“Before the court was disbanded, the King told his knights that he wished to hunt the White Stag…
And so the affair is arranged for the next morning at daybreak. The morrow, as soon as it is day, the King gets up and dresses, and dons a short jacket for his forest ride. He commands the Knights to be aroused and the horses to be made ready. Already they are ahorse, and off they go, with bows and arrows. After them the Queen mounts her horse, taking a damsel with her. A maid she was, the daughter of a king, and she rode a white palfrey.
After them followed a knight, Named Erec, who belonged to the round table. Of all the Knights that ever were there, never one received such praise; and he was so fair that nowhere in the world need one seek a fairer knight then he. He was very fair, brave and courteous, though not yet twenty-five years old. Never was a man of his age of greater knighthood.”
- Unknown
A man named Lionel in a white silk shirt led Erec along the tour of his own estate. It wasn’t what he’d expected at all; none of this had been. When the King rewarded him with the title of a Count and his own house… House Audax… It’d been a spiral of confusion since.
Seeing it all in person made it more real. He couldn’t deny his manor's existence, the seventh cavern, or the people that lived there. And it was up to him to preside over them, even if it would be indirectly, since being a Knight Initiate demanded all of his time.
Luckily, he wasn’t alone in investigating this new life.
Both Garin and Bedwyr tagged along.
Lionel and they paused and looked back at Erec as he’d stopped following.
His jaw dropped as he stared up at the manor. He’d seen it from a distance, but this close—the thing was almost the size of a castle, but much of its interior was hidden, as it’d been carved out of the cavern side. Nearly a hundred lights shone from its windows, casting their light into the empty stone yard.
This cavern didn’t have an artificial sun; therefore, like most of the city below, there was no wildlife or plants besides rats and cats.
This place was his new home.
Proudly decorating the front was a large banner—his house symbol, chosen by the King. It was relatively simple, the head of a White Stag backgrounded by the Vortex Industries logo. They’d appropriated that from his Armor, and nobody had been keen to ask why he’d taken on an old world logo, if they recognized it. But now it was his.
[Looks like we have a new subsidiary. Exciting! Way to go, buckeroo, though it’s not typically researchers in charge of acquisitions. Now, for those people in your command… What would you say to opening a research facility?]
“Count Audax?” Lionel asked, bowing politely. “If it would please you, we can head inside. As you made it plain to me, you desire to head back on the surface soon. However, we have much to discuss your lands, along with your tour of the manor itself—I know, I’ll do my best to make it quick.”
Count Audax? The title and name made him shiver as they came from his steward's mouth. Lionel said it so naturally, yet the name stunned Erec. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to it.
Though the rush on time… Was debatable. Boldwick told him to return soon but didn’t specify a time limit, only to return as quickly as able. So, Erec had intended to hurry this along. After the King told him they’d sort out trusted staff to manage his affairs, he’d assumed it’d be easy to pass along the responsibility.
Now, after seeing all the faces of the curious common folk who’d gathered to get a look at him, though not all of the thousand or so that lived in this cavern, it’d changed his perspective. . “I… There’s no need to hurry, Lionel, after all. Please, tell me everything I should know. If that means we stay here a couple of days, that’s fine.”
It was better to understand it all ahead of time. One day, like it or not, he was now responsible for these people.
“Nice!” Garin laughed. “Some time off of classes.”
“It’s awfully big…” Bedwyr mumbled head tucked down as he looked around the place.
Erec brought his brother along since this would be his and their father’s home too. Without land, they’d been living off Garin’s father’s good graces. With him owning land, there was no reason Lac couldn’t retire here, nor why Bedwyr wouldn’t be able to stay here. Though, their father maintained his desire to work. He claimed he’d repay the Audentia family debt and refused to ask Erec for help.
Though Erec wasn’t even sure what his financial situation was—his stipend from the Academy had been going toward paying off his Armor. But now that might be covered by his estate.
“No kidding, bigger than our place. I bet you could host a nice feast—oooh, I bet there’s even a ballroom here.” Garin said.
“Indeed, it is a well-decorated chamber, maple wood floor grown in the bio-caverns. The previous estate holder took great joy in hosting events.” Lionel answered smoothly, always eager to provide whatever information he could. “Normally, I’d recommend a feast as the new lord—it’s wise to invite the bigger players in your land to get to know them. Yet, it is understandable to everyone that you cannot, but most are eager to meet a hero such as yourself.”
“Right… Meeting a hero.” Erec cleared his throat. There was that title. He might be acting more responsible, but he was fine with shying away from hosting a feast. He couldn’t be perfect.
“Don’t worry, the Academy offers breaks—I’ll let my father know that Erec needs to throw a proper social gathering, and he’ll help coordinate some good contacts with nobility to attend as well.” Garin gave Erec a wink, despite speaking to Lionel. “Between us, we’ll sort it out.”
