Chapter Two
Just bloody great. A stocky swordsman strode around the perimeter of a large city estate, weaving between various buildings and the walls of the compound with a scowl on his face. My first real vacation in months and I'm spending it looking for some spoiled brat. You'd think with all this 'security' that someone would have seen the kid slip away, but no. It's so bad that you have to call in me. Catching sight of a pair of estate guards, he slippped further into the shadows of the wall by one of the many empty storehouses on the north side of the property. The guards never looked twice. He snorted. Kid probably didn't have any problem getting out, and yet, they still haven't increased security. Makes you wonder if they really do care at all. He stepped out from the shadows to resume his patrol. Something better happen soon or I know I'll go insnae from the tediousness.
It was probably a good thing that he spotted something peculiar right then. Huffing heavily, a young girl dashed around the side of the large building he stood before. She peered around the corner, blond hair falling from her wimple into her eyes as she listened for the yells of outcry that would signal the arrival of the guards. A gloved hand reached out to touch her plain-clothed shoulder, making the girl whirl around in shock.
"Whoa, easy there." The swordsman grinned, holding out his hands to ease the discomfort of the laundry lass he startled. "I mean no harm." The fair lass sighed in relief, though she still kept her blue eyes downcast. The swordsman looked at her curiously. "If I may inquire, why are you all the way out here?"
The lass froze."I … uh," her voice cracked slightly and she cleared her throat, her voice slightly higher than seemed natural as she answered, "I'm meeting someone here, sir." She blushed and looked down again.
The swordsman grinned at her and nodded, his midnight-blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "Ah, I understand now. Don't worry, your secret romantic rendezvous is still a secret in my eyes." He winked as she blushed and tried to stammer a reply. "I won't tell. I'm sure they won't miss you for a while. There's quite a bustle up in the house."
"Yes," she brushed a stray hair behind her ear nervously."I heard the master's son is gone."
"Aye," the swordsman sighed. "That's why I'm here actually. The lord and lady are calling for any wanderers willing to assist in the search. He's been missing a few days now." He sighed again then smiled at her. "Still, it's good pay for a low risk job." He paled slightly. "At least I think it's low risk." He turned in worry back the laundry lass. "Does the lord's son have any enemies that you know of? Because if he does, this job isn't paying enough."
The lass laughed, perhaps feeling a bit less nervous around the jovial swordsman now. He noted with some surprise that her voice was deeper and a bit huskier than he first realised. It was rather enchanting. "No, the master's son is a friendly boy. Young Max was probably just a bit bored with his life here. I must admit, it can get a bit dull for him, all he seems to do is study with those tutors of his."
The swordsman rolled his eyes. "I know how that feels. Still, this is good to know. Do you know of any places he wished to visit?" Seeing the sudden apprehension spark up again in the girl's eyes he smiled once more, trying to charm her. "You know, if you weren't taken I'd really like to know your name."
The girl blushed and looked down modestly, the apprehension gone again. "You're too kind sir."
"Well, my name's Takao of the Kinomiya, but around these lowlands I'm known as The Dragon Swordsman. Tyson to my friends."
She gasped. "You're the famous Dragon?"
He grinned. "Yeah, but some of the stories about me are rather embellished."
"They say you can fly through the air and you control the winds with your sword. Is it true that you can actually conjure a dragon with a single yell to the heavens?"
Tyson looked at the girl in shock. "They say all that about me?" She nodded eagerly and he grinned. "I didn't know I was so famous. As I said, most of that is embellishment, but fighting is in my blood. In my clan, this sword has been passed down from generation to generation to those deemed most worthy. I am the last of my line, save for my older brother, but he passed it on to me when it was given to him. He only wanted to live a simple life with his wife. Our hopes for a future clan rest with him."
"Astonishing." The girl was rapt with his story. "So why do you travel?"
"I search for a true challenge and something worthy of my skills and sword. Until I find it, I am stuck looking for bored princes to earn money to live." He looked over at the main house and smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I need to go in and get yet another useless briefing from one of those blasted useless magicians. The moment I meet a half-decent magician I'll buy him a round of drinks to last until he's under the table. They're almost as bad as these blasted southerners and their idiotic noble ways. Who's ever heard of a noble clan built up from a merchant family? No warriors at all. Disgraceful."
