Archibald, the Heroes Companion

Archibald the lucky boy

Archibald finished cleaning the dishes from the nights banquets, and slumped onto his lumpy mattress, thinking about how lucky he had been. Archibald was a servant to the minor noble house Astaire, a house that made their money from plantations and trade on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Runal. He was raised in a small, nameless village nearby by his mother, a seamstress, and his father, carpenter, alongside his brother and two sisters. He was barely thirteen years old the first time he'd seen the Astaire's, but he still remembers how immediately infatuated he was with the noble lifestyle.

He had just finished his chores for the day, and was going to play with some other village boys at the creek near the village, when a carriage, one nicer than even the traveling merchants rode in, came rumbling through the town. immediately, the event brought the attention of anyone who could spare it, meaning mostly children and a few housewives. The carriage driver stepped down once the carriage stopped, opening the door to reveal the occupants inside, the Lord and Lady Astaire.

They were beautiful people. The Lord was dressed in green dress trousers, with a matching coat and a white shirt beneath it. His golden hair was longer than most men's, going to his shoulders in waves. But the Lady stepped out behind him, taking the light for herself. She had crystal blue eyes, shining in the afternoon sunlight, and wore a matching green dress and white gloves, with brown hair falling in curls to her waist.

As they stepped out into the light, the townspeople gave them a wide berth, wondering at the people before them, and what it could mean that such richly dressed people were doing here in their unimpressive collection of homes. The couple stood straight, commanding attention simply by their posture, seeming to tower over the people around them, even if they were mostly children.

The Lord spoke in a refined tone that soothed the murmuring children into silence. "Good day, people of this quaint town. I am Lord Maelstrom Astaire, and this is my wife, Lady Juliet Astaire, and by the kings decree, our estates have recently been moved near this area. We are located about a days walk south of here, and should be far enough away that we do not disturb your business much. We have been making rounds, informing locals of the new situation, so there will be no surprise. I apologize for the suddenness of our movement here, and hope we can be acquaintances in the future. I bid you a good day, people of the nameless village."

With those words, he helped his lady step up into the carriage, then stepped up himself. The steward closed the door, took his seat at the front, ad drove the carriage out of town without another word. The small crowd dispersed, the wives returning to their homes, children continuing with chores or going to play. Archibald caught a snippet of conversation between two women heading down the road. 

"Can't be good, having nobles in the area."

"Oh, relax Matilda, they said they wouldn't interfere with our business! I say if they mind theirs and we mind ours, there won't be any problems."

"Oh, they say they're gonna mind their own business, but how long will that last? Those nobles are always looking for more power, and don't care how they get it."

The women kept walking and Archibald didn't hear anymore. He was siding with the first woman. Maelstrom sounded earnest in his presentation of the move, and Archibald was enamored by the people.

Over the next two years, the Astaire's kept to their word, only occasionally coming to the village to make an announcement of the kings law or trade before the cold season. They never sent servants in their stead, and were friendly towards the people. 

When Archibald was 15, he was presented an opportunity he couldn't refuse. He was helping his father fix the butchers table when the carriage came to town again.