Where the Sun Meets Duthalia

Chapter 3

When she returned to the village, she went straight to her father at the forge, feeling a little guilty for being away for so long.

Kenelm Laidir was sweating over the forge. His large leather apron covered his broad front. Bulging biceps strained against rolled-up sleeves. Compared to most of the villagers, he wasn't tall, only a few inches taller than Ethney, perhaps 5'4". But he was still impressively strong and healthy. She was thankful she wouldn't have to worry about his failing health anytime soon. And there was always plenty of work to keep them both busy and fed.

"Would you like some help with that, Papa?" she asked as she approached him. He cast her a brief look over his shoulder. He had the same black hair she had, though hers also had streaks of mahogany, which glinted reddish in the sun. He'd told her she got that from her mother. His eyes were a warm hazel, while hers were a much darker brown. He smiled at her but shook his head.

"Not with this one, Eth. It's a special commission by Lord Tynan himself! If he found out an inexperience girl had any part of it, he'd cast me and the sword into the flames. But you may watch."

Ethney moved toward the forge and watched as her father hammered the longsword. The glow was unusual, and she wondered if he was crafting the sword with something besides steel.

"Why does it glow like that?" she asked, indicating the purple haze that accompanied the typical reddish glow.

"This is genuine faesteel," he said with an air of reverence. "It's worth more than this whole shop and more besides. It's mined from the Balthurian Mountains and is said to be unbreakable when crafted correctly. It is also capable of holding powerful enchantments." Rivulets of sweat ran down the side of his face as he spoke, and Ethney picked up a rag to dab at his face as he continued to work the special steel.

"How did you get faesteel?"

"Lord Tynan brought it." He shifted the position of his feet and arms to change his angle and he hammered a few more careful blows to the sword.

"During the war, when you were only five or so, they recruited many men from our village and surrounding farms. But I was considered to be a gifted smith and was deemed more useful working the forge. Besides, I was all you had. So, the king had me brought to a powerful master smith who taught me the ways of faesteel and then I worked within the walls of Fionain. You were so young at the time, you never questioned why we were there. I'm not sure how much you remember, but you kept by my side much as you did here, so it may not have seemed much different to you.

"I crafted swords for knights, lords, and the king's guard. Mostly I still worked regular steel, due to the rarity of faesteel, but some of them were special pieces. I was proud of my work. I was even offered a living and a residence within the king's own citadel and to continue on after the war. To be one of the king's own smiths! But I preferred to raise you in the village, away from the politics of the nobility. After the war, I went back to crafting ordinary weapons, tools, horseshoes, and such. But it seems the lord has not forgotten I possess this skill."

He paused periodically in his speech to land a series of precise blows on the glowing steel.

"Is there to be another war?" Ethney asked, her eyes wide. She was too young to remember much from the time of the war, but she knew many children who had lost their fathers, and women who lost husbands and sons. Some who came back were disfigured. The thought of that happening to Simon or her other friends who were now young men made her want to cry, even if they could be asses sometimes.

"Nah, Eth. I don't think so. Not that the lords bother to inform us of their affairs until they arrive at our doors to take our men. But I do not believe that to be the case presently. Lord Tynan's son is coming of age and his father wishes to gift a fine longsword to him. Something worthy to become an heirloom. It is an honor for me to do so. Using some of his father's blood, I'll also be linking the enchantments directly to him and his bloodline."

"Amazing! I had no idea such a thing was possible. I should let you continue your work then," she said. "I'll bring you something to eat." She kissed her father on the cheek and went into their home to make them both a mushroom stew.

That night when he came in, she was already in bed, but had left a bucket of water and some rags ready for him to clean off with. He washed up and went to bed after whispering goodnight to her through her open doorway.