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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was a month after the meeting when the two kings finally sealed the deal with a wedding. Nelson, of course, attended, but he had spent most of the time trying to find any clues about who might have close ties with Sethis and was out for revenge.
A few of the women turned their sights on him, but he politely turned them down, claiming he would not be ready to seek a wife until after he had finished building his mansion and settled into this new rank. It gave him time to mingle with as many groups as he could since the King was now officially off-limits for marriage.
Being the King’s surrogate was not as glamorous as the young noblewomen hoped, and with it clear he had chosen Vaughan not just out of duty but love. They soon gave up the thought of being his mistress. Only those with no actual rank and nothing to lose still chased that dream.
With the women who had turned their ventures to other potential rank improvements, Nelson no longer considered them
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Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH 1
Darkness filled the countryside as the clouds obscured the moon and stars above. A lone, shadowy figure walked down the path towards an old rusty gate. Pausing for a moment, they looked at the land ahead of them. Slowly, they lowered their hood and let out a low humming sound before raising the lantern to a sign that read: Whitefield Farm. The person's pale skin could be seen as the lantern’s light shone down on it. He was a young man with golden-flecked brown eyes that almost seemed to twinkle and dance as the fire from within his lantern reflected within them, making them appear almost supernatural. With a shake of his head, the man’s nose twitched at the smell from ahead of him. It was a mixture of marsh and muck, not a combination that was easy on the nose. The land before him rested on the edge of the Lost Travellers Marsh, a place that could be dangerous for anyone traversing the place to reach the other side. There was only one other way around the marsh, and that was by boat.
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH 2
A week, two, three… then a month had all come and gone without so much as a peep from any would-be debt collectors. Nelson had all but given up hope that someone would finally ease his boredom. Esta had been standoffish the whole time. Not that Nelson found her to be unfriendly, or unkind, but she kept to herself and avoided talking with him unless it was necessary. He figured the death of her mother and stepfather had caused her emotional distress that he could only somewhat understand.His ‘mother’, who, he had learned, was not his actual mother, was sick enough that he had allowed himself to work as a bandit and a slaver for his father. Those were the lengths he had gone to save her. Now her life was in the throne’s hands. Anyone else would have been glad of the King’s aid, but Nelson was wary.He considered his options many times over. There was no way his mother was in any state to be moved and those caring for her were the best chance of recovery she had, but working for the Crow
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH 3
The nearest town to Whitefield farm was a couple of hours’ walk to the Forest town of Lightmist Village. Nelson absolutely hated coming here, but he had little choice in the matter. It was the only town close enough for him to buy supplies to feed his pigs, and without his pigs, he couldn’t make ends meet. Inleet had agreed to come with him in order to act as his servant, but the truth was to scout around for any information.The reason Nelson hated coming here, however, almost overpowered his wish to survive, and she was wheeling towards him with the foulest of looks plastered all over her face. Nelson braced himself for having to deal with her again.Lynnette…Her brown hair was cut shorter than he remembered it being. He guessed she had finally had enough of it being in her way all the time, but that was all that had changed about her. The only nice thing he could say was that the mobility chair the Rattus had invented really wa
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH4
The tavern was bustling with the town folks, leaving Nelson and Atraas almost feeling at home in the busy place. It was quiet when one compared it to the capital city where the King lived, but that was to be expected. Another thing he had expected was upon his arrival; the whole tavern went silent. No one trusted Nelson, and for good reason. It hadn’t been that long ago that he had been here trying to enslave them all. None of them had known it was his father’s suggestion, however.It didn’t matter. They soon returned to their drinks but were now conscious of the noble in their presence.“Perhaps you should have stayed home, M’lord,” Atraas mocked his old friend, though kept his tone to one of politeness.Nelson shot his friend a small look and then said, “and miss out on a drink? We all know I’ll be the life of the party in about an hour.”Atraas snickered, nodding his head before he set out to mingle
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH5
With the pig’s trough filled, Nelson knew he could sneak out a lot easier than he might have without. It was still not a foolproof way of getting out of the farm without them alerting his exit, but they were quieter than they could have been.Moving swiftly so that he could reach the town in less than the two hours it would take to get there, Nelson kept himself hidden under his cloak’s hood. As soon as he reached the town, he wasted no time sneaking into the rattus’ room.He took a quick glance within to make sure the man was either not there or asleep. A vague body shape in the bed told him which one it was. He nodded and snuck in quietly and checked the draws and bags within the room. All Nelson found were a few scrolls and notes about locating and figuring out more about him as a noble. Nothing really to suggest that the rattus was involved in anything, especially not slavery.However, what he found sug
