The air was cool and refreshing, the leaves on the trees were turning multiple colors. Different shades of orange, red and yellow. Squirrels could be seen preparing for the coming winter only a few weeks away. Fall was definitely in full swing for the kingdom of Arendelle. A lone warrior walks through the forest observing the beauty of his surroundings. For what seemed like the first time in forever, the man seemed to be at peace and happy…..That would only last for so long.
The warrior came upon a small trading post, outside there were five horses, all staying together even though they were not tied up. Upon walking up to the shop, and dropping his small bag of supplies, further inspection of the small building the man read a large sign just under the veranda the read 'Wandering Oaken's Trading Post' under the larger sign was a smaller sign 'and sauna'
'CRASH'
The man walked up to the shop and opened the door just a crack to see what cause the crash. To his surprise it was a mess with a large man in a corner surrounded by five men.
"Listen you, we'll leave as soon as you give up all the money you have in this sad excuse for a trading post."
"I vill not be intimidated by bandits, now leave or I vill be forced to use violent actions."
"Oh I don't think you want to do that, if you haven't noticed there are five of us and only one of you. In other words you're out matched."
The man walked inside and went unnoticed by the other occupants of the trading post. The small shop was ravaged. Supplies all over the floor, clothes had cuts and holes inside of them and some smashed jars of some odd liquid with what seemed to be fish heads in them.
"Listen fool just give us the money and we will leave and not harm you or your precious trading post."
"Dis post has been in the oaken family for five generations, and I vill protect it to my dying breath."
Another of the assailants unsheathed a blade and shot Oaken a chuckle before sneering and saying "You'd be surprised how close that may be…..NOW GIVE IS THE MONEY OR WE'LL BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!"
The large man swallowed and prepared for a fight "NEVER!"
"Have it your way." The bandits started converging on the large man
The lone warrior spoke up just in time before the five assailants attacked the man.
"Excuse me gentlemen, but let's not do anything too brash here. Now this gentleman here" he points to Oaken "has no intention of giving up his hard earned money to you. Now I suggest you all apologize to this man, clean up this mess and leave before anyone gets hurt."
The five bandits looked around at each other; one of the men dressed in black and armed with the most weapons began to laugh very over enthusiastically. The lone warrior guessed him to be the leader because not long after he started laughing the other four bandits began to partake in a hardy chuckle also.
"Do you really think, you are going to make a difference here? Like my comrade just told the shop keep here, there are five of us and now only two of you. Surely you cannot think this makes a difference."
The warrior looked around and said "If the five of you are the only challenge to me I can take you all down by myself."
The group of men looked to their leader, faces covered with questions. Finally he spoke up "If that is your wish fool then I will make sure your death is slow and painful….KILL HIM!"
In almost the blink of the eye the warrior was surrounded one bandit in front, behind and on both left and right sides of him. The first to strike was from the left a downward swipe from his broadsword, it was dodged easily, his arm caught between the warriors left shoulder and forearm, with his right open hand the warrior pushed with all his strength on the elbow of the bandit. Breaking his arm and forcing him to drop his sword.
The warrior quickly caught the sword in mid-air and swept at the throat of the man to his right, severing his head from his body. With his back to one of the other bandits still able to attack charged him, dagger over his head aimed at the back of the warrior's neck. Before the blade could drop even an inch the warrior slipped behind the man and ran the sword into his back piercing all the way through to the front of his body and out his stomach.
The last of the four attackers looked the warrior in the face or he tried to at least. It has not registered to any of the bandits that the man was hooded and his face was all but invisible except for the bottom of his mouth. The bandit surely thought that the eyes of the man were cold and heatless as he had no problem brutally slaying his three comrades.
Something else caught the bandit's eyes also other than the warriors cold stance, his leader was shaking, eyes as wide as the moon itself he had never seen his leader so scared.
"HEY!"
The bandit looked up to the rough voice, his voice was like the bandit thought his eyes were, it was cold and unforgiving someone who was not afraid to take a life. Someone who has seen and caused death numerous times in his past, a man who ready to slice his head off at any moment.
