*CLUNG-TUNG-CLUNG-TUNG*
The air in the lower district of Greyharbor was full of the scent of brine and burnt coal. Deep within a nondescript smithy, tucked away from the prying eyes of the Castle guards, a heavy hammer echoed against the stone walls.
The man at the anvil was a silhouette of impossible proportions, standing at around 203 cm he loomed over the forge with his shadow stretching long and distorted across the soot-stained walls.
He was moving with a terrifying economy of motion. The only other sound was the hiss of steam as he plunged red-hot metal into a barrel of brackish water as the white vapor momentarily masked his features in a ghost-like shroud.
Suddenly, a floorboard groaned. A person was standing in the doorway and the scent of her expensive lavender perfume died instantly in the sulfurous air. "He is alive, somehow," she whispered.
The man did not turn back. He simply held a piece of cooling iron up to the dim light. It was jagged and unfinished.
"And he is... cold. colder than the father, somehow... all of a sudden."
The giant finally spoke. His voice didn't sound like a young man's. It was a dry sandpapery rasp, like rough stones grinding together at the bottom of a well. "The sun sets even on the highest towers. Let him enjoy the view while the light lasts." He turned slightly, and for a fleeting second, the dying embers caught the glint of his pale green eyes and soot covered orange hair.
*****
Standing naked in front of the mirror, Alex examined himself. He was not boney, but he was still thin. The only redeeming part that he found about his current body was that he was much taller than his past self.
In his previous life on Earth, he was 175cms tall, but Arthur, despite being 16, was over 201cms tall. It made him a little happy, but that was about it. Arthur had basic training in using all sorts of weapons, with sword and scythe being his most proficient ones.
Sighing, he looked at the clothes right beside the full body mirror that was chosen by Grace and was brought to him by Ser Godfrey. Once he had changed into it, he looked around at his reflection.
It was a long, black greatcoat with a grey wool lining that was straight-cut and tailored at the shoulders. Beneath it was a fitted charcoal doublet and high-collared white linen shirt. His dark grey wool trousers were simple but sturdy that were tucked into black leather boots that rose to mid-calf.
A narrow black belt held a small pouch and dagger, and soft black gloves completed the outfit.
"Come inside." Alex called out; however, his mind was somewhere else.
Grace walked in with a tray. She had donned some furs over her shoulders as it was almost evening time, and it had gotten really cold. However, she still did not cover her chest. Despite seeing a lot of models in his old life, he was still somewhat stunned at how massive Grace's assets were, while also having an athletic build.
Her waist was impossibly thin, but at the same time, even though the fabrics, Alex could tell how taut her lean muscles were. It was not only her body that made him look at her more times than one. It looked like she was constantly trying to seduce him.
'It does make sense, in this era's twisted way. Arthur's mother was really weak, and more-so when she was pregnant. And Lord Bolton was famous for his...size. Grace was the only one who could take him without falling sick or breaking.
Even so, if she was tending to his sexual needs, why is she trying to seduce me? I am so young, and besides, shouldn't she look at me like her son? This is really making me uncomfortable.
Then again, this is a strange world with all sorts of strange fetishes. I mean, just look at Arthur, he is an extreme sadist. He injured Alice to no extent during their night... Sigh, there is a lot of dirt on my name.
Anyways, I need to clearly show my disregard for Grace, so she can stop making her advances without feeling insulted. Boltons' influence is already very fragile, and people are not happy with the amount of taxes levied and the developments made for them. Any kind of infighting would just exacerbate our situation.
Yeah, let's do that. Let's deal with Minister Voss first, and then I can deal with Grace and Alice on the side. I don't want the word to get out that I have bribed the parents of the girl. That would do more harm than good.'
Having a rough understanding of what to do, Alex turned around and picked a glass from the tray that Grace was holding and poured himself some Rök. Rök was a fiery whiskey made locally in Ironhold, made from barley roasted over open flames and aged in scorched oak barrels.
It had a fiery, smoky flavor and Alex liked it quite a lot.
Casting a fleeting glance at the zaftig lady, Alex poured himself another glass of Rök and downed it in one go. In the meantime, Grace stayed silent. She had gotten used to the usual lecherous gazes of the previous Arthur, so not seeing the little Duke trying to "accidently" touch her everywhere had thrown her in a silent state.
"That is enough. You can take it back."
Grace took the glass away while balancing the tray on one hand. "Would that be it, my Lord? Do you require my...assistance, in anything else?"
Alex tightened his belt and reached out for the velvet box that carried the family cane. It was a long and smooth black stick with light silver engravings. The engravings were written in the native language of Jarnic and a three-eyed raven. The handle was silver in color and was in the shape of a raven's face which could be turned and opened, doubling into a sword.
Alex took a hold of it and swung it around.
Grace took a step back, visibly scared by the sudden movement. Alex looked back and frowned. "Why are you still here? Leave." He ordered in the usual cruel tone of Arthur.
Grace did not stammer; she was hardened by years of castle fights. The little lord's hard tone had no effect on her. She merely nodded and smiled coyly before bending down and picking up his clothes and then leaving.
Just as she left, Ser Godfrey walked in. He looked at the woman leave and then turned his attention towards Alex. Just as always, the ugly old man was wearing his polished silver armor. Giving his white whiskers a twist, he cleared his throat. "You look dashing today, my lord. You are quite the spitting image of your lord father."
Alex did not really acknowledge the compliment and instead looked at his reflection. His long lashes well complimented his dreamy green eyes. He knew that he had his mother's eyes and his father's everything else. Since Arthur really wasn't close to his either parent, Alex did not much about either of his parents.
However, this much was clear that his mother was quite a soft person, and so was his father. Perhaps a bit too soft.
