The war of the twelve realms - Book 1 - Of squires and scholars

Chapter 8 - Tryssen

Chapter 8

The Castle in the Valley, officially called Saltbridge, was the greatest structure Tryssen had ever seen. Although hardly remarkable by the standards of the mainlands people, it was a giant compared to the small keeps in the coast towns of Kaval. A large bridge crossed over the wide valley, which was surrounded on all sides by a festering marshland which was impassable to any not well acquainted with it. The bridge was known as Saltbridge because of the saltmarshes around it and the amount of salt which passed over it each year to supply the other mainland cities, so the castle which guarded the bridge was also called Saltbridge, set aside from the bridge by its other name of The Castle in the Valley. Tryssen had been incredibly confused by this when Venerant Hollin had first told him, but after a bit of thinking he had been able to make enough sense of it to understand the concept well enough to put it out of mind. When he actually rode through the high gates of Saltbridge though, gazing up at the high stone walls and battlements, Trys almost fell off his horse in wonder of the structures. It was, in fact, the bridge and not the castle which made Saltbridge so well known, even to the peoples living on the other side of the Twelve Kingdoms.

The heavy stone bridge spanned the gap between the two sides of the valley. Embedded in the valley walls for centuries, it had melded with the earth to become almost natural itself; connected to each side by the master craftsmen of a bygone era. The huge pathway running over it was wide enough for ten men standing abreast to walk over the whole width of the wide valley. Six large pillars came down from the bridge and into the valley below, protected by the lowest levels of the large castle which reached right up to the top of the valley and sat on the bridge. It was through the valley entrance that Sir Derryn's patrol marched through, coming to a halt between the central two pillars supporting the structure looming overhead. The lord of the castle; Lord  Tyras Fullarch, and his serving men stood there to welcome them. Also there was Sir Derryn's wife, Helien, and his daughter Faeryssa. Sir Arvas Derryn dismounted, and as he did so Trys and Rheiyuh also dismounted, although Trys almost fell. He stumbled a little, but kept his balance as his feet hit the ground. Rheiyuh smirked, but quickly stepped forward to stand at Sir Arvas' right shoulder. The company all bowed to Lord Tyras, keeping their heads bowed until he bid them rise and be dismissed.

As the men dispersed, Sir Arvas greeted his wife and daughter whilst Trys, Rheiyuh and Venerant Hollin stood back. Lord Tyras beckoned to Tryssen, who stepped forward tentatively, "So you're the young Kavallan who has brought such a surprise to an otherwise fairly common expedition?" the old lord asked.

"Yes sir. I am Tryssen Maerule; the squire to Sir Arvas Derryn." Tryssen replied.

"Aye, I know your name, boy. Your parents were quite famous in their youth, before they had children."

"I'm sorry, my lord, but my parents were traders. How could they have been famous?"

"Traders? Smugglers is what they were, child. And Tithas and Vaith Maerule were the two best sailors in the ocean. Of course, they have not been reported in many years; since the Kavallan War in fact, but in their prime there was not another smuggler nor royal sailor that could catch them or knew the coasts of any land better. Technically, as their son and presumably last surviving heir, by law I should take you to the capital in chains for you to answer to your next of kin's crimes." The old lord smiled a little as he said this, and Trys stepped back. When he realised what had been said, Tryssen turned to run.

"Don't worry, child. A son can hardly be held accountable for the crimes of his parents. As a matter if fact, I admire the creativity and initiative that was so often shown by your parents." Lord Tyras gently held Trys' arm, and so Tryssen, realising he was not being attacked, relaxed a little. "Go, Tryssen," Lord Tyras urged, "Go and serve Lord Derryn and get yourself acquainted with the traditions of castle life here, so far from Kaval."