"I do not wish to end your life if it can be avoided, this can be the last moments of your life, and do you really want it to be robbing a small trading post for possibly 200 pieces of coin?"
The bandit tried to calm himself but he was not very successful, shaking from head to toe and having obvious fear in his eyes. He did not want to die for a small amount of coin but he knew if he did not attack his leader would end his life without even a second thought. The bandit closed his eyes and rushed the warrior only to be met with a punch to left side of his face and a kick to his mid-section he was knocked unconscious immediately.
With the entirety of his followers no longer a threat the warrior looked to the leader and readied for a strike that never came. The look on the warriors face was hidden by his hood but was a look of such obvious confusion. The leader of the bandits was laughing and smiling, clapping a sense of congratulations to the mysterious man who incapacitated his four henchmen.
"You have some very impressive skills sir, tell me where did you train?" asked the leader
The warrior stayed silent, wondering to his-self what was this man playing at? The warrior looked over the man opposite him, he was tall not as tall as the warrior but definitely tall enough. He jet black hair and a scraggly beard. His face had obvious signs of battle upon it, his face was with a mixture of scars and burns.
"Where I received my training is none of your concern, the only thing that should concern you is how fast I will end your life if you do not leave" Said the warrior with a stern and brooding voice. "All evidence to the contrary I still do not wish to add more blood to my hands, but do not think I will not be swift and unforgiving in ending you."
"Well then perhaps we should take this outside so as not to further damage the merchants….shop."
The two men walked out of the shop, the bandit leader walking out first followed by the hooded warrior. As they walked out into the autumn air their boots crushed leaves under them snapping and cracking with every step. The leader of the bandits stopped and stared down the hooded warrior, thinking to himself "Who is this man? He killed all my men without so much as breaking a sweat and now he doesn't even feel the need to draw his sword." The bandit's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the hooded warrior.
"I will give you one last chance to reconsider this decision, take your still living comrades, bury your dead and live your days in peace. Believe me, you only have one life to live don't spend it being foolish."
"I WILL LIVE MY LIFE HOWEVER I WANT" the bandit was screaming at a pitch that startled the warrior "NOW DRAW YOUR SWORD AND PREPARE TO DIE YOU BASTARD."
The hooded warrior let out a sigh of disapproval and drew one of his own two swords and prepared for an attack. "Before we start, will you give me the decency of knowing the name of my opponent? I disbanded your men without properly knowing their names, it's only in honor of their memory that I at least know the one who they foolishly followed."
The bandit scoffed at the man before him but let a smile tug at the side of his mouth "Only if you will give me the honor of knowing the name of the man who dispatched my men and of who I will have killed."
"Fair enough but I asked you first." The man said
"Niko Tarkington, most feared Bandit in the Kingdom of Arendelle and leader of the Black Ghost gang."
"To be most feared I have never heard of you? Perhaps you are not as famous as you previously thought."
The comment struck Niko deep in his pride no one had ever spoken to him so sparingly. So un-impressed, Niko exploded from his standing position charging the hooded man with his sword ready to swing at the man's head. When Niko swung at air, the hooded man seemed to disappear into thin air. Niko searched around looking left and right. Scanning the ground also searching for his opponent.
"WHERE ARE YOU! YOU ENDED MY MEN SO QUICKLY, SURELY FIGHTING ME WOULD NOT BE SUCH A PROBLEM. UNLESS….IS THE MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR SCARED? DID YOU FINALLY REALIZE WHO I AM AND THAT YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE!"
"No, I simply wanted to assess your skills and with your opening strike I see exactly how you fight. Trust me you do not want to fight me."
Niko looked around again and still could not find the hooded man. "Over here!" The bandit followed the warrior's voice and looked up with amazement realizing the hooded man had jumped up at least fifty feet into the air. He was sitting perched on a branch looking down at Niko seeming to be shaking his head.
"Running away like a scared child are we? Come down here and fight me you worm."