If it were up to Erec, he’d slowly meet them one by one. It was probably better that Garin forced his hand, even if he hated the idea.
So, he hung his head and shut up. With that, Lionel escorted them into the manor.
— -☢ - — - ☼ - — - ☢ - —
The manor was luxurious and clean, which was unsurprising since a full-time staff was maintaining it. Erec introduced himself to each of them and quickly picked up on the fact that there was a tangible and weird eagerness to meet their new Lord. Lionel confessed they’d been curious about the hero who slew the Stag was, and then apologized.
After that was the tour. The manor was massive, with two wings and dedicated guest rooms, nowhere near the multiple-layer spanning fortress of the palace, but nothing to scoff at. There was an obscene amount of space for a single man to live in and call home.
He eased his guilt with the knowledge his father would live here. And he'd host his brother, too, not to mention the full-time staff and their families who called it home.
Yeah, still excessive for someone who’d prefer to wander around a wasteland in their Armor. But that was the nature of nobility. Excess.
Lionel ran him through the estate’s investments and current income through taxes. All the boring nitty-gritty details made Erec’s head spin, and after a five-hour meeting, it still wasn’t done. More information Lionel had to dig up for the next day.
He did get the chance to provide input on what he’d like to do in the future—at the direction of VAL, and being a bit cooked out of his mind with all of the overwhelming numbers and associations. VAL cut through the noise and directed him to make a modest proposal to acquire land within the cavern for a research facility.
Lionel was stunned by the request but promised to find something satisfactory.
Honestly, Erec didn’t know what it would lead to, but VAL was so enthusiastic that he couldn’t help but go along with the idea.
After his meeting, he shared a fine meal and insisted the staff join him, then went off towards his personal workshop—in the depths of the manor.
The King ordered his Armor to be stashed there; it was part of why it was so important to come and visit his new lands right away. Though, with what he understood about that man, the King probably thought it’d do more to rope Erec into his new role than if he’d left everything up to the young Knight.
So it was that Erec reunited with his Armor—The Vallum Model, now painted with his new crest and restored after all the battlefield damage. It shone like new. But if one looked closely, one could see the patches and battle scars decorating the plate that wasn’t replaced.
Erec ran a hand over the polished steel, feeling the imperfections and scratches.
To think, not too long ago, he’d desperately been rigging up a Markos II and praying it could carry him through the trial. Now, he’d reached a higher peak than he’d ever dreamed.
Bedwyr strode through the door, and Erec turned immediately. His brother looked out of his element, showing a timid side since seeing Erec again that he’d scarcely imagined him capable of. He seemed so… Unsure.
“Congratulations…” Bedwyr said, his eyes roaming over the new symbol on the Armor. “…You earned all of this. I’m proud of you.”
Erec hesitated. The voice coming from his brother wasn’t exactly pride. No, it was strange, and Bedwyr was trying to hide it, but it was a concern. Fear too. “You’re worried about me.”
“Erec—I’m not used to this. If I’d had it my way, you wouldn’t have joined the Knights at all, have lived a quiet life with dad, and I’d—well, I pictured myself being the one to earn us a house to live in, to clear our name. Now… You made your own. You’re bigger than what I saw. But, I’m concerned about the cost to get here.” Bedwyr said.
“What? Is this not enough? I gave my all and did it the only way I could.” Erec felt that old insecurity slipping in. Was his brother suggesting that he could’ve done better? He’d bled and suffered so much, yet it hadn’t been enough to impress him. What did he have to do?
“Don’t get upset. I am proud of you. I’m scared, though. You were lifeless in my arms, dead to the world after that fight. Garin told me that wasn’t the first time you pushed yourself that far. You did it the only way you could, but that way makes me afraid. But without you… Who knows how many more would have died—what it would’ve taken to kill that Stag.” Bedwyr sighed. “…And maybe I’m a little jealous that I’ve got to chase after you. How can I compare to a hero?”
Erec felt a range of emotions at those words, from a gut-jerk reaction to protest his worries to bemusement at the idea of Bedwyr being jealous.
In the end, all those reactions were useless; save one.
“Let's get out of here; my Armor is fine. How about we go to the study and ransack it, see if there are any good old world stories? We can… catch up. I heard about you and Gwen—all that. It’d be nice if we took some time to talk about stuff. It’s been years.” Erec said, his voice breaking a little bit.
Bedwyr gave him a relieved smile and nodded.
Erec followed him out the room—and took one last look at his Armor racked up. Soon, it’d be put to good use again. But for now, it could afford to rest for a bit longer. The light flicked off as he left to spend time with his brother.
————— End Of Book 1 —————