Chapter 12: Confessions

“First of all. I lied to you. I’m sorry. I never forgot who I was… but the fact is the truth would draw too much attention and so I lied.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Not the best way to start when meeting someone for the first time.”

I nodded in agreement. “I know. I’m sorry and I promise that I won’t lie to you again. I actually respect you a lot, Laura, and I know lying to you doesn’t show that very well. But you’re the only one of your unit that treated me like a person and I’m convinced you’re the only one who wasn’t an evil bastard. So, I’m hoping we can be allies… maybe even friends.”

She looked stern, and a bit miffed, but otherwise was keeping it together… so, I continued.

“I used to live in a different world…” I began, and for the second time I told the story of my life before my death. I didn’t cry this time when I spoke about my wife; I found that hole in my soul was smaller now. But though it still hurt to talk about; I did, as Laura deserved to know the truth.

I told her about how I knew the basics of emergency care and about how I was just a volunteer and just did it on weekends. I told her about my main job as a teacher, about how I was interested in martial arts and took lessons in it in my spare time. She asked a lot more questions about my world than the twins did and, as we spoke quietly, I found it was taking a lot longer. The twins wanted to know the basics for why I was acting so strangely around them but Laura wanted to know because she needed to make decisions about what she was going to do about me. About the unit of presumably dead Knights. About the duke. About the apparent culling of young wild mages across the Athnian Highlands. So she wanted to know everything about anything that I had to tell her.

“Now I realise why I felt like I was talking to my father back on the road to the village.” She admitted to me. “You’re actually about the same age, despite your appearance.”

“Yep.” I nodded. “Being young again is going to take some getting used to.” I grinned at her. “Don’t get me wrong, the body of an 18 or 19 year-old is a great deal… I feel great… but everyone was treating me like a kid. It’s going to be hard to be taken seriously.”

Laura snorted. “Try being a woman for a bit.”

I looked at her seriously and stared her down. “That will never be an issue with me. In my world, women have been oppressed and are still treated badly in some areas, but for the most part they are recognised as being as intelligent, and then again more so in certain cases, than men. I’m not saying it was perfect, it certainly wasn’t, but I was brought up to believe women and men were equally capable of being educated and intelligent or complete and utter morons.”

She seemed appeased by this but somewhat confused by my vehemence on the subject. But I continued my story and told her about everything that I remembered up until the two knights advancing upon me.

I was even more impressed with Laura’s mind than before. The way she was questioning me about the things that mattered was mature beyond her years. She didn’t balk at the magic of a ‘horseless carriage’ that pulled eight cars that could carry hundreds of people. Couldn’t have cared less. She focused on the reasons why I was chosen. She focused on the exact wording of what Bambinae had said, not that I could remember all the specific phrases. Laura wanted to know why now? Why me? Why I’d been put in the shallow grave of the Necromancer and not in Westfall? And she wanted to know how powerful Bambinae made me. Her insistence on that line of questioning was almost comical.

“So how physically strong do you think you actually are, now?” she asked for the third time, as soon as I finished speaking.

“I have no idea.” I grinned exasperatedly. “Why is it so important?”

“Threat analysis.” She answered matter-of-factly.

“Anyway…” I continued, trying to ignore uncomfortable implications of her answer. “Apparently after they knocked you unconscious, Pheros and Gregory started coming at me and I tried to draw on more of Bambinae’s power. It worked in the sense that it killed them, but it also knocked me out cold for a day, or maybe two.”

The young knight nodded, looked over to the twins curled up together and asleep on the bedroll, and spoke softly.

“They did really well whilst you were unconscious. They built the litter, cleaned up the camp and gathered provisions. I'm glad they at least have each other to rely on. This must have been so traumatic for them. I don’t suppose with all your heroics that there is any possibility now that Erica will be convinced to take her freedom?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not bloody likely.” Then I winced. “There may have been a further complication...”

Laura shot me a worried look. “Asha?” She didn’t miss a beat.

I nodded. “I saved her life. And after talking with Erica about how I would respect her and treat her properly with kindness and make sure she could do all the stuff she wanted and follow her dreams and all that shit... you know, be a Gentleman...”

“You mean the bare minimum.” Laura corrected.

Damn. I knew I liked her. She’s going to keep me honest.

“...well then Asha must have thought it was a good deal and signed on then and there.”

Laura pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “You can’t have these two girls as slaves... it’s not right, Mathew!”

