Taint

2. The Incident

A/N Sorry, nothing new yet! I just split up the first chapter on the advice of a helpful reviewer. Thank you, aclockworkangel! New content will begin from the fourth chapter.

Reich's Arch - Eldred Residence

12:45 pm

Leofric Eldred, known to most as Leo, waited impatiently by the front door. He came up to a few inches below the top of the doorframe, tall for his age by most standards. The young man was well built, with what his father's soldiers liked to call 'the Eldred gene' and use to argue against his father's 'reasonable' training drills. It not only gave Leo his impressive stature, but also his long, golden blonde hair and sharp hazel eyes. He stared at the dirt road in front of him, illuminated in a small circle of candlelight.

"Leo, your father will be late. Come inside before you catch your death of cold!" A woman's voice called from within.

"Yes, mother." He replied but made no effort to move from his post. The nip in the air sent a tiny, invisible shiver down his spine. The harsh but beautiful mistress Winter was on her way, driving the icy winds that were her steeds, and blanketing the land with her cloak of frost. Leo's patience was soon rewarded as he heard the sound of boots crunching on gravel. His eyes lit up as a lone figure clad in silvery armor from head to toe came into view.

"You're back!"

"Of course." Alfred, Leo's father, grinned. "Did you really think I would miss my only son's 15th birthday?"

"You haven't missed one yet." Leo smiled. "Your friends told me you ended the Corsair war to catch my 13th."

"My little boy was turning into a man!" Alfred crushed his son in a giant hug. Leo laughed as his father picked him up off his feet and swung him around.

"Come on, Ma has supper ready!" As soon as his feet touched the ground, Leo pulled the big warrior inside. Leo's mother helped her husband with his coat.

"Thank you, Edith." He kissed her softly on the lips; she laughed softly through his bushy beard.

"It's about time you got back!" She set his dinner on the table.

Compared to Roderick and his family, Alfred lived under modest circumstances. A small house with exactly as many rooms as it had leaks in the roof. Though he was the king's personal guard and confidant, he shared few of the king's expensive tastes and insisted his money come from the crisp, refreshing fruits of his labor, rather than the grease of a buttered royal palm. It is rightly said that money cannot buy happiness. And what they lacked in the former, they more than made up for with the latter.

Leo stared quietly at his father from across the table. Alfred tried his best to ignore him and eat in peace but it was in vain. He sighed.

"Okay, okay, I know what you want. You can quit looking at me like that now." He reached into his bag and presented Leo with a package wrapped in brown paper. Leo took it quickly. It was the right size and shape, tapered slightly. Could it be? His breath caught in his throat with excitement, he looked at his father before tearing apart the packaging. Leo's heart thumped wildly in his chest. A sword? Yes! He pulled it out triumphantly.

"A sword!" He cried out and punched it into the air above his head. This was the best day of his life! Until... "Wait..." That wasn't nearly as hard as he had been expecting. Leo lowered his hand to take a closer look at his 'sword'. "W-Wood?" He intoned, confused. Meanwhile, his parents were struggling to contain their laughter.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He demanded.

"It means I don't want two sword-wielding lunatics in my house yet." Edith smiled only slightly apologetically.