Fragments Gallery
Simple Tales
"What is your name soldier?" asked a lean man, his fingers slowly caressing the plain steel hilt of the blade at his side as he blocked the other's path. His single eye, framed by long locks of blond hair, was focused on the face of a warrior standing in front of him; his other eye was covered over by a patch of black cloth. Nearby and at his back stood several other men dressed in black and grey, town guards, these men openly waited with their hands on their swords. They didn't like the look of this traveler one bit.
"I have been called many things over the years," Answered the man casually, "Today you can call me Tordek."
At this one of the other guards flinches as though he were stung. After a few more moments of careful scrutiny of Tordek his eyes open wider as recognition sets in. Tordek notes this with a flick of his eyes before he returns his attention to the guard standing in front of him.
"What's your business here Tordek?" asked the guard, his voice radiating a false aura of calm.
"I'm just looking for a place to stay the night before I move on in the morning."
The guard nods slowly, his eye searching Tordek's. The guard who had flinched takes advantage of the first guards silence to move a bit closer.
"You say your name is Tordek?" asks the second guard carefully. The one eyed guard turns to regard the second disapprovingly, the second ignores the look.
"Yes, I'm Tordek."
"I heard a story of a mercenary last week. This mercenary was hired by a young lass to help find a stolen family heirloom, a ring I believe," the guard pauses and looks at Tordek, almost seeming to ask for permission to continue. Tordek watches him silently, his bearded face giving nothing away. The guard hesitates then continues. "This Tordek and the lass, Sara I think her name was, ended up travelling across the continent in pursuit of the ring. That's how he ended up at the battle of Pristhimy. They say that he was after the leader of the enemy force, the assassin. They say he killed the assassin himself but because of the confusion of the battle no one can be sure.
As he spoke other guards began to nod, they'd heard this story.
"Are you the Tordek that fought at Pristhimy? Are you the platinum knight?" At this the one eyed guard looks searchingly at Tordek, his lips purse into a frown as he considers the warrior.
"Impossible!" bursts out another guardsman from the back of the group, "He's too young!"
Tordek shrugs, ignoring the guard's outburst. "I was there. But that was a long time ago."
The younger guards all gape at him, the older ones only nod.
"You're a hero," gasps a guard still to young to shave, "A legend!"
"In the past," Tordek says waving off the praise, then he addresses the one eyed guardsman, "May I pass?"
"Just for the night?"
"Just for the night."
Without another word the guardsman stands aside and waves him through. Tordek flashes him a quick smile of thanks before he walks past into the town.
"So much for living a quiet life, unknown by the masses," Tordek mutters sourly, "I guess word travels faster than I had thought."
After a moments contemplation he brightens, “Work should be easy to find if I’m known out here.”
With a smile on his face he continues into the town.