The warrior stood on the branch high in the air and seamlessly walked off the branch falling to the group with his legs straight and his feet flat. *THUD* He landed so hard that Niko was sure the man hand hurt himself but to his amazement the man stood appearing to be unfazed by his drop. Niko was beyond negotiating with the man, as soon as the warrior landed Niko attacked with four quick swings all of them missing being either effortlessly blocked of quickly evaded. Niko was getting more and more angry here he was using all his strength and this man, this annoyance in front of him was not even breaking a sweat.
Niko decided it was time to use different methods, with one hand he swung his sword in a downward motion aiming for the warrior's head, just as he expected the man blocked putting his sword above his head, this left his middle completely open. With his left hand Niko quickly un-sheathed a small dagger and jabbed it into the warrior middle section. Blood shot out on to Niko's hand as he looked into the face of the warrior and laughed. With a twist of his right hand Niko knocked the sword out of the warrior's hand.
Niko kicked the warrior in his stomach knocking him back a good 5 yards, the blade still in the warrior's lower stomach, the warrior pulled it out swiftly throwing it aside "You're disarmed fool, it seems I was more of a match for you than you thought. Or perhaps your over confidence in yourself was you downfall. None the less this is where you die. Before I kill you, you never did tell me your name."
The warrior said nothing simply stood there looking at Niko, his wound barely registering to him anymore. Niko's rage again got the best of him.
"FINE THEN, NO ONE WILL MOURN YOUR LOSS!" Niko charged the warrior sword aimed at his heart ready to penetrate the warrior before him. It all happened so fast at the last minute Niko observed two small blades seem to appear from under the forearm of the man before him. With the two blades the warrior knocked the sword away from its path down to the ground, in what seemed like the blink of an eye the blade under the man right forearm was in the throat of Niko. The blood rushed from his neck like a river of crimson, down the arm of the warrior. Niko felt cold his legs gave way under his weight and he fell to the ground.
"How? You were unarmed, the was no way you could have…
Niko was interrupted by the warrior standing next to him "Hidden blades, a very useful weapon when you have only one chance left, of course I guess you have figured that out for yourself."
Niko's eyed widened the warrior did not know if it was from the shock of his wound or the realization of what it meant for the man to have possession of hidden blades.
"You're an assassin!"
"Former assassin, that life is behind me."
Niko laughed and coughed at the same time spitting up blood at the same time "All evidence to the contrary."
Niko could see a small smile tug at the left side of the warrior's mouth. "At least have the honor to tell me the name of the man who sent me into the next world."
The warrior knelt down and removed his hood revealing a man who could be no more than 25 years old, he had long brown hair which was kept in a ponytail, his eyes a deep royal blue an "X" shaped scar on his left cheek. His skin was an even shade of chestnut brown not too dark and definitely not light.
"My name is Alexander, Alexander Lucien III."
Niko gasped, Alexander had thought the man's time had come but Niko continued speaking even with the hole in his throat. "Alexander Lucien? The Silver Spirit? I've heard of you from the stories of wandering travelers, you're meant to be a legend among the order of the assassins."
"Yes well times have changed and so have I. I am no longer that same man, but I will not idly stand by and watch the innocent be bullied by such cowards."
"Hehe Anything to survi….."
Niko's voice stopped short and all too familiar to Alexander the life left the man's eyes. The man's eyes stayed open as he lay in the ground breathless, cold and stiff.
Alexander closed his eyes and put his hands into a prayer position "Puissiez-vous être transportés au royaume sur les ailes d'un ange, Rest In Peace." Alexander put a finger over each eye-lid of the body of the man before him and closed them. Alexander stood and looked to the small shop and noticed that the shop keeper had been watching, for how long he had no idea. Alexander walked towards the man and tried not to notice the man's obvious step back of fear.
"I am very sorry for the mess, please allow me to help you clean up."
"Thank You my good sir." The man grabbed Alexander and engulfed him into a bone crushing embrace.
Alexander could hardly breathe but knew the man was just showing his gratitude. But he still was hoping he would release his grip soon enough.