“I KNOW!” I hissed, trying not to wake the girls. “I TOLD you what slavery was like on my world. I don’t want them as slaves. But, at the moment, if I released them and I forced them to leave me, and we all went our separate ways, what chance do they possibly have at being successful, healthy and productive?”

Laura shook her head. “I don’t know. Probably not a lot without contacts for employment in Westfall. I mean Asha just needs to front up to the Wizards’ Collective and she’s set, but considering the Knights just tried to kill her on the Lord’s orders... I can’t blame her for not taking that option.”

I agreed with her sentiment. “So, until a better option arises, I’m going to take responsibility for them. That’s how I am going to think about it. For better or worse, they are my responsibility. I mean, if I was in my world as a 40-year-old man, and found two lost teenage girls… I’d be helping them in any way I could.”

Laura nodded and began feeling behind her head again.

“I remember waking up and having the girls build a litter to carry you. They told me a little of what had happened but I couldn’t remember that until you told me again just now. After we made a second camp away from the first, I took as many medications as I thought would be safe and tried to let my body do the rest.”

I nodded. “You bought yourself time… that was the important thing.”

“For what though...” she mused. “I should have died, Mathew. Gregory didn’t mean to wound me that badly, but I’d been injured there before, my skull was weak at the temple. I knew when I woke up that I was going to die... slowly, sure. But I was still going to die.”

She eyed me suspiciously.

“What did you do?”

I took a big breath. “I was able to fix the injuries using the power that Bambinae gave me. It took a long time and I had to sit down and rest after, but it worked and we gave you the full day and night for your body to heal the rest.”

Laura shook her head getting indignant. “If you think for a second that saving my life means that I’m going to sign on as your slave as well then you better sleep lightly because I will slit your...”

I held up my hands in a defensive posture. “WHOA! hold it! I didn’t ask anyone to do anything and I’m not taking credit for saving your life... that one goes to Bambinae. It was her power that healed you, not me.”

Laura thought about this for a minute. “Would Bambinae have healed me without your intervention though?” she mused. It wasn’t an argument, more a theological conundrum for her to solve.

“Any way you cut it… I owe you for saving my life, but I don’t approve of the indebted servitude tradition and I certainly won’t be lifting and carrying anything for you!” she stressed.

“That’s fair!” I agreed. “And you technically saved my life when you exhumed my not-so-dead corpse.

But Laura shook her head. “No, it doesn’t count; it’s my job. People like me would have a small army of indebted servants if that were the case.”

I nodded... that made sense, it was about the only thing that did... but yeah. It made sense.

Laura had been mulling over something for a while and after she’d had time to chew on it, she brought it up.

“So I think what has happened is you have been granted the power to use divine magic...” She started. “...and that’s why it bypassed our defences. The metal of our armour repels the arcane weave, but the Gods work with a different set of rules and it seems like your punches just completely ignored the armour. But like other mages, you ran out of power.”

I nodded, “But here is the thing, I guess when a wizard wants more power they have to practice, right? Well, I get the feeling that the more people I get worshiping Bambinae again, the more power she’ll be able to give me.”

Laura agreed and we talked about how every person I converted to worship Bambinae would grant her power and give her strength. I could see if I wanted to protect my two girls, the best way would be to get more people praying to the Hearth Mother.

Asha and Erica eventually started to wake up and I started to make tea using some of the herbs I had learned this world had. It was in the mugs steeping when Erica sat up, the blankets falling away to reveal her beautiful naked chest as she stretched and yawned. Laura stared wide eyed and then looked at me in disapproval.

But Erica didn’t give her time to question me on her lack of clothing as she realised Laura was awake and raced over to the knight, throwing her arms around her in a big hug.

“YOU’RE AWAKE!” she squealed in delight and her commotion fully roused Asha who, similarly naked, rushed to Laura and enveloped her as well.

I sat grinning at Laura, who had no idea how to deal with the overly affectionate elves. “A little help?” she mumbled through a mouthful of cascaded elf hair.

Now, as much as the sight of two naked elf women hugging Laura made me very happy, I took pity on her. “Girls, I think she needs to start gently. I made tea, why don’t you grab a mug and have some? Maybe put on some clothes?”

Both girls immediately detached from Laura and took a step back blushing, but not nearly so furiously as Laura who was desperately trying to look anywhere but the starkly nude elves.

“Tea would be wonderful, Master. Sorry Laura.” said Erica, and she and Asha quickly pulled on their clothes and poured a mug of tea for Laura and myself and then one each for themselves. Then they sat next to me and each one insisted on giving me a sensual ‘Good Morning’ kiss on the lips before enjoying their warm drink.

“Well, so much for being a gentleman.” sniffed Laura irritably. “You really had me going... but damn, you’re just like every man.”

I opened my mouth to speak in my defence but, before I could, Erica rounded on Laura.

“No! He’s not like that. He tried—really tried—to be noble. He didn’t force himself on us. And he wouldn’t have needed to, because I wanted him! He saved my life. Twice. He treated me with respect. He wanted me to be happy. He never asked for anything back! And after he told me about everything—his life before us—I knew he was a good man. I’d be proud to call him my master. To serve him. I know you don’t understand that… but it’s not your choice to make.”

Laura and I just stared at the irate girl as she ranted, but Asha was nodding furiously and quickly took over.

“Mathew didn’t take us—he resisted us. Even when we were throwing ourselves at him. That’s what a real gentleman does. We needed to feel SOMETHING last night, and so we got as close as we could. Not that it’s any of your business, but despite our best efforts, we are still unfortunately virgins.”

Asha turned to Laura, eyes sharp.

“And everyone keeps acting like Erica had no choice, like she was some victim. That’s not fair.
We’ve dreamed of a man like him—kind, strong, honest. Someone who wouldn’t try to separate us, or collect us like trinkets. Who didn’t want to take us away from each other or just want us as the latest trophy amongst a bunch of wives! I could’ve chosen Donatu. He wanted me. But I said no—because I was waiting for someone I could give myself to... completely. Someone I could respect.”

Laura looked at her feet and I joined her. We’d both just assumed these girls were too young and naïve to make these large decisions for themselves. But they were adults and had been preparing for this decision. Laura was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry girls, I’m sorry Mathew. I thought you had given into your lust and used their vows of servitude to force them.”

I shook my head. “I would never.”

Erica looked at me rather irritated. “Master tried to resist doing anything as long as he could...” then she giggled. “...but we made it very difficult for him.”

I shook my head and smiled. “A man can resist only so much.”

Laura swilled her tea around in her mug, thoughtfully. “Well we are going to be travelling together for at least the next few days, so I’ll be watching you, Mathew. If I think you’re coercing these girls in any way, you won’t live through the night. Understand?”

This woman is exactly what a knight should be.

“Perfectly.”

The girls were apparently still a bit standoffish with Laura for the rest of the day. But I couldn’t afford to be, now that the most pressing of matters had been decided, I needed to sort out what was happening next.

“I need to understand the currency here...” I told Laura, “...as well as major industry, the most common avenues for labour and the best options I have for bringing the word of Bambinae to the people. Also, I need to know what your expectations are for when we get to Westfall.”

The blonde knight shrugged, “I have no idea what we are going to do now. Lord Arnias apparently controls the Iron Shield in the Athnian Highlands. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be, but then again; it’s a remote section of Grixoninia, so the King probably doesn’t pay much attention to it, as long as Lord Arnias pays his due.”

I nodded. “Low oversight gives room for corruption to grow. So, you’re worried that if you report Captain Deriostos’ crimes to the Lord, they will be hushed up and you’ll be in trouble?”

Laura nodded. “I’ll be executed if this gets out. They will spin it and that will be that. The best chance I have is to report the corruption in the Athnian Highlands is to make a report at the Isle of St Stephan.” She thought for a second. “Damn! Captain Deriostos said that he had orders from Lord Arnias to make sure the girls didn’t make it to Westfall, didn’t he?”

“Yeah... That’s the problem, right? For some reason he doesn’t want Asha to be a mage.”

Laura shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m getting at. Look, you asked if little towns like Erica and Asha’s were common places for mages, and I told you that some regions produced more mages than others, right?”

“Right...”

“Well one of the lowest intake regions for the Wizards’ Collective is the Athnian Highlands. Hardly any wild mages at all. When I heard we had a pickup, in addition to chasing the Necromancer, I was surprised. It was unheard of.”

I didn’t follow her and when she saw I wasn’t getting it, Laura leaned forward conspiratorially, despite it being only the four of us here.

“I think Lord Arnias has been secretly using the zealots within the Iron Shield to kill off wild mages before they get to the Wizards’ Collective. Arranging for ‘accidents’ or ‘escapes’ to justify them never making it to Westfall. Hell, Deriostos never even denied being First Shield when I accused him. He seemed proud of it!”

