[ OT ] Sunday Free Write : Leave A Story , Leave A Comment - Sea to Shining Sea Edition !

The armory of the main hall was the treasure of the family, decorated with the awards, crosses and medals that the men of the family had won in various wars as hired mercenaries. Tradition filled with walls with falsities of honor. The only true tradition was taking the gold coin off of the winning man, Leonard thought to himself. More often than once, mercenary groups would switch allegiance before a major battle, persuaded by gold. 
 
 
 He was donning a thinly armored jacket with thick leather straps, meant for flexibility and ease of movement. He had a pistol holster on his left side along with his favourite cutlass. It was already dark, but there had been no sign of trouble in the merchant areas as Mordecai had promised. Impatiently, he decided to get a feel for the night air and walked to the courtyard. 
 
 
 His personal retinue were waiting there, talking amongst themselves, chattering about the engagement they were soon to be participating in. Upon seeing Leonard, they all stood to attention, putting their arms stiffly to their sides and chins in the air. Waving them to relax, they eased back into their circle of chat as Leonard passed them. Good men, he thought. Good enough for the city, but never for battle. Bought by gold clovers from military academies, they were regimented for a professional standing army, not for civil disobedience. It was a recommendation made by his father, a man so steeped in caution these last few years that it made it seem that his mind was decaying. 
 
 
 Looking up into the night, Leonard sighed, taking a deep breathe in. Smelling something familiar but out of place, he looked into the corner, a place covered by shadow. A distinctly citrus smell, meant for scribes in the Council arena, he moved closer. “ Where the bloody hell have you been?! ” 
 
 
 “ Hush, you will have your fight. You will leave soon, everything is in place in the low merchant area. ” Speaking in such a tranquil manner aggravated Leonard. 
 “ It is already dark and nothing has happened. Do you wish to make a fool of me in front of my father? If anyone finds out, or implicates me in the riots- “ 
 
 
 Mordecai moved from the shadows, the torchlight unveiling his mask. He was wearing a masquerade ball mask in the style of the old Rhondish valley kings. A white mask that cover the lower half of the face over the nose, only leaving the eyes of the man, often decorated with devious expression of delight, sadness of malice. According to tradition, it was said that it was the ability to discern whether a man was lying by looking only into their eyes during a conversation. Their mettle was not settled through sword and bullet, but by deceit and blunder. 
 It was the only thing that frightened Leonard till this day. 
 
 
 “ Have you such little faith in me? I have brought you thus far, and I will carry you further. You will leave within the hour to the diplomatic district to verify that yesterday ’ s shipment from the mines is to your father ’ s standards. They will be wearing a dull Parius green with miner black. ” 
 
 
 He pondered how Mordecai would know the schedule of both the shipment and carriers of the imported goods. “ What will be my reason for attending this shipment? We will only hear of the delivery tomorrow morning. ” 
 
 
 His eyes spoke of his smile. “ You have made connections with the union leader and have made it obvious to him that the Lucian family can provide greater value to him than Parius. In this, you two will have made an agreement to meet tonight, ahead of the normal schedule to inspect the quality of the goods and to provide… incentive to further relations with the union. ” 
 
 
 A shout was heard behind him from inside the building. The men in the courtyard grabbed their weapons and were summoned by the captain. “ You ’ d better leave, it seems that people were a bit eager to start the night. ” 
 
 
 He vanished into the night before Leonard could acknowledge him. Turning to face his retinue, now in line with the Captain, he approached them with authority. 
 The captain, a seasoned man, long ties with the company and the family with fierce loyalty stood at attention. “ Good evening Captain Luxbough. ” 
 
 
 He nodded his head, clicking his heels together, making a sharp satisfying sound. It was the sound of men obeying authority and remaining in their station. “ Awaiting your command, Sir Sonder. ” 
 
 
 Turning to the men, about thirty men in total, he cleared his throat. “ Men. Tonight, we will be inspecting good in advance of regular schedule with the miner union leader Clarence Dy Bland. ” 
 He continued, trying to spin off what little Mordecai had informed him, his voice, echoing into the nights. 

