Chapter 7: Introduction to Retribution
King Elieon's reign upon the moon 585
Andvarinaut Valley, Saturn
Somewhere in the Andvarinaut Valley, in a wooden tavern filled with disgusting displays of vice, gluttony, and violence; a young man sat calmly sipping on a clay mug of malt ale. His hair was the classic Jupiterean shade of auburn while his eyes were emerald in color. His cloak was dirty and worn and his face was hard and set in its ways. A man approached him, wearing a tan merchant's cloak and tapped him on the shoulder lightly.
"Yes?" the young Jupiterean man questioned. "Did you bring what it is I asked for?"
"Yes, Lord Tuireann." The merchant quickly handed over a hard, straight object wrapped in velvet cloth.
The young man of Jupiter unwrapped the small bundle to reveal a long stiletto, one of specific Marian craftsmanship of pre-industrial conception.
"Are you sure this was the one used in the famous murder concerning the Jupiterean ambassador in Anteium?" Tuireann asked as he cradled the deadly weapon, seemingly awed by both the destructive potential and the tragic history of the blade.
"Of the ambassador Sagittarius? Yes." The merchant answered quickly.
"Alright then." Was Tuireann's solemn reply as he pulled a small leather pouch from where it had been bound at his belt. He tossed it to the surprised man. "Fifty shekels as agreed. Well done, now, you may go."
The merchant nodded and sped away as fast as he had arrived. The young man rebound the long knife with reverence and then shoved it beneath his belt. Tuireann then lifted his mug to his lips and took a long drink before setting it down again. It had been so many years. Such a long time to wait for retribution. Such a term of long years of his mother's anguished cries and backbreaking labor just to keep them from the poor house, because Sagittarius his distinguished father, was no longer alive to provide for them. Their only sense of community and livelihood, dead in one day. No compensation for the terrible act. No blood money paid. Tuireann had been a small child at the time, but he remembered the crushing blow as if it had only come about yesterday. The wealthy son of a politician reduced in an instant to poor apprentice to a boot cutter and then to an orphan after his mother eventually drove herself delirious with grief and hung herself. Yes, it had been a hard life, but this well planned moment would account for all of it.
Hot headed Marians were often known for these types of open displays of vengeance and often caught for them after the destructive crimes had been committed, but little did they know that Jupitereans did the same when their honor was insulted. They were simply never caught in the act.
Let the weapon that killed my father, silence the beating heart of my enemy.
He smiled self assuredly as the orange glow of the firelight danced in his sharp emerald eyes. Yes, the day would soon come when he would be avenged. All he needed was an opportunity to arise, and he could afford to wait and watch for his chance. I have waited this long. Tuireann mused to himself. I have the royal blood of long life. What does it matter if I wait a few more hundred years? So long as the deed is done, that is all I am concerned about. Retribution was a dish best served cold indeed.
Author's notes: And one antihero is established. Score! Short chapter, but as always I hope you enjoyed reading it. I like creating these little side stories. They are so much fun! Please R & R!