noticed that the twins and Raul had come outside to watch the battle. The twins were still laughing.
As a I sat up, the armored man was looking frantically for his axe. I figure his axe came loose from his hand with the mixed forces of his swing and my shove. If so, the axe was probably a good throw away. He never found it. He picked up my sword, instead.
Sitting with my hands on the ground, I felt a rock (the size of an apple) beneath my right palm. Joyous luck, Meredith! I picked it up and stood up. Tired and hurt (not to mention afraid), I used my last resource. I switched the rock to my left hand, and as the man turned to face me with my own sword, I hurled it towards his face with all my might (not much). It hit him on the side of his jaw. It was enough to surprise him and render him motionless for a second. In that second, I lunged at him again; this time, with maniacal strength. When we hit the ground, I heard him drop my sword. I remained on top of him,. and I pulled myself up, just enough to give him a good punch to the face... then another... and another... I was yelling with rage. The night had to end. I needed this to stop. So, I hit him, over and over again...
I'm sure he was unconscious long before I stopped the attack. I hopped off the man and grabbed my sword. I turned to Raul and the twins and said, "Now? Can we end this?"
"We sure can...", one of the twins replied. Then, they looked at each other and nodded. Suddenly, one of them arched his back and growled. I hardly noticed his eyes change, his hair and nails grow longer, until it was already too late. The redheaded man had turned into a wolf before my eyes. But, this was no werewolf. He had been outside in the night for a while now, without change. This twin, apparently, was a shapeshifter. I wondered what the OTHER twin was. I held my sword in front of me. If he were to attack, I would stab him. It was nothing but a stand-off, unless of course, the other twin were to have circled around and attacked me from behind. But, the second twin only stood there (in human form) staring intently at his brother. Was he simply going to wait his turn?
The wolf-man growled fiercely, and foamy saliva dripped from his jaw. I didn't know what to do. We could have been out there all night! Also, by then, I was not thinking very well. My head felt extremely heavy, and I wanted so much to be asleep. I did not feel like myself, and therefore, I did something very stupid. I charged the wolf-man with my sword, pointing it straight at him. He was able to dodge it easily and circle around behind me. Before I could turn, he had pounced on me. I was down on my belly and I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. I rolled violently to the side and managed to get him off me, but he bounced back and pounced me again. This time, I felt his weight on my chest. I could hardly breathe, and it was hard to see anything but a dark grey blur. I thought I was experiencing the last moments of my life, but then, I remembered my sword. I tried to lift it and stab the wolf, but the sword felt too heavy. It fell from my hand, and all I did was hit the wolf-man's side with my hand. He didn't budge, but he began to laugh. He just laughed... What was he waiting for? He had caught his prey! One bite to the neck and it would have been over! Why was he still laughing?
Behind him, I could see his brother was still watching. The human twin's concentration on the fight seemed very odd to me. But, not for long. I managed to roll from under the wolf-man again. This time, I instantly rolled back to my original spot, so that he would miss me when he tried to jump on me again. The trick made the wolf-man lose his balance, and he was soon tasting the ground. Quickly, I got to my knees and felt for my sword. I grabbed it and held it up as soon as the wolf-man was ready to attack once more. Again, we were at a stand-off.
I slowly stood up, as the wolf-man started to approach me, growling and snarling. I knew the other twin was somewhere behind me. I raised my sword, then I threw it past the wolf-man, away into the night. The idiot followed it with his gaze. That was my chance! I quickly turned around and I saw the other twin. I cannot describe to you the face of surprise that he made when he saw me dart towards him. With the force of my speed and the rest of the strength I had left, I punched the human twin hard on the face.
The human twin fell to the ground, unconscious. Then, I turned around. As I suspected, the first twin was still there, but now he was a mere human, down on the ground on his hands and knees. I walked towards him, and I could tell he was embarrased and frozen in fear. I kicked him on the chin, and he flew backwards to the ground, landing on his back.So, that's what the second twin had been... an illusionist! And, the first twin was nothing but a coward.