I nodded. “What is ‘First Shield?’ You seemed pretty upset about it. Some sort of extremist splinter group?”

Laura nodded but then thought and shook her head. “Technically the ‘First Shield’ are the original Iron Shield. The order started out as mage killers. They hunted mages and executed them with extreme prejudice. But then the Wizards’ Collective found out how to make the Harrowing better and easier and safer. They fought the Iron Shield and won, easily. The Order was given the opportunity to change its mandate to be less murderous and after a period of adjustment, the order is now partnered with the Wizards Collective.”

I understood now. “But there is still an element of the ‘First Shield’ still persisting regardless?”

Laura nodded. “It’s been hundreds of years. But yes. And it’s because of ignorant nobles like Lord Arnias that they are able to remain a threat.”

“So... will we be safe in Westfall?”

Laura shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe? I met Revenant Company in the city of Sterya... the capital of all Grixoninia, so nobody should know me in Westfall. If I don’t show my heraldry and Asha doesn’t show her magic, then as safe as anyone else, I imagine. I shouldn't be recognised.”

“OK... well then let’s get to Westfall and figure out our next steps.”

I pulled open the rucksack that the girls had taken from the Knights’ camp when they had departed. Under Laura’s instruction they had taken their coin purses and all their travelling gear to carry with us. It was the coin purse I now emptied into a bowl for closer examination.

“OK there’s gold, silver, copper to start with.” I said. “What’s the exchange rate?”

“10 copper to a silver, 10 silver to a gold.”

“Right. OK what about this thing?” I held up a green octagonal coin with a hole punched in the centre.

Laura’s eyes went wide as she looked at the coin, then frowned and her face went dark.

“That is an emerald sovereign and proof that Captain Deriostos was doing Arnias’ wet work. That coin is worth 100 gold and a knight of the Iron Shield has no reason to have one. They wouldn’t earn enough in 10 years to save up that much.”

I gritted my teeth. “Then he’d be set for at least 30 years...” I held up two more from the bag. “Realistically, what would these buy?”

“Apparently the honour of an Iron Shield Captain?” She bemoaned.

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, in a silent signal to give me a straight answer. She sighed and thought for a moment.

“A skilled labourer will make maybe one to five gold pieces per day of work, depending on their level of skill and their trade. The finest craftsmen might make more. Renting a simple house usually costs about half of a months wages. A night in an inn will cost you about five silver, some less and some will cost you more.”

I nodded as she went on.

“If you buy food, it will be based on the quality, but certainly expect to pay several silver pieces for each meal that’s worth eating. Each emerald coin will buy a lavish lifestyle for weeks or a modest lifestyle for almost half a year.”

I summed it up. “So an average skilled labourer will be making, at best, three gold per day and spending about half that on food and board per day?”

She nodded. “And if they have a family, then the cost increases and there are other costs like tools and guild fees and clothes... most people live day to day.”

“Sounds about right... what about the Knights?”

“We are different. We have all our food and board paid for us whilst we stay at the chapter houses. We get our weapons, armour and clothes provided for us, though we are expected to maintain them as necessary. We are given an allowance to spend on that kind of thing and for supplies on the road. For things like tents and bed rolls we go to the quartermaster. Our pay, otherwise, is about five gold pieces per month.”

I nodded. “So what we have is what we have. If you aren’t going to go back to the Iron Shield at Westfall, we’ll need to buy our own gear and food and board.” I looked around and took an inventory. “From what I can see... we have four of all the camping equipment we need which will do us for our travels, but in addition to that we have 350 gold pieces worth of spending money.”

Laura reached across into her rucksack and put in another 20 or so gold pieces. “May as well pool our resources at this point.”

I nodded appreciatively. “This won’t last forever, we have maybe three months of rent and food for the four of us... what can we do for money in Westfall?”

Laura shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t know Westfall very well. Usually, I don’t need to worry about money.”

I thought carefully. “Alright, well, we can at least have a look around. We will have time to figure out a source of income.”

Laura nodded and we gathered up the coins and looked around at our supplies. I sighed as I watched the girls pour tea and get ready for their day. I had to find some way of supporting those two when we arrived in Westfall. I had to be worthy of the trust that they had put in me.

And I needed to start taking this world much, much more seriously.