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH6
“So, what you are saying is that I have to look after the farm, on my own, while you go…” Esta paused, looking Nelson up and down with a critical gaze. “Where did you say you were going?” She asked, almost sneering at him, but was trying to not be so blatant with what she was doing.Nelson knew she wouldn’t be happy that he was taking the only two farm hands with him, but he needed their personal skills if he was going to cross the marsh and get into Sethis’ mansion without getting caught. Even so, he had to tell her he would not be back for at least a month or more.“I know this is sudden, but it is an important visit that I need to make,” Nelson offered his hands up in defence of his sudden plan. “I can hire someone else so you aren’t stuck alone here if you need someone?” He then asked.Esta peered at him with contempt. “Oh! So we have enough coins for that, do we?” Esta ques
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH7
The ripples zoomed towards him with such speed that Nelson didn’t have time to think twice about what he was doing. He held up the bag and called at the top of his voice, “if you want them back you can have them! I want nothing to do with stealing your children!”Atraas and Inleet stared at him from their positions, ready to help fight if required, but trusted Nelson’s instincts to know how to handle the situation.“Can they even understand the common tongue?” Atraas asked, curious as he watched the water suddenly rise along with the head of the serpentine.Although snake-like in appearance, they also had humanoid features for their bodies. Bulky arms ended in claw-like hands. A very thin line of greenish-brown hair lined the top of the serpentine’s head. It continued to rise out of the water, using its muscular snake-like body to hold itself up tall. It easily stood taller than even the gnarly tree.Atraas and In
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH8
As the sun began to set on Falanthyst Castle, King Fenryn sat bored on the throne, listening to his nobles arguing over this and that. None of it was important enough to hold his attention for long, but he attempted to at least pretend like he had been listening. If he showed any signs that he wasn’t taking this matter seriously, he would get a scolding by a certain Knight Captain.That was when he started to giggle. It always meant trouble would be in store for the Captain when the King chuckled during the meetings of his local Lords and Ladies. He was sure they thought poorly of him because he was young in both age and heart. Of course, his court would never say so out loud, but they felt he could never be a true King because of how young he was. They often took advantage of the King’s youth, but that was why he had his faithful Knight Captain.Vaughan Cadfael was a stern man and one that everyone knew that if he was around, they could say or whisper very
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- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH68
It was a month after the meeting when the two kings finally sealed the deal with a wedding. Nelson, of course, attended, but he had spent most of the time trying to find any clues about who might have close ties with Sethis and was out for revenge.A few of the women turned their sights on him, but he politely turned them down, claiming he would not be ready to seek a wife until after he had finished building his mansion and settled into this new rank. It gave him time to mingle with as many groups as he could since the King was now officially off-limits for marriage.Being the King’s surrogate was not as glamorous as the young noblewomen hoped, and with it clear he had chosen Vaughan not just out of duty but love. They soon gave up the thought of being his mistress. Only those with no actual rank and nothing to lose still chased that dream.With the women who had turned their ventures to other potential rank improvements, Nelson no longer considered them
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH67
Nelson still felt irritable from earlier in the day, but he knew that if he missed this meeting, all three of them would get on his case about it and he might miss his chance at getting the power and sway he needed to grow and survive the threats from those of his past who would betray him, eventually. When his past caught up to him, Nelson knew he had to be ready for anything.He lingered near the back of the hall while Lynnette saw Elena and the two of them left him alone to talk between themselves. Until the King finally started the meeting, at least.Nelson felt a small sense of relief wash over him. He leaned against the wall and watched all the nobles in the room. Not every noble was here, but every noble house had sent at least one person to hear what the King had to say. Many of the attendants were women which had not surprised Nelson in the least.It didn’t matter to them if the King was taken, they would constantly vie for his attention until the
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH66
By the time all the nobles had arrived, it exhausted Fenryn from greeting each one of them. Even Elena had come. Two guards had escorted her, though she and the King had both decided they would need to handle things as best as they could. Regardless of what they claimed the narrative was for their breakup, people were going to taunt and mock her for losing her chance of sitting on the throne.Fenryn did not want to see her mocked and belittled because of her father, so he had to make it abundantly clear she was not at fault. That the two of them had split on equal terms and were both still going to be friendly with one another. The only issue was the King knew the other nobles wouldn’t care about any excuse. They would belittle her, regardless.Elena waited until every other noble had finished speaking with the King before she walked over to him and offered a shy smile. He returned it with an awkward one of his own.“You’re looking well. Sorry
