Another calm night on the Western Sea had just begun as the ship steadily sailed due east to Beilrunot, an ancient city first founded as a trading port. Somewhere below deck one of Beilrunot’s finest ever knights and heir to Prime Lordship of the city, Lord Eden Exen, sat on a worn out wooden chair leaning over the crate beside him. In the soft light of the lantern hanging from the wall he patiently waited for the return of the young man he had sent on a mission.
“Ah! You return with wine!” declared the twenty-two-year-old Lord, “Wherever did you find any on this forsaken vessel?”
Setting the wine and the round iron cups atop the crate, the cabin boy excitedly said, “I got it from the Captain’s quarters.”
With a delighted smile the ever-confident Lord praised him, “Your boldness is well noted, young man.” Taking his now full cup in his right hand he asked, “What did you say your name was again?”
The cabin boy, a scrawny thing in his late teen years, suddenly turned nervous and hesitantly replied, “Well, I never really told you, Lord Exen.”
“I have to stop you there,” objected the black-haired Lord in an attempt to be humorous, “Lord Exen is my father. You may call me his majesty Emperor Eden Exen.” The sarcasm was not lost on the cabin boy, and after a moment of pandering laughter Eden spoke more seriously, “Lord Eden would be fine.”
“As you wish, my Lord,” assured the cabin boy.
“So what is it? Was your father drunk when he named you?” wondered the Lord with the dark-colored eyes, “You are not named after a tree or something, are you?”
The cabin boy finally gave in to the inevitable and disclosed his name, “No it is not an issue of that sort. I was just reluctant because my name … well, my name is Daniel.”
As he watched the young one sitting across from him brace for a backlash, Lord Eden finished his sip of wine and returned, “I see. You must have anticipated me to instantly despise you for sharing a name with our Prince?”
Daniel Domish, son of King Mark Domish, was the sole Prince and heir to the Kingdom of the Seven Cities, and had a rather turbulent past with the Lord from Beilrunot. When King Mark Domish first came to power he envisioned a quadrennial tournament that brought the Kingdom together, with each city entering two of its finest knights to compete. Prince Daniel and Lord Eden were two of the fourteen knights granted the honor of taking part in the last King’s tournament. The two young men demonstrated that they were both fearless and skilled competitors; yet, as they both reached the ultimate concluding duel – which was fought over the frozen surface of icy waters – the Prince was the one favored to honor his family and city. Odds were defeated, however, as Lord Eden Exen proved the wiser and more capable, emerging triumphant to become the Kingdom’s Champion. The title brought with it a sizable prize and great prestige, but what the Beilrunoty Lord most reveled in was his new-found status among the people as the one who defeated the heir to the throne.
“Before this night I had only heard of you and your legendary triumph four years ago, Lord Eden,” clarified the cabin boy, “I was afraid that my name was one you simply resent.”
The tall Lord was unshaken by the proposition and slickly replied, “To be honest, I never thought it possible to one day have a civil conversation over a glass of wine with a man called Daniel.” Eden raised his cup and smiled to relieve his new companion, “Yet, if I was destined to do so eventually, then sitting here with you is better than what I would have imagined.”
Daniel became more at ease after hearing the Lord’s comforting words, “It is an honor to be in your company even for just a few moments, Lord Eden.”
After four years of being a Champion – which earned him ego-boosting nicknames such as Domish’s Doom and the True Prince – Eden had become indifferent to flattery and he continued speaking his own thoughts while taking aim at the Prince, “I do believe, however, that if the other Daniel was to be here, he too would be the one desperately searching the ship for wine.”
The cabin boy laughed at the insinuation, “I have heard the men on the ship regularly speak of our Prince’s bad habit.”
“Habit?” replied the smirking Lord, “It is more of an engulfing romance!” Barely waiting for Daniel to finish his laugh Eden went further in his scathing slants, “But he was not always like that, no. I reckon it was merely the consequence of falling into the ice-cold waters of defeat!”
The cabin boy had heard of the Beilrunoty Lord’s sharp tongue and again laughed to indulge him, “I am sure it was, my Lord.”
Eden could not help but notice the irony of the situation as he criticized the Prince’s heavy drinking while he himself pushed his cup towards Daniel’s side of the crate so that it may be refilled; still, he chose to ignore it. The young cabin boy then proceeded to remind him, “Lord Eden, I do not mean to pester you, but you did promise me a tale if I brought back wine.”