With another brilliant smile turned to the lass and said, "I shall take my leave of you now fair maiden, though it breaks my heart to think of you in another man's arms." He tipped his cap to her and turned to walk away but was halted by the girl's voice.
"Wait …" she blushed as he turned around. "Were I not previously occupied, I would have been glad to give you my name."
He touched his heart with a courteous smile. "My lady, the very fact that you would offer me your company for these few short moments is enough to set my heart aflutter and to pine, for I know I shall never meet as fair and wondrous a maiden as you. Farewell." He blew a kiss to her and turned away, not seeing the blush and smile upon the pale cheeks of the lass.
She watched him until he disappeared inside the main house.
"Oh my beauteous maiden will you break my heart by throwing me away for such a brutish savage?"
The laundry lass turned around with a glare and hit the new figure on the head. "Kenny, how long have you been here?"
"Long enough to hear most of that romantic drivel." The bespectacled brunette snorted and started laughing. "Gods, he didn't even realise you were a boy Max, much less the one he was looking for."
"Kenny!" Max whipped off his wimple, messing up his blond hair as it came free and hit Kenny over the head with the white and blue cloth. "I had to play along. I am dressed as a girl after all, and it's all your fault I'm here and had to do that."
"Mine?" Kenny looked outraged. "You didn't have to play along with that buffoon if you didn't have to."
"Yes, but you're the reason I risked my neck to get back here and get that precious book of yours." The blond lifted up the front skirt he was still wearing and pulled out a large and, by the looks of it, heavy book.
"Max, you have no idea how important this book is. Only those chosen to be future Spirit Masters are given a conjuring spell book." He grabbed the leather-bound book from his friend and held it close to him like a precious stone or a child.
The blond snorted and started to get out of the heavy and hot clothes. He quickly stripped down to his thin undershirt and breeches then settled a cap atop his head to hide his face and pulled on a pair of boots Kenny handed him. "Next time," he grumbled, "You can wear the dresses and flirt with the famous swordsman." He quickly pulled on a vest and coat, straightening the clothing to appear like just another ordinary young man in the city.
"I think you do it better though. See, you actually like to flirt with men like him."
"Kenny!" Max blushed as he looked around nervously for any signs of other people before running to the wall. "Just because I happen to enjoy the stories I've heard of him doesn't mean I'll be lusting after him like —"
"Like a laundry lass?" Kenny smirked at his friend before hefting himself up onto Max's shoulders and climbing up onto the wall. Max glared at him then accepted the rope he lowered and scaled the wall to his family's vast estate and dropped over down into the hustle and bustle of the town.
"Let's just drop this."
Kenny grinned at his friend pulling his long robe back over the top of his shirt and vest. "Whatever Maxie. So, what's the plan?"
"We get out of town for a while and have ourselves an adventure."
Kenny groaned at his enthusiastic friend. "And where do you suggest we go?"
"Wrighton of course. It's perfect for us."
Kenny groaned again but followed his friend through town and eventually out of town and onto the south road and on to Wrighton.
Tyson sighed and played with the lose strands of his midnight hair that had somehow escaped his ponytail during the day.
He was trying to concentrate on what this stuffy, droning magician was saying, honestly, he really was, but it was just so hard. It was hot and musty in the room and he couldn't keep his mind off that girl from the garden. The scent of unwashed bodies encased in heavy armour did nothing to help his concentration ether. Having glanced around earlier he knew the other mercenaries gathered were paying as much attention as he.
"Mr. Dragon?" Tyson looked to the side and raised an eyebrow at the magician staring at him sternly. "Are you even listening to anything I'm saying? I'm sure that there a quite a few others, some in this room with you, who would like this job if you're not interested."
"I'm interested, I guess." Despite the numourous glares sent towards his booted feet set upon the expensive table before him, Tyson didn't move from his lazy position as he replied."Basically, you said that the brat has been tutored in both basic magic and sword-craft as well as being well versed in tactics and strategy, which would indicate that he has indeed left home of his own accord. However, though he is only one year from his age of Majority, he is legally unable to do so. What you want us to do is search through the surrounding area for him." Tyson looked at the magician sternly, rather irritated now."You said the exact same thing last time we met. You obvioulsy have no more information of importance to give. Now, do you have a picture of him I could look at, or do you want me to base my search yelling out 'Master Max!' to the surrounding hills and see if I get an answering echo?"