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH65
Later that day, once the group had completed every task, Nelson stood out in the gardens to get some air. He was getting tired from running around on the King’s behalf, but it would all be worth it later that night. The King had decided he was going to make the announcement at a social gathering of all his nobles.The plans had already been in place since he had confessed to wanting to marry Vaughan, and now all they had to do was wait and make sure the man in question did not suspect a thing. As far as anyone knew, this gathering was going to be about Sethis’ betrayal and Nelson’s promotion.They would not go into details about who defeated Sethis or what had happened in full, but some of the truth might come out, depending on the guards. Nelson wasn’t sure if he wanted to assassinate them just to keep the truth safe. However, he couldn’t just do so without knowing if they were a danger or not. So far, the two of them had stayed quiet and
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH64
By the time Nelson returned to his own bedroom, he could hear the servants waking up other guests in the castle for breakfast and knew he wouldn’t be able to grab more sleep, as he had hoped. However, his tasks for the morning had been completed and now he just had to deal with Fenryn and the others. A far less complicated matter, but one far more timely.As Nelson’s door was knocked, he answered it with a cheerful smile and allowed himself to be guided down to the King’s dining hall. Lynnette had joined them, though she seemed to be deep in thought. Nelson wasn’t sure if she had heard something. Perhaps him returning to his room? Or perhaps she was noticing the effects of the tonic and was trying to figure out what was happening.Nelson decided not to mention it. If she brought up her thoughts on her own, then he could play innocent, or happy, depending on what the situation was.Fenryn and Vaughan were already sitting at the table and,
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH63
It was still quite dark when the ship docked at the riverside port. Nelson and Lynnette had more land to travel across before reaching the city itself, but thankfully, Fenryn had arranged a horse-drawn carriage for them. It had to have been him, as there was more than enough room for Lynnette’s chair on wheels.Lynnette hated being constrained by the thing, but it always made her feel less upset when Fenryn would do small things to make her life a little less awkward.When they arrived just outside of the castle, several guards and servants were there waiting for them. They were sure Fenryn was inside, still awake, waiting for them to return. Lynnette had thankfully slept for a little while on the boat, but Nelson had been awake. He couldn’t sleep. He had wanted to prepare himself for anything that would happen between now and the wedding. So much could go wrong and many people would be unhappy at the union. They all wanted a piece of that crown for themsel
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH62
Lynnette woke to a start when she heard Nelson calling for her. He had been acting strangely and had refused to tell her what this was all about. She never could get over the fact that he was now on the King’s side. She always expected him to betray them and have her assassinated in her sleep, yet he hadn’t even attempted it. Perhaps he truly had changed his ways and was willing to use his skills for Fenryn from now on.She sighed and grumbled a tired reply to him. Lynnette had finally grown accustomed to sleeping in a bed, but now that she had, she never wanted to wake up in the morning. They were so comfortable, even in the winter. Though it wasn’t winter now, and she knew she really had to get up.As she pulled herself up, Lynnette leaned over to grab her chair on wheels. She took the clean clothes from the seat and got dressed. She could hear Nelson pacing outside as he waited for her, but Lynnette was in no rush.Lynnette then pulled herse
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH61
After being led to roughly the right place, the young serpentine lingered back out of the way. Nelson could tell he was afraid to go any closer to where he believed Ket had made her nest. Though it seemed so strange to see a serpentine afraid of anything. Perhaps the only thing they did fear was their own kind.“Wouldn’t it be more impressive to the woman to show up yourself and show your bravery?” Nelson asked as he halted the anxious horse’s steps. The serpentine had been mindful of the beast’s fears. The hopes of having Ket as a mate this year seemed to be far more important than food.The young lad gazed up at Nelson silently for a while before he said, “females are bigger. Stronger. It is not the breeding season yet. She will kill me as this has become her space. I will not go beyond this point.”Nelson dipped his head to the side in a vague, understanding motion. He wasn’t sure if he liked the thought of bein
- Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
CH60
The following day, Nelson left Lynnette in the capable hands of the inn staff should she need anything at all. He had said his goodbyes to his mother and Inleet before heading towards Rattail Peak. He had gotten in contact with a person he thought might have the information he sought.Nelson took only a single guard with him, and that was only under protest. He knew that from now on, he would have no choice but to rely on loyal men to keep him safe. Thankfully, this man was one of Fenryn’s, though that bit of information was never offered to anyone except himself.Thankfully, the people within Ameathon City and Rattail Peak had not yet learned of who exactly had taken over from Sethis. Everyone had known there had been a change of leadership, and that Sethis had become a demonic force of nature that had destroyed his own home, killed many of his people and eventually been slain.As Nelson journeyed through the rattus city, he couldn’t help but think
