The Bastard Son Prologue
By Foeciusfoe
"All the way from highland for this?" he thought as he trudged into the sleepy little town.
What Course of action could have led him here? The man wondered as he trudged through the muddy streets of Rockland. His regal boots sullied by the moist ground, as the rain covered his cloak. "I cant believe I snuck through that damn border station for this." He thought to himself.
The journey had been long from highland, and he was finally getting tired. He walked casually in to the small country inn. It was rather quaint. The inn was empty except for the plus sized attendant. His ragged white beard drooping from his chin covering his fat chest, and spilling onto his ample stomach, the Innkeeper was pouring though the guest book. Considering where the stranger had been sleeping lately, this place wasn't so bad. At least that was one good thing he could say about home, he always had a comfortable bed.
The keeper looked up from his desk and stared at the man in the doorway. "70 bits if you're spending the night, son." He spat. His gut resting on the desk as he leafed through the guest book, he stared at the stranger. The dark cloak covering most of his body, and his filthy dripping clothes leaving a large spot on the wood paneling, the keeper began getting impatient. "Well what's it gonna be, son? You gonna spend the night at this inn, or are you gonna stand there leavin' a puddle on my floor?"
Startled the stranger reached into hic cloak searching for money. His hand emerged filled with gold coins. Placing them on the check-in counter, he smiled and stared up to the stout man before him.
The keeper picked up one of the coins and inspected it thoroughly. Suddenly he paused. He threw the coin down and brushed the rest off of the counter. The cloaked figure was shocked by the sudden outburst from the man. "What is the meaning of this?"
The innkeeper reached under the counter and removed a wooden club. He lifted the club in plain view of the stranger and stepped out from the counter. "I think you better get your Jowston Ass out of here!"
The stranger lifted his hand in surrender. "There's no need for violence here. I just wanted to stay at your inn for the night."
"That won't be happening, you state bastard!" The man said raising the club. "You Jowston bastards are all the same!"
"Hey there's a treaty between Jowston and Toran." The stranger said attempting to calm the psychotic innkeeper. "President Lepant and Commander Janus of the Bravo army signed an assistance trea…"
"Treaty my ass!" The innkeeper interrupted. "Doesn't change the past! My brother was killed when the city state attacked Moravia castle during the Scarlet Moon rebellion!"
"Sir that was close to 15 years ago. The state has changed dramatically since the…"
"Enough talk, Die You state pig!" The Keeper Screamed as he charged the cloaked stranger violently. He swung his club violently down towards the cloaked stranger, crashing it into the floorboards as the stranger dove away.
"Sir, I have no intention of harming anyone." The stranger interjected. " I'm just looking for a place to…"
The Keeper had long since stopped paying attention. He retrieved the club from the floorboards and made a second dash towards the stranger. This time the stranger panicked and retrieved a sword from his cloak. He swung his blade upward and sliced the club in half. The keeper stumbled forward, still carrying the momentum of his previous motion. The stranger stepped left and tripped the keeper, sending him crashing to the floor face first.
The keeper turned over and began to get up. Rubbing his eyes clear, he suddenly came to focus on the tip of the blade pointed at his face. Moving up from the blade to the bearer's hand he noticed an engagement ring adorning the stranger's hand. He continued up to see the stranger breathing heavily as he stood over the keeper. His cloak had fallen back, and his long blonde hair was pulled behind him. The keeper stared at the man's face. His pale complexion and light green eyes betrayed the image the keeper had had of the "evil State." He still looked like a child. He probably couldn't even shave yet.
"All I wanted to do was stay the night." The stranger said between breaths. He retrieved his sword and sheathed the blade. He turned his back and began walking out of the inn.
"Not everyone from the city-state is evil, sir." He said as he opened the door, the rain outside still pouring loudly. "Oh, and I'm sorry about your brother."
The stranger pulled his hood up over his head, and closed the door behind him. He sloshed through the mud, making his way towards the outskirts of the small town. "Perhaps I'll have better luck in Gregminister." He thought to himself.
The stranger smirked to himself thinking of how he referred to Jowston as "The state." How ironic that Jowy Atreides, the last king of Highland would refer to Jowston as the City-state.
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