'Must be nice...' Alex thought wistfully.
"My lord?" Godfrey tried to catch Alex's attention.
"Hm? Oh yes, right, we should leave now. Let's not leave the minister waiting."
"There is still time, my lord."
Alex turned to look at Godfrey and revealed a toothy grin. "To deal with a man like Minister Voss, we need to do everything on our own terms." Alex's grin turned a little sharp. "Minister Voss has appeared with his Mage friends. That is clearly a sign of hostility."
"Not adhering to word is not seen as control, my lord, but tardiness. We would just be arriving uninvited." Godfrey who had gotten used to the Boltons passive attitude suggested.
"And who is Minister Voss to make me adhere to words? I am the Duke of Ironhold and Minister Voss is no better than the eunuchs and maids at my service. What deed do you think gives him enough merit to make me adhere to time?"
Alex made sure to have the same arrogance as Arthur, while mixing in his own habits. It had been a few hours since he had transmigrated into a new body, and he had quickly realized that he was deviating from Arthur's attitude by a lot. Doing this would lead to a lot of troubled later on. In a word where evil apparitions existed, he did not want to be hunted and exorcised—considering his soul was considered an evil spirit.
He had realized the key reasons behind the Boltons decline in these few hours. While they were really troubling, the most concerning of them were how deep the other families had their fingers into Greyharbor and even Castle Black, and how meek Boltons themselves had become.
Due to the lack of financial means, the sword knights could not progress, and even the Duke could not advance. It went without saying that if there was any kind of war, the people in Duke Bolton's army were mostly farmers and smiths who would be called to take the sword, without any formal training.
The only thing keeping the other two Dukes from invading Castle Black was the Sea of Battlebriand—the sea that separated Ravenmoore from Ironhold and Frostspire—and the location of Castle Black itself.
First of all, Greyharbor was populated around the world's only black-sand beach. There were walls that stretched up until 10 meters in height. These walls were made out of fortified materials and double enchanted by an Elementalist.
"I see. That does make some kind of sense." Godfrey gave his whiskers a twirl. Suddenly, an aura of dominance surrounded him, making Alex's head snap towards him. He did not show panic; however, Alex was undoubtably rattled.
"I am not sure what has occurred to you, my lord. It seems like you are not being yourself, but entirely a different person." Godfrey placed his hand on the pommel of his sword that was not detached this time while walking into the young Duke's room. "It would seem like the young Duke is possessed."
Cold sweat broke all over Alex and he barely held himself from showing his shocked face. Uncontrollable shivers ran down his spine. However, the feeling vanished as soon as it had appeared as Godfrey smiled in a meek manner. "However, I can still see the cruelty behind your eyes, so I might be dreaming."
Alex controlled his breath and his beating heart before turning his lips into a frown. "No need to assume things from now on."
Godfrey smiled once again. "Forgive my rudeness, my Lord. This old man merely wished to see you walk the path of the previous, glorious Boltons. Seeing you slowly remedy yourself and take your first steps towards it fills with an inexpressible joy." He placed his hand on his chest and tapped it three times. "May the long night shine on all of us, darker than ever."
Alex nodded his head and looked away. "Right, yeah." Feeling a little dizzy from everything that was happening, he shook his head and took a hold of the cane, grabbing it by the raven shaped handle and tapped it a few times on the ground.
Then, he turned as the long greatcoat fluttered behind him. His silky bleached-orange hair was tied up in a man-bun and two locks framed either side of his face. A few loose strands rested on his face, giving him a solemn look.
As he left his room, he walked through the wide hallway, down the stairs and through the wide courtyard. Then he took more stairs until he reached a giant stone resting against a tal wall. Castle Black was situated at the tallest cliff of Greyharbor. It was a long and slender castle with multiple stairs. The "official" path to the castle was a two-day hike through the mountains.
However, reserved for only the Duke and the Duchess, there was a secret pathway, and it was protected by a giant boulder. Ser Godfrey took a step forward and placed both hands on it. Just as he did, the impossibly heavy boulder moved as if it was a pebble.
Godfrey moved inside first, one hand resting on the pommel while Alex walked closely behind him. The path was not as dilapidated as Alex had thought it would be. The ground was polished and was made out of a particular kind of stone that was smooth but did not reduce friction while running. The cave's roof was embedded with crystals that emitted natural, yellow light.
The total walk lasted about 30 minutes, during which they covered round about 3.5 miles. Much to Alex's surprise, he did not feel any fatigue, despite Arthur's reluctance towards exercising or doing anything tedious.
'What kind of freakish genetics do the Boltons even have? Such a wasted talent... Not to mention that the ideology adopted by Arthur to not do anything is so stupid! What the actual hell?!'
Alex was dumbfounded at Arthur. Bringing him out of his stupor was Godfrey suddenly bowing in front of him. Blinking a few times, Alex looked ahead.
At some point, they had already crossed the end of the secret tunnel, and in front of him, bowing were three figures. Behind them, were around a hundred more people, dressed in hard leathers and all of them taking a knee and head hung down.
'The Sworn Knights' legion...'
Alex motioned with his hand for them rise, and rise, they did. Godfrey moved ahead and joined the three figures clad in shining silver armors. He looked back and raised his voice. "Protect the Lord from whatever happens. Do not let that snake's henchmen intimidate you! Should you believe anything or anyone is a danger to the Lord's safety..." Godfrey looked at Alex who was too stunned to say anything.
"...kill them, even if it is the Minister himself!"
A chorus of swords leaving scabbards echoed through the air as the men and women in the legion roared loudly.
'This... This is so cool!' Said the 25-year-old mentally.