“Right you are, Daniel,” conceded the Lord as he removed a medallion from his left pocket and laid it on top of the crate. The golden medallion was oval in shape and the detailed carving caught Daniel’s eye once more. A miniature reproduction of King Mark Domish’s own crown was carved in the middle. The plain crown had seven long spikes that rose at its front and grew in length from the sides to the tallest one at the center. The carving also included a long sword that appeared to pass through the crown, with the handle below and the sharp tip of the blade reigning highest.
The mysterious medallion carried plenty of symbolism in its design and the cabin boy had been very curious about its origin from the moment he caught a glimpse of it in Lord Eden’s hand. “I hope you learned the way into the Captain’s quarters well,” said the smiling Lord before he began his tale, “This promises to be one long night.”
Lord Eden Exen always sought new experiences on his travels and four years ago during his time in Thyrin – the capital of the Kingdom – he enjoyed visiting the local taverns to see what they had to offer. Having opted against returning to Beilrunot immediately after his triumph in the King’s tournament, a decision he believed his father was indifferent to, Lord Eden enjoyed his days of being celebrated as Champion with vigor.
It was a month into his stay in Thyrin, and on a night of drinking and dancing with nameless women to the sound of the playing fiddle, that he was first approached by a stranger. At the end of a string of joyful songs, Lord Eden rested his legs and sat down at a round wooden table. A few moments later, he noticed a hooded figure make his way over to him and instantly became intrigued. The Lord had been anticipating the visit after hearing multiple rumors of a man who sought out to challenge the Champion of every tournament in exchange for a rare prize.
“Greetings to our brave Champion,” began the man who concealed most of his face in the shadow of his hood.
Being the proponent of sarcasm that he was – a trait he had developed from a young age – Lord Eden returned, “And greetings to you, our friendly neighborhood shadow lurker.”
Amusing, thought the unimpressed man and then only showed a brief smile. “May I join you, Lord Exen?”
Eden signaled for him to take a seat and watched his concealed shady eyes carefully, “I have heard of many legends, but you seem to be the first one I actually witness.”
“I assure you, my Lord, that I am far from a legend. The name is Semerin and I am simply a jeweler with an offer to honor your greatness,” explained the man of average height.
Having only recently claimed his title, the dark-haired Lord was his most arrogant self at the time and he internally laughed at the suggestion that he needed to achieve any further greatness. “A jeweler? And what is a jeweler to offer me exactly?”
Semerin reached inside his cloak with his hand and removed the golden medallion, displaying it in front of the Lord, “A small prize for passing two trials. A medallion that displays your sword ascending from behind the crown, to shine bright and reign supreme over all the spikes that stand for our seven cities – much similar to your own merited rise to reign as Champion over the Kingdom, my Lord.”
The Lord eyed the oval medallion carefully and became impressed with the meticulous amount of detail its carvings had, at least as much as his imperfect drunken vision allowed. Although he knew that this medallion was purely ornamental, Eden was intrigued and inquired, “What would these trials entail exactly?”
“You shall discover that in due time, my Lord,” replied the jeweler as he tucked away the medallion and removed a small pouch to place it on the table. “That is your clue for the first trial; I shall expect you tomorrow night,” he instructed as he got up and left.
Eden, having finally found a new challenge with which to entertain himself, grabbed the pouch and opened it, only to be slightly disgusted at what he found. “Fortune has smiled upon me it seems, for I have stumbled upon yet another deranged one,” he noted to himself as he eyed the severed head of a duck holding a tooth in its beak.
Lord Eden’s sword never left his side, but the next night when he went to meet with Semerin he had additionally worn steel plate chest armor and bracers. Under the soft light of the moon the jeweler was quick to take note of the Lord’s arrival, “Ah, Lord Exen! I see you came well prepared for a brawl.”
Not particularly fond of breezy nights that carried the stench of swampy waters, Lord Eden cleverly revealed, “It does not take long to understand that a severed head of any kind means something will need killing.”
Semerin was delighted that his riddle was capably solved and confirmed, “Right you are my Lord. I reckon Duck’s Pond was just as effortless to deduce?”
“I learn more about Thyrin with every day I spend here, Semerin,” said Eden as he followed the man down closer to the edge of the pond, “But I am a Beilrunoty and I was not to be bothered with that, so I just paid a man in the tavern to solve the rest of your ridiculous clue. As it turns out you would have me travel south to Duck’s Pond and slay something that has teeth.”