The pointy nosed magician glared darkly at Tyson, who merely grinned back at him.
"I thought not. Now why don't you scoot and go get the picture."
The magician glared at him once more, but before he left, he turned and said, "You may have fooled the Lord and Lady with your act Master Dragon Swordsman, but I know better. You're full of hot air, like all northerners, a worthless barbarian wielding an ancient wooden club, no better than an animal."
Tyson growled, but the magician had already left the room. A few of the other mercenaries snickered at him, but were quickly silenced by their peers. The Dragon was famous and his sword even more so. Forged in ancient times, it was one of very few remaining traditional warrior swords left in the world, completely unbreakable, and apparently forged with magic. It was said that these swords had the traditional clan sprit imbued into the metal blade to make it more than a mere weapon.
No one talks about Soh-Ryu like that! Tyson fumed, planning various ways to take revenge on the pretentious upstart of a magician who dared insult the dragon spirit and its clan member. Unfortunately for Tyson, the magician had come back with the lord and lady of the house.
The woman's eyes, they look familiar, Tyson thought with a slight frown.
"Lord and Lady Mizuhara," the magician introduced unnecessarily. Tyson smiled as he noticed the exasperated glares the noble couple sent his way.
"We are to understand that you wished to see a picture of our son?" The two of them walked directly towards Tyson, who lowered his head in greeting before looking up at the distraught parents. Of all the people here, he was the only one who had the right to look them in the eye as equals.
"Yes," Tyson answered the lord. "It would be rather helpful in the search."
"Of course." The lady murmured and gestured for a servant to come in with a moderately sized portrait.
Looking at the handsome boy smiling in the portrait, Tyson felt his heart jump and plummet at the same time. "He looks happy," Tyson managed to choke out, recognising the face in the painting.
"This was only done a few months ago," the lord informed him. "Max hasn't changed much since then."
Tyson nodded and studied the painting again, those sparkling blue eyes fixing in his mind. This is not good. I let the boy escape just a few moments ago. Though, truly, he's not really a boy, more a young man and a rather handsome one at that. It shouldn't be hard to track him. A face like that doesn't go unnoticed.
"Please," Tyson turned back around as the Lady grabbed a hold of his shirt and looked up at him imploringly. "You have to get my little Maxie back, it's too dangerous for him out there."
"Don't worry milady, I'll be sure to do my best to get him back." Tyson grinned. "I'm sure I can find him for you."
She smiled at him. "Thank you. I'm glad to know there's someone like you, Master Tyson, looking for my beloved son."
Tyson nodded and placed his hunter's cap back on. "Then I'd best get looking for him." He gathered his coat and shield and nodded his head before leaving the main building.
Tyson ran towards the north wall of the estate and headed down past the back garden where he'd seen that girl … well, Max … last time.
"Damn," he muttered when he found the pile of discarded clothing. "I'll bet he's long gone by now. The townsfolk didn't seem to know where he would have gone. But then," Tyson suddenly grinned as he thought of something, "He said he was rather bored with his life here, so where would someone like him go for some excitement?"
Tyson leapt up and ranout of the estate, not noticing someone watching and following him out of the grounds.
"Excuse me," he asked the first townsperson he came across. "Do you perhaps know the shortest route to Wrighton?" The old man gave him directions and Tyson thanked him before quickly heading to the inn he'd been staying at and packed up his belongings.
"Wrighton, here I come," he murmured with a smile as he left the town. He was rather excited about it all, he'd never been quite that far south before and Wrighton was supposed to be a city full of excitement and mystery.
Of course, if he managed to catch Max on the road, he'd never get there, but if he did, he'd just bring him back then head on to Wrighton anyway. He deserved a bit of a break after all this running around in Midland. Besides, he was sure he'd be able to get some work in Lowlands.
As he set off out of town after settling his debts at the inn, once again the master swordsman failed to notice someone scurrying about in the shadows behind him, dogging him every step of the way.