(A/N): Yes, it's another fluffy chapter. I honestly enjoy writing these more than the incredibly violent ones. These make me laugh more. Is there violence? Yeah. Enjoy, and please review.
Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord franchise.
Chapter XI: Suitors & Looters
By midday the suitor swarm had arrived, dressed in richly woven clothes and accompanied by entourages of guards and servants, carrying the flags of their house. Personally, William would have rather locked all of them up instead of letting them near his daughter. Many of the lordlings and princes had reputations as womanizers, and William knew that the suitors would not hesitate to use all their "skill" to gain the princess's favor.
That was the primary reason that the suitors' guest rooms were in a separate wing from Elizabeth's chambers, the secondary being that William wanted to keep an eye on his daughter. The only two people with a key to the princess's chambers were William and the captain of the guard, Falwric. He was a loyal paladin who could not be bought and his devotion to the Light protected him from the evils of common men. Many a suitor would probably try to scale the princess's tower from the outside, hoping to enter through the window. William had fixed that problem by paying architects to smooth the outside of the tower, removing all handholds. In short, William wanted to reduce the nighttime visits from suitors as much as possible.
The first five suitors admitted to the Throne Room were from various royal families and had an air of superiority about them that neither William nor Elizabeth liked. After a brief demonstration of how great they were, the suitors were removed.
The next five contained a handsome dark-haired man who looked to be around twenty-five. He wore simple clothing with no heraldry and had the look of a traveler about him. Nevertheless, there was a palpable strength about him that piqued Elizabeth's interest.
As a gift, he had brought a finely wrought necklace of lightgems, rare gems that changed colors according to the lighting. William quickly became interested in the simply dressed stranger, because the lightjems on the necklace were worth enough gold to buy the entire Capital City.
"What is your name stranger?" William asked. "You bear no heraldry, and yet your gift is by far the most lavish of all the others I've seen so far." "My name is Ryrin, and I am a wandering knight in search of a liege-lord," Ryrin said with a bow. "I have traveled far to find the mighty king that triumphed over the Overlord five years ago. It seems that at last, I have found him." William nodded, the traveler's intentions becoming clear. "It is your wish to enter my service, correct?" "Yes my lord," Ryrin said. "I have my own weapons and armor, as well as my own small band of warriors loyal to me. If I swear allegiance to you, my axe is yours." "I shall gladly accept it, sir Ryrin," William said. "Come to my table next morning to receive your first assignment. There are some troubles with looters near the village Spree that need to be taken care of." Ryrin bowed once more and winked to the princess, who blushed slightly, and left the Throne Room.
Once he exited the Throne Room, Ryrin's smile faded, and the Overlord's personality came flooding back. Holding his dark power under wraps from the paladin had been the first test, one Hanson had passed with flying colors. Now, Gnarl's plan was in motion, and the destruction of William and his paladins would begin in earnest.
Next morning, Hanson marched up the stairs to William's dining room if full armor, making sure that his eyes weren't glowing underneath the helmet and that the dark power he radiated was suppressed. "Good morning sire," Hanson said, inclining his armored head in respect while sneering inside the darkness of his helmet. "Welcome Ryrin. Please, join us." Hanson removed his helmet and brushed through his dark hair with an armored hand absently. He sat down, the servants brought him breakfast: freshly baked bread with honey and hot tea. Hanson had just taken a bite of the bread when he heard someone almost flying down the stairs. "Sorry I'm late father," Princess Elizabeth said. "The handmaidens took longer than usu-" she cut off in midsentence when she noticed who was sitting at her father's table, casually munching bread. Her hands clenched slightly and she slowed to an elegant walk, trying to make the best impression. She sat down at the table and casually said "I welcome you to our table, sir Ryrin." Hanson almost snorted with laughter, but remembered his manners. He chewed and swallowed before he spoke; the way Gnarl had taught him during the five years he had been under the Minion Master's tutelage. "Good morning your highness, I am glad to see you," the Overlord said with a smile that never quite reached his eyes. The princess never noticed, as she was to busy staring at Hanson's well-muscled arms where they could be seen in the gaps between his plate. William rolled his eyes at his daughter and spoke to Hanson. "Your first assignment in my service is to go to the village Spree and to protect the populace from the looters that roam the area. Once you accomplish this, you will become the lord of Castle Spree and act as my arm in that area." "I have heard much about the former Dark Tower," Hanson said carefully. "Would it be possible for me to take up residence there? What better way to proclaim the victory of Light over Dark than having a servant of the paladin who defeated the Overlord keep the king's peace from the Dark Tower?" William considered for a moment, and then nodded. "Done." Hanson stood up, his breakfast finished, bowed to William and his daughter and left, his booted feet ringing on the marble floor.
"What do you think of him?" William asked his daughter casually, pretending not to notice his daughter's obvious infatuation with the man. "I think he will do well as a knight in your service, he seems extremely noble…and handsome," the princess added, a faint tinge of color rising up her cheeks.
As soon as he was outside the castle gate, Hanson finally allowed himself to a chuckle that quickly escalated to full blown laughter. Not only had he succeeded in securing the capital of his Dark Domain, the Dark Tower, but he had charmed the king's daughter into adoration. Things were becoming easier. "Well done sire," Gnarl's voice echoed through the steel helmet Hanson wore. "You are well on your way to re-establishing your Dark Domain."
Hanson was met by Gnarl along with the browns. "Good news sire," Gnarl began. "I was able to reactivate the portal at the sanctuary, which should speed things up a bit." Hanson nodded in satisfaction, the thought of walking all the way to Spree did not appeal to him.