The jeweler with a round face did not like the flaunting smirk on Eden’s face and tried to respectfully argue, “As well as your method worked, Lord Exen, yet you must realize that one day your wealth and fame will no longer be there to serve you. What would you do then?”
“I prefer not to worry about that for now,” Eden concisely replied. “So what poor creature’s life have we come to end tonight?”
“I am not sure that you would call an alligator a poor creature,” returned Semerin smugly, “But you would know better, my Lord.”
The revelation took nothing from the Beilrunoty Lord’s nerves as he simply smiled and said, “I figured a golden medallion would not come by easily.” He stepped in front of the jeweler and looked out at the water to try and pinpoint a possible location for the reptile, “You know, Semerin, one meets many interesting people during the King’s tournament.”
A bit puzzled the hooded man agreed, “I am sure one does, my Lord.”
Still scouring forward, Eden continued, “Yes, well unfortunately for you, during my time in the tournament I became close friends with one Lord Verrye Tepporeon of Serwein.” The city of Serwein was the sole city in the Kingdom not built on the coast, but rather on a high plateau just in the embrace of Mount Jabarut. The city’s tropical climate made it unique among the seven cities, and its lack of access to the seashore was compensated by the fact that it was founded on the banks of the vast river Cryne.
“Two Lords of your stature becoming friends; I would not call that unthinkable, my Lord,” returned Semerin. Every city in the Kingdom – bar Thyrin where the King reigned supreme – had a Prime Lord that was sovereign over its territory. The Prime Lord along with four other High Lords formed the council of the each city. Lords Eden Exen and Verrye Teporeon were the heirs to the Prime Lordships of Beilrunot in the west and Serwein in the east, respectively. Despite the guarded nature of the competing cities of the Kingdom, such a friendship was not unheard of.
“True,” concurred Eden, “And I even learned many things from him.” He moved back towards the man who was in possession of the medallion he desired and described, “You see, you would not be considered a proper Serwenese if you have not brushed shoulders with the odd alligator on the river Cryne at least once in your life. If you were to ask them, the people of Serwein would have you believe that when submerged it is practically impossible to guess where an alligator lies in waiting.”
Oblivious to what would come next, Semerin smiled as he heard the Lord’s words. Yet, that smile would quickly fade to a frightened look as Lord Eden suddenly grabbed the jeweler from his shoulders and dragged him down close to the edge of the pond. “Lord Exen, what are you doing?!” shouted Semerin frantically, but to no avail. A few seconds later he found himself forcefully thrust in the air, and then landing with a splash into the waters of Duck’s Pond.
Almost instantly an eerie sound of movement in the pond echoed in the wilderness. Barely on his knees, Semerin raised his wet face in terror and watched as large ripples of water formed closer and closer to him by the second. His heart sank and his eyes widened as he shrieked in fear at the sight of the emerging nostrils of the reptile. It was beyond doubt that his end was here.
However, the frightened jeweler was unaware of Lord Eden standing nearby in waiting. With his long sword held above his head in both hands and facing downwards, Eden waited for the creature to begin emerging. Then, with all his might he brought down his trusty sword, driving its sharp tip through the alligator’s temple right in the nick of time.
Semerin felt a large splash of water on his skin, but no punctures through it. As he slowly unfastened his eyelids, he gazed upon the unmoving corpse of the large reptile floating dead before him with a long sword’s handle protruding from its head. He looked to his side and caught a glimpse of a smugly smiling Lord who came over to retrieve his sword while stating, “But why guess where it is, Semerin, if you can be certain of where it’s heading?”
After barely surviving being recklessly thrown into the dangerous waters, Semerin was scarred from his brush with death and quickly made haste to exit the pond, not letting his stumbles slow him down. Still shaking with fear as he reached dry land, he turned to look at Lord Eden who cynically inquired, “Where are you going? Do you not wish to harvest one of its fangs? Is that not why you brought me here?”
Semerin was enraged and was barely able to hold himself back; his only wish was to return home and forget he ever met Eden Exen. Although, he was quick to change his mind and said with a still trembling voice, “You can keep it. Just come to the lone small lodging cabin east of the city in three days’ time, and bring your sword with you for the your second trial.”
After wiping down his trusty blade, Lord Eden returned it to its sheath and declared, “Do not worry, it never leaves my side.”
When The Mighty Fall 