Seis : the Ruins of the Wind

Chapter 1: The Bastard

"Happiness is an anomaly. It lasts so little that it must be cherished, and very few manage to accept its ephemeral side."

Arémétria, the Guardian of the Tenth Tribe.

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It was foggy that morning on the outskirts of the port. Mud lightly covered the cobblestone roads and the small wooden houses with broken tile roofs seemed shrouded in a veil of mist. The nine-year-old boy walked through the crisp air with pleasure – the end of winter and the transition to early spring were his favorite times, especially at dawn. The market of Port Nuo was located near the lighthouse, the only building visible thanks to the light projected from its top. The port had seen growth in recent years. As the capital of the Orion Barony, this fortified village was the main point of exchange and gathering on the island where it was situated. Located to the west of the island, the port was constantly soothed by the sound of waves crashing against a pontoon of heavy stones. Near the port and the warehouse dock, a small square covered with awnings was the open-air market of the town – most artisans and farmers sold their products in this market. The residential area housed the Church of the Goddess of Justice Tori and its belfry, a construction of polished and carved granite blocks crowned with battlements. It's imposing looks dominated the broken tiles of houses and the battered thatch of hovels. Every morning, the sentinels opened the large wooden gates to the farmers who lived far from the city but came to earn their living. The boy took advantage of this moment to descend the hill and collect the groceries that the Baron's servants needed for cooking. The last neighborhood located to the southwest was the district of the poor and the taverns; It was there that sailors found alcohol and women to satisfy themselves. The locals had no choice but to live there because the rent was cheap. All these people shared love, fights, mud, songs, and laughter in a friendly atmosphere. They didn't have much, but it was a good place to live, and above all, people could dream of a better tomorrow.

The child crossed the market as if he knew it by heart and headed towards the same merchant he saw every other day. He trotted gently with his head held high, shoulders squared between the different stalls that were starting to fill with products. Slender, with a stern face, high forehead, a prominent nose, and cheekbones, the boy seemed far too mature and serious for his young age. His face was framed by fine, wavy blond hair. He always came very early to avoid as many people as possible. Not because he was shy or afraid of crowds, but rather because talking to merchants or other children in the port always proved unpleasant. He arrived in front of a thin man with rugged features dressed in a simple, patched green tunic. The man recognized him immediately and quipped:

- "Good morning, Bastard, the usual?"

- "Good morning, sir, yes, as usual, please."

Although the merchant had been rude to him, he responded in the most neutral way possible, as if to prove that he was not affected. The merchant smiled and handed him a paper bag containing eggs and fresh vegetables. The Bastard was obviously accustomed to this kind of treatment, which was why he came to the market very early. He took the bag from the vendor's hands and left without another word. He quickly zigzagged among the people arriving at the market as the sun began to rise higher in the sky and the veil of mist dissipated slightly. Leaving the city center took him only a few minutes; he began to head along the country paths that led up the hill.

The ruler of Port Nuo, Clef Orion, lived in a mansion overlooking the town, and the Bastard was a servant working for him. He was a minor aristocrat from the Kingdom of Burr. This country consisted of a group of islands located to the north of the world of the planet Albion. Comprising just over a hundred islands, the kingdom had always been considered underdeveloped and uninteresting compared to the rest of the world, but the discovery of precious minerals had changed the game for this insignificant state. The neighboring continental Empire of Bonys had started to influence and finance the small kingdom in exchange for rights to exploit its minerals. Clef Orion, the baron, had then received sums to develop his small plot of land. In the span of twenty years, Port Nuo had become an essential island for sailors transporting precious materials. The island itself was barely a few hundred kilometers long, but its position between the two main mines of the kingdom had given it importance and a lot of cash to the young baron. Clef Orion had to make complicated decisions, rejecting his first companion – a maid he was in love with – he married a noblewoman from a good family to justify his new status. But the baron had kept his former lover as a servant, and no man dared to approach her for fear of reprisals. No one was surprised when a few years after his marriage, the beautiful servant became pregnant, and the baby had blond hair and a face very similar to the baron's. The most upset was the baroness who struggled to get pregnant. Thus, the Bastard came into the world, already hated by his father's legitimate wife, and condemned by a decree of the barony to never be called by his name but only the Bastard. The Baron was cowardly and to appease his wife, he ostracized his mistress and his eldest son. That was why the Bastard had no affection for his father; he considered him a boss and nothing else. What he did not know at his young age was that this cold attitude greatly annoyed his father and played a big role in his mistreatment among the servants. The Baron was not a bad man; he had principles, a big heart, his biggest flaw was his lack of courage.