"If you did not come along I don't know what would have happened. They came in and just started destroying the place. Thank the lord you came along when you did."
Alexander let out an in-audible sigh and allowed himself a small smirk. Now shaking the larger extremely oversized hand "I just did what any wander swordsman might have done, nothing more. Now let's get to cleaning this place up Mr.….?"
"Oh how rude of me, I am Oaken, and this is my trading post. Very nice to meet you."
"As to you Oaken, my name is Alexander Lucien III."
"Well Alexander, I will get to cleaning the shop, you can get" he shot a look at the mean laying either dead or unconscious on his floor "I guess taking out the trash is an appropriate phrase to use here."
Alexander let out a hardy chuckle at the man's use of words "Indeed it is Oaken, indeed it is."
Cleaning up the shop took a lot less than expected, Oaken tried to see what items he could salvage and which ones he had to dispose of. He also kept spouting something about the bandits seriously disrupting his balance of supply and demand. Speaking of the bandits the three that were dead were taken a few hundred yards away by Lucien and their bodies burned. Despite Oaken suggesting that the ones who were still alive be subjected to the same fate, Alexander tied them to a horse and sent the horses off in different directions. As for the other three horses Alexander kept one and set the other two free.
Alexander entered the shop to see it looked a great deal better than when he had last seen it about 3 hours ago. The floor was clean of glass, blood and something Oaken called "lutefisk". Alexander walked over to Oaken in the corner straightening a shelf of various knick-knacks. "Looks like amazing in here Oaken, almost like it never happened."
"Yes, it is most glorious, thank you for helping me clean up. This shop means a lot to my family and I, I don't know what I would do if it was destroyed."
"Again my friend, it was just the right thing to do."
Oaken placed a thankful hand on Alexander's shoulder and gave it a squeeze "Where are you traveling to my friend?"
"Wherever the country takes me Oaken, I am but a traveling warrior, doing whatever I can to survive and whatever I can to make an honest coin."
Oaken shot the man a disapproving look "Well where will you be sleeping?"
Alexander looked out the door and then back to Oaken "Unacceptable, the least I can do is cook you a nice meal, put you up in one of my spare rooms and give you a little money for you to leave with in the morning."
Alexander began to open his mouth in protest but was stopped short by a rather burley hand over his entire face. "…and I will not take no for an answer."
Alexander let out a sigh and accepted the shopkeepers invitation "Fine, I will stay the night and leave in the morning."
Oaken cooked a wonderful meal with more than a generous amount of beef, potatoes and steamed vegetables with a large cup of beer, Alexander began to wonder if everything this man owned was larger than the average person's item. Oaken asked Alexander if would like seconds but the warrior waved off his amazing hospitality, that did not last long as Oaken then offered his guest a very large piece of chocolate cake. Alexander's eyes opened so wide Oaken thought they would rival the size of the moon itself.
After sitting at the table in the back of Oaken's shop eating, drinking and enjoying each other's company Alexander had to ask a question. "You mentioned a family earlier Oaken, tell me, where are they?"
Oaken finished off the last of his beer and dropped the large mug on the table with a thud "They are down in the town of Arendelle, they took a few items down a few days ago to sell for the festival."
"Festival? What kind of a festival?"
"Oh, that's right you're not from around here I forgot. It's an annual festival that our gracious Queen, Princess and Prince of Arendelle hold every year. Her majesty the Queen says it is to celebrate the people of Arendelle, but in all honesty I think it was because of what happened five years ago."
Alexander raised an eyebrow high almost disappearing into his hairline "What happened five years ago?"
Oaken let out a heavy sigh and stood from the table to pour himself another glass of beer. He stopped just short of the table and took a hefty swig from his glass of beer, it had been Oaken's third.
"Five years ago two days from now, will be the anniversary of the Queen's coronation, five years since the great freeze of Arendelle."
Alexander had heard of the great freeze in Arendelle, he had heard that for about 10 days the Kingdom was frozen from a freak winter storm that came down from the Northern Mountains. It was just a weird weather activity….Or what is.