Raul was smiling, and I walked towards the house. "If you don't mind", I said, "I'll be picking up my armor now, and my friends!" But, before I could step into the house, a young woman came out through the front door. I heard someone say, "Go! Outside, now!", from the inside of the house. And, the first woman was followed by four more. They were the women from the cellar. I later found out that they were a family (mothers, daughters and cousins), and the men of the household were off fighting in the war.
The last woman to come out of the house was followed by a crossbow. I recognized it as Gathos'. The crossbow was followed by the young blonde man that had attacked me when I killed the old man with the bugs. "You will pay for what you have done!", he told me, "But before you die, you will tell me where the insurrection is based!"
"I know not of any insurrection. Now, take it easy, kid..."
He quickly lowered the crossbow, away from the woman's head, and lifted it in a split second to point it at Raul. The bolt flew true. Raul never knew what hit him... between the eyes...
"YOU take it easy", the blonde young man said, and he took a dagger from his belt and placed it at the woman's neck, tossing the crossbow behind him, back into the house. "Talk! Or she dies!", he said.
I tried to take a step toward him, but he flinched. And I saw a drip blood run down the woman's neck.
"Listen", I tried to calm him, "Why are you doing this? Do you think I would have risked my life? Fought those men? If all I had to do was talk? And then walk???... I promise you, I know nothing!!!... Now, let these women go!"
"But now its not your life on the line. It's hers! So, you WILL talk!"
"Then, you leave me no choice. I must let them die... For I cannot help you"
At that, some of the women gasped. But the young man didn't react. Then, I saw Gathos. He was limping, inside the house. It seemed that he was trying to make his away outside, with the rest of us.
"What is your name?", I asked of the young man.
"My name is not of concern. Do you really want these women to die?!", he yelled, and he pulled on the woman's hair, exposing her neck even more.
"I assume I have killed your master, your mentor. What will you do now? You're nothing but a child! This is pointless. Just let us go, and you can move on! I saw the fear in your eyes when you saw Raul fall... You don't like to kill, do you?"
"No one does. But for fifteen Suns, I will report the insurrection's whereabouts and..."
"And what? And WHAT??? What is this war to you anyway?"
I thought I could see tears coming from the boy's eyes. Suddenly, I saw Gathos stepping outside the house and behind the blonde man. He was holding his crossbow, loaded. My shirt, stained with blood, was still wrapped around his head. When one of the women saw him, she gasped. And just as Gathos was about to point his crossbow to the man's head, the blonde turned around, smacked the weapon out of his weak grasp, and stabbed the dagger into my young friend's stomach. The woman with the cut on her neck then became hysterical, and she began to punch the murderer on his back. I ran forward, toward the scene The boy pulled the dagger from Gathos' body and swung at the woman. I dived at the ground, made a quick roll, grabbed the crossbow, and got up to my knees.
I felt like vomiting again, but I kept the crossbow aimed at the boy. He turned around to face me, and when he saw my weapon, he dropped the dagger. Beside the dagger, lay the woman he had just killed. The boy fell his knees, buried his face in his hands and sobbed.
It was not a very good night...
I convinced the women not to kill the remaining men, who I tied up sat outside. In the middle of the field, the women took turns guarding the prisoners, with the crossbow and the balls and chains. The men knew, they could see it in each woman's eyes: If they were to move an inch, just an inch... I couldn't possibly imagine the things that those men had done to them...
I picked up my armor and sword, and left them, so I could find some local authority. It wasn't easy, but I found one of the husbands and he led a few of his men back to his home. What happened there... I do not want to know...
This morning, I am still yet to find Argyle, but I am sure he is fine, as well as in a heap of trouble. Not to worry, Meredith. I shall return home soon, and if Argyle wishes, I'll bring him with me.
Well, dear Meredith, it is time to close, until my next letter. I have written the facts. I need it to be clear. No matter what you hear: (Lord Evan DuWynn rescued the women of the household! He defeated a hundred men!), you now know the truth... There were only seven.
My love to all,
Lord Evan DuWynn
-Pelosia
NOTE: Many Rie-men scholars still debate over the veracity of these letters. However, whether genuine documents or plain frauds, one fact is known: These letters where found in the Study of the DuWynn Estate, along with the rest of the Lord's actual correspondence.