A Dance For Ribbons

The Knight

Aelix stormed out of the castle, desperate for an escape from Asteros. However could a man be such an annoyance was beyond him. He liked Asteros and all, but the little lord could be quite the little lady at times.

Asteros had been ranting for the last couple of hours on how he couldn't go on with the game, how it hurt and broke his mind and soul. Aelix had told him he need not worry, for he would also find a wife and thus profit from this game.

"But what if I die?" Asteros had asked.

"Then you need not worry about finding a wife. Simple, eh?" Aelix had answered. "However, your lord father will have a problem, should his only son and heir die."

Asteros had then begun an argument with him on how Aelix always took everything too lightly and how he was a brute and a beast.

So he stood there, outside the castle.

It was two hours past since Dranzel had left, and he was nowhere to be seen, naturally.

Aelix decided the quicker he started, the quicker he could get ahead of the other two.

But as he looked around while he walked around the market that was taking place about the castle, he saw no one that interested him.

So after a while of mindless strolling, he slid inside a tavern, The Content Horselord.

The tavernkeeper, ser Oltheon, used to be quite the knight in his time, which was around ten years ago, when Aelix was still a boy.

Aelix used to be taken to jousts by his father and he would see ser Oltheon in action, riding on his horse all clad in dark blue armour and taking down every opponent. At the end of the jousts he would most of the times be the one victorious, and he would receive a purse of gold and a bouquet of flowers from the Prince himself.

Aelix looked up to him and hoped to one day be a knight as ser Oltheon had been, the knight ser Oltheon had been before his misfortune took place, at least.

As the story goes, ser Oltheon had been on a ship and had fallen overboard, hitting his head on the side of the ship and getting a cut on his forehead.

Falling in the water, blood dripped from the cut into the ocean. Fortunately, he didn't have armour on at the time, so he didn't sink to the bottom. Unfortunately, his blood caught the attention of a shark, leading the water monster to the knight.

Not much is known of this tale, including its reality, for ser Oltheon never told of it, not even when asked, but it ends with ser Oltheon being pulled on deck by the ship's crew with a rope and to their shock, they find the shark's head cut off from the rest of his body and the shark's jaw clenched shut around ser Oltheon's left arm, right around the shoulder.

Apparently ser Oltheon had beheaded the shark with a dagger that he was carrying with him at the time, but he lost his arm due to the fact that the doctor on the ship knew not how to treat it.

So now he devoted his life to serving ale and threatening men who usually run off without paying with decapitation. Ser Oltheon was also called Sharkbane, be the tale true or not.

Aelix sat down at the bar and greeted ser Oltheon, who greeted him kindly in return. Aelix always paid for every drop of ale.

"How ye doing, lad?" Ser Oltheon asked.

"Not too well, ser." Aelix said.

"That's quite common, don't ye worry. It isn't many times that men walk inside taverns out of joy, at least not as many as the amount that walks in to drown out sorrows over my ale and beer. But do tell me what is wrong?"

"Of course, ser, but first could I get a mug of white beer? Maybe some drops of lemon in it?"

"Sure thing, lad." And ser Oltheon made the drink and handed it to him. "Drink up and spill out."

Aelix smiled. "You see ser, I've just lost a darling of mine. She said she loved me, but it turns out she was to marry this other man, a lordling."

"Ah, say no more. I've been told of this tale before. I also heard he challenged you to a duel. You won. Well at least you left with your honour. A title is nothing compared to the handling of yer blade, ser. A title he was born with, but you, ye worked hard to become a knight. Remember that. As for the lady, I doubt she didn't love ye. But if she was to be married, then she is obliged to obey without hesitation. Ye were her knight, and she will never forget ye."

Aelix nodded. "Thank you, ser."

"The truth is quite the gift, yes. Much to be thankful for when given the truth, and yet many neither want it nor can stand it. Odd." He stroked the stub at his shoulder, where his left arm ended. "Truths keep you alive, let you know what you are capable of. Sadly, this lord is your truth. She's his, and she'll never be yours. Remember that as well, Aelix."

Aelix was a bit sad to hear the reality of it all when first ser Oltheon spoke, but when he called him by his name, he felt good. As if he was Oltheon's equal.

"Now, here's a more charming truth." Ser Oltheon began once more. " I would like to invite you to dinner at my house tomorrow. My house is just behind the tavern. I want ye to meet me daughter. She's nineteen, and she's not hard on the eyes. I think she'll like ye. I like ye. So will you come?"

Aelix nodded immediately, as if he had been waiting for this proposal his whole life. "Of course, ser. I would be honoured."

Ser Oltheon nodded. "Good."

And for the rest of the evening, they shared conversation, and Aelix eventually asked him what actually happened to his arm.

"Oh that is a fun tale to tell. The shark bit me, but just as I thought I was done for, this bigger shark shows up, doubtlessly also attracted by my delicious blood, and bites the smaller shark at the neck, eating his whole body but the head. Then he casually swims away, and I get pulled back on board. The end."

But as Aelix was walking outside to his house after paying Oltheon for the drinks, he realized that Oltheon might not have been entirely truthful, and that he had been the imbecile to swallow the tale whole. The bigger shark would've eaten Oltheon as well, he realized.

But it didn't matter. He had found something to be happy about on that day.