Alexander spoke, with his voice posing an obvious confusion "It was because of a freak weather storm right? Nothing strange; nothing too out of the ordinary right?"
Oaken sat, his beer half full "Not strange more, magical if you will Alex….do you mind if I call you Alex?"
He waved his hand as he took another swing of his drink
"The Great Freeze was caused by our own Queen, you see our Queen was born with the power to manipulate and create snow and ice. Until a few years ago no one in the kingdom knew and the Queen was afraid of revealing her power to anyone else, I hear even her own sister was unaware until that night five years ago."
Alexander looked at Oaken over the top of his mug with an eyebrow raised almost into his hairline. "Are you serious? Is the Queen a witch? Is she dangerous?"
"Oh no not at all, to be honest the complete opposite" Oaken hurried to defend his Queen's good name "Ever since then she has apologized and been the greatest monarch to date. Rivaled in how much she is loved and respected by only her own parents. The previous King and Queen were amazing, it was a shame that they died the way they did, lost at sea going to visit their niece and see her wed off."
Alexander finished his beer "Thank you for the history lesson Oaken, it is unfortunate to hear about the Queen's parents but it is great to hear that she is thriving even in hard times. If it is alright with you I believe I will retire for the night now."
Oaken stood up "Of course please follow me." Oaken led Alexander up some stairs and down a hallway. Oaken stopped in front of a door and opened it to a cozy room with a large bed and a chair in the corner. The room looked as though it hadn't been used in a while but still seemed to be well kept.
Oaken light a candle on the dresser "The bathroom is across the hall, diagonally to the right. If there is anything you need please let me know. I'll be in the room at the end of the hall."
Alexander placed his bag on the floor and nodded to the large man "Thank you oaken, sleep well."
Oaken nodded back and left the room closing the door behind him.
Alexander could finally physically relax he began to undress himself his shabby leather armor –if you could even call it that- was the first to go. Alexander looked at the hole as to where the leather showed where he had been stabbed; suddenly remembering that he had been injured period. His hand shot down his side and he felt nothing more than a small sting. Looking at a mirror atop the dresser Alexander was able to see that the wound was not as bad as he thought it was but it would still need attending.
Next he unhooked his own sword and the sword he took from one of the dead bandits and placed them in the corner. The belt that held his swords also contained two sheaths with daggers in both of them. The final part of his mobile armory to go was his hidden blades which he wore under two gauntlets. As he removed them from his forearm he looked at the insignia that was part of his old life, the insignia of the assassin's. It had been almost a year since he was removed from the order and no a day goes by that he doesn't wish he could take back what he did.
Rather than linger on the past Alexander placed his gauntlets on the dresser and removed his cloak, shirt, pants and boots. Remembering his injury again Alexander went into his bag and pulled out some herbs and a few bandages, rubbing the foul smelling paste on his would and wrapping half of his lower body in bandages. He placed the medicine away and went to get into bed and get some sleep but he was stopped short by his own thought. He looked at the bed before him and tried to remember, when the last time he had actually slept in a bed was. His thinking process was interrupted as he sat in the bed and seamlessly fell back and felt his worries melt away into the soft fabric. It had been too long since he slept in a bed.
The man fell asleep within seconds
The next morning
Alexander woke the next morning feeling so much more rested than he had in the past year. He rose from the bed and made his way to the bathroom where he found a note.
Alex,
Here is some water for you to take wash yourself off with. When I left it was hot, hopefully it still is. I also took the liberty of sewing the hole in your shirt and washing your clothes as well. Hurry and get dressed I will be making breakfast.
-Oaken
Alexander put his hand in the water and sure enough it was still hot, he poured the water in the metal tub and removed his underwear. Jumping in to the tub a little too excitedly the warrior washed away many months-worth of dirt and soaked away a years-worth of sore muscles. After drying himself off and returning to his room Alexander noticed that his clothes were now neatly folded and noticeably cleaner. After dressing back into everything-except his weaponry and cloak-Alex made his way downstairs to find Oaken sipping on tea and reading a piece of parchment. Alexander walked into the small kitchen like room.
"Good Morning Alex did you see my note?"
"Good Morning to you too Oaken and yes I did, thank you for my shirt and cleaning my clothes, you have been a most gracious host."
Oaken waved off the praise "Everything I have done is the least I can do to say thank you. Now please sit and eat something I trust you will be leaving soon and I can't have you leaving without having something on your stomach."
Alexander sat and looked at the plate- more like buffet- before him ham, bacon, sausage, bread and cheese. Alexander ate the food with such ferocity that Oaken thought he might swallow the plate and silverware whole. He thought that it had might been a while since his guest had a good meal so he didn't interrupt his feast.
Once Alexander finished his meal Oaken cleared the table
"Where will you go now?" asked Oaken
"I was thinking I might go into Arendelle and see that festival you were talking about last night. I have been traveling for a long time, it will be good to attend a festival, whether I know why it is a celebration or not."
Oaken smiled "It is a most wonderful festival, I would go every year but someone has to stay and attend the shop, and unfortunately seeing as my wife did it last year it was my turn this year" Oaken's head lowered "Of course I would rather it had been me here than her when the bandits attacked."
Alexander smiled and nodded "Well if she is anything like you I believe she could have handled herself just fine." Alexander stood from the table and made his way back upstairs to collect his weaponry. When he returned to the lower level he was greeted with Oaken handing him a sack with jingling metal inside, Alexander knew that sound anywhere….MONEY.
"This is for you Alex, call it my last gift of thank you for saving myself and my shop the other night."
Alexander took the bag with a heavy hand, he did not believe he had deserved the money but he knew Oaken would not let him leave unless he took it. "Thank you my friend this will most definitely help me in my travel's" Alexander walked outside to where one of the bandit's horses had been waiting for him followed by Oaken "I must ask which way to Arendelle?" said Alexander
Oaken point to the south "Follow this stream and it will let out to the ocean, you should see the castle before you and from there it is only a 2 hour ride by horse. Following the stream will take you about a day though."
Alexander mentally noted Oaken's directions and mounted the black horse "Thank you my friend, I promise I will come by again to see you, but for now it is farewell." They shook hands one last time and with a snap on reigns Alexander was riding down the stream."
10 Hours Later
Alexander had ridden late into the evening and could see the sun beginning to set he came upon a clearing and decided this was as good a time as any to rest. He dismounted his horse and sat under a oak tree that was at least 100 ft. higher than any other tree in the area. He began eating some food that Oaken had prepared in a travel case for him before he left, again the portions considerably larger than any he had ever eaten. After making a fire and wrapping up what had been left of his banquet of a travel sack of food Alexander sat and thought about how things would go tomorrow, the things he would feel.
The truth of the matter was that Alexander had been to Arendelle before, it was his hometown. He grew up there with his father and mother, Alexander's father had been part of the Royal Families Elite Guard and his mother a cook in the kitchen. Alexander and his sister were charged with staying at home and keeping it as clean as can be until their parents got home. It was always the same his mother would come home and then about two hours later his father would come through the door and Alexander would jump into his arms and give his father the biggest hug.
Until that one night….
Alexander's mother had come home a little later than usual, him and his sister thought nothing of it until she came home escorted by a Knight, their mother showing signs that she had been crying. Alexander approached the Knight to ask him what had happened and where was his father, but before he could even open his mouth the knight handed him his father's sword.
"There was an ambush on the way back from a picnic with the Royal Family, your father fought bravely until the very end. His last words were that you, his only son, are to receive his sword. I'm sorry for your loss."
A wetness was felt on the warrior's cheek, he wiped it away with his gloved hand
"Fifteen years," he said to the heavens "fifteen years and I still remember his words as clearly as the day it happened."
Alexander stared off into the heavens until he was at the door of sleep, just before he feel completely into the grasp of unconsciousness he thought to himself
Man do I miss that bed at Oaken's right now….