Within the sanctuary, some browns were busy packing supplies and moving them to a glowing circle in the middle of the entrance chamber. "I'm glad that even in its ruined state the Tower still remembers this waypoint gate, "Gnarl said. "Step on it sire, and it will take you home." Hanson hesitated for an instant, gazing at the eerie blue light the gate was giving off, and then he stepped directly onto the center.
While the Overlord was familiar with the sensation of teleportation, he was worried. For all he knew, Gnarl might have "forgotten" that the gate was unstable and Hanson would arrive at the Dark Tower in chunks. When the sensation ended with a flash of white light, Hanson was standing next to the Tower Portal, in the completely devastated Throne Room of the Dark Tower. As the Overlord looked around, he suppressed the urge to scream in rage. The Tower had clearly been looted and destroyed. The elegant pillars that lined the Throne Room were scattered across the floor in pieces. The floor had cracks in it and plants were growing from within. The throne itself had been dismantled the hard way, all jewels and valuables stolen. "Not the most impressive bastion of Evil, I know," Gnarl said from his position by Hanson's elbow. "While we can rebuild, our first priority is to locate and retrieve the Tower Heart. Something tells me that those looters William spoke of would know where it is." The Overlord knew that without the Tower Heart powered the Tower Portal, and without it, he would have to walk everywhere. "Luckily," Gnarl said deviously, "there seems to be enough energy to teleport you to the closest gate to where the Tower last felt the Heart. The Tower remembers, you see." Hanson was relieved that even the Tower itself seemed to be helping him in his quest. "Let's go then."
After another flash of light, Hanson was standing in the ruins of a small tower, a tower gate glowing sluggishly beneath his feet. "You made it sire," Gnarl said. "I was beginning to worry." "Now, it is time to summon minions from the minion gates, as I taught you sire." The Overlord raised his left hand and focused on the brown minion gate, from which fifteen browns, armed with wooden clubs and dressed only in loincloths emerged.
"Excellent sire, now, let us continue to Spree." "Aren't you worried the villagers will recognize you?" Hanson asked. "With the type of intelligence they possess, I would be surprised if they remembered what happened yesterday," the Minion Master replied.
Satisfied, the Overlord started up the dirt road to Spree, kicking up a small dust cloud. As the small army came arrived at the front gates, it was obvious something was wrong. Besides the lack of sentries and the wide open gates, several of the huts closest of the gates were on fire. Several villagers ran towards Hanson screaming "help us." The Overlord grabbed one by the collar of his tunic and lifted him up. "What is going on?" "The looters! They-they're here!" Hanson let go of the peasant and began running towards the sound of screaming.
The village was in chaos, peasants running to the lake in the middle of the village and back, trying to douse the fires. "Which way did the looters go?" the Overlord asked. "Towards their hideout in the woods, east of here," someone replied.
Hanson left through the east gate and charged up the road towards the forest. "Judging from these tracks, the looters would probably have their hideout in the clearing closest to Spree," Gnarl said as he caught up to Hanson. "Follow me sire, we'll surprise them."
Hanson was approaching the looters' hideout when he heard a feminine scream. "It seems that there is a damsel in distress in the vicinity," Gnarl said with a small chuckle. "Better go rescue her before something unpleasant happens."
As the Overlord crashed through the undergrowth with his minions, he immediately spotted a young red-haired woman, dressed as an adventurer, surrounded by about twenty looters who were jeering at her. Assuming that he had found the source of the screams, Hanson charged forward, drawing his massive axe in a smooth motion as his minions uttered war cries. The first looter never quite figured out what happened to him as the Overlord's battle axe separated his head from his shoulders. The next received an uppercut to the jaw from Hanson's armored fist that ended his life instantly. While the looters gaped, the minions reached them, and the slaughter began in earnest. The Overlord swung his massive axe, removing limbs left and right while the browns killed all those that Hanson left. The battle was over in a few minutes and not a single looter had survived. While the minions picked up the looters' weapon to replace their wooden clubs, the Overlord scanned for the woman he had come to rescue. His search ended when he felt a dagger at his throat. "While I do appreciate the help, I can't have you claiming the looters' treasures for yourself," a feminine voice said from behind him. Hanson allowed himself a small smile and sidestepped faster than any human possibly could. By the time the red-haired woman realized she was threatening empty air, the Overlord had cuffed her on the back of the head. She dropped like a log, kicking up a little dust. Hanson ordered two minions to tie up and carry her. "Well done sire," Gnarl complimented. Our way to the looter's treasure is clear."
As the Overlord entered the looters' treasure chamber, an earthy construction that downplayed the riches within, Hanson's eyes were drawn to the massive globe that rested on top of a pile of gold and jewels. The Tower Heart seemed to wink at the Overlord as the power within it flowed back and forth. Hanson ordered five minions to pick up the Heart and began to walk towards the Spree tower gate, the minions carrying the Tower Heart straining slightly. The ones carrying the woman walked right behind the Overlord, and Hanson couldn't resist glancing at her…shapely form a few times over his shoulder. Gnarl chuckled as he noticed his master glancing at the woman who tried to kill him. Why is it always the ones that try to kill us that we end up loving the most? The Minion Master wondered.
(A/N): Phew, that was a long one. The reason for its length is my desire to introduce the second potential mistress. I hope you enjoyed. Review if you liked it, and provide constructive criticism where necessary. ~RussianOverlord~