The sound of the waves crashing, one over the other, was strangely familiar. He had not seen these waters in over fifteen years, but Liam's ears recognized their sounds. He stood alone at the bow of the ship, as his eyes pierced through the cloudy fog, searching for land. His hands were wet, cold, and slimy with anticipation. Heart beats began to appear in what seemed like his throat. His breathing felt as violent and heavy as the crash of waves against the boat. They had to be close. The journey felt like a permanent sentence, so many days and nights spent at sea.
Liam only had a few faint memories of home, but he could remember the look of the castle walls standing in the fog. That was his last sight of Cranst, a memory etched in his mind forever. "We're nearly there, Lord Bannister," Said a ship hand, as he pulled a rope, redirecting the sails and catching the Northern wind.
Liam kept staring out at the horizon. For all the excitement which he felt, it was worry that lay heaviest on Liam's heart. He had not been at Cranst during the Great War, and now he returned, a noble. His Father and Brothers both gave their lives to defend the city's walls. But Liam was safe, far from war in the Southern Suns, on the island of Redsand, with his uncle. And so, Liam could not help but wonder whether the city's people would respect him as a noble. He felt more like a foreigner, after all.
He had spent every day he could remember in a foreign land. When the Esternlund army arrived and war broke out before Cranst, Liam's father sent his newborn son South. One of Cranst's bannermen escaped in the night with a baby boy and a sailboat.
He took Liam to an island of the Southern Suns, Redsand. It was here that King Jeromy Bannister resided, the brother of Jacob Bannister, and the uncle of Liam. King Jeromy had been banished from Cranst, many years ago, by his father. And Redsand was where fate took him.
Liam had lived a safe life there, and heard many stories about Cranst from the maidens and servants who raised him. His Uncle Jeromy, however, told no such stories. He despised Liam's father, and only agreed to allow Liam refuge if he would serve Redsand Island as a slave, until he reached his twenty second name day, old enough to be considered a man.
King Jeromy never allowed his nephew to stay at his keep. Liam grew up in the servant's quarters. It was there that he learned to clean stables, and tend to gardens. Liam had been a servant all his life, until now.
"Land!" One of the ship hands yelled. Sure enough, through the thick fog of the Southern Seas, castle walls began to appear. The walls were darker and smaller than Liam remembered. Some areas were still torn from war, and had not yet been rebuilt. Vines, stretched up from the ground and grew over the stone walls. Liam could already tell things had changed. The walls were older now, and so were those who remained inside them.
The ship jostled amongst the waves of the Southern Sea, until the bow finally struck against a white sand beach. Liam stepped off of the small ship, which had carried him so far, and for the first time in weeks his feet felt land. As his legs wobbled about upon the dry land below him, a man began to walk towards Liam from near the castle's gate. As he approached closer, Liam could see his brown hair, which rested upon his shoulders, his bright blue eyes, and a scar which traveled down his right cheek.
"Liam! I can't believe it's you. You're grown!" Shouted the man as he approached with open arms. Liam said nothing, he was confused. He didn't know who this man was. The two embraced, awkwardly, as Liam still wore a look of utter confusion.
"Forgive me, Liam. You were too young. Surely you don't remember me. Nicholas Brenly. A minor house noble of Cranst. Now, unfortunately, head of House Brenly," Said Nicholas.
Liam recognized the name from the Redsand servants' stories. The Brenly's and Bannister's had served Cranst together, their houses joined through history. Once both minor Noble houses, they swore their allegiance to serve the Sentrione line. But the last King of Cranst, Illian Sentrione, had gone mad. He had children murdered in the streets, and innocent men killed without cause. The city was in terror and Lord Jacob Bannister believe something must be done.
With the help of Lord Samuel Brenly, Jacob killed King Illian, and ended his rule for good. However, choosing another to replace him on the throne was no easy task. The tradition within the kingdom of Cranst, was that no man was to sit upon the throne as King, without the Septor of Ordinance. The Septor was believed to be a magical object, granting wisdom beyond human comprehension.
Yet, when Jacob killed the king that night, there was no Septor to be found. The King had sent the Septor off with a group of bannermen, who, under the King's orders, had hidden it where it was never to be found. King Illian refused to hand the throne to anyone, and this ensured it would never happen. Without the Septor, Cranst could have no King. So instead, Jacob Bannister was named Duke of Cranst. While he was unable to rule as a King would do, he was able to form a council, which acted to govern the city's people. But still to this day, no one sat upon Cranst's throne.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Nicholas. I can imagine that many men died defending these walls. From what I hear, my brothers were no exception," Liam responded. Nicholas's smile turned into a stoic, somber gaze, and his eyes glanced down to the sand.
"There were many who died in the Great War, and some who survived. But death continues to knock at the gates of Cranst, even after the war has ended," Nicholas paused. His eyes looked up again at Liam, filled with tears. He reached his hand out and rested it upon Liam's shoulder. "Your father, survived the Great War. But there is a reason that his letters stopped arriving to Redsand years ago. He too was taken by death, drowned at sea. We figured that it would be best for you to learn when you were older, when you were home," Said Nicholas.
Liam knew what he should feel, but the Duke never really was his father. He never truly knew him at all. He had no memory of his face, no recollection of his smile. He may as well have been a stranger to Liam.
"Liam, you were your father's closet kin, you were his heir. Now you are the Duke of Cranst," Nicholas said softly. War had robbed Liam of his family, taken them from him he had the chance to ever know them. And war had given him something as well, a people who he did not know, and a city that he had abandoned.
"No. No surely, there is someone else. Nicholas, I cannot lead these people. They have fought for this city. And now I sail in from the South, wearing linen and fine jewelry, and claim the city for my own? I am no ruler, Nicholas. I am not worthy of such a task," Liam said.
"You're right, you are no ruler. You're not a King, Liam, you're a Duke. You will serve the city, not rule it. There is no choice in the matter Liam, you and you alone are heir to the role. You are the Duke, as was your father. You are the last Bannister," Nicholas said.
Liam felt himself shaken at his core. He couldn't lead these people. He had lived his days safely, on Redsand Island, working as a slave. Redsand Island had never known war. It was a peaceful place, and Liam had ruled no one.
"Come, we have much to discuss. But first, we will go to the crypts. Seeing you was your father's last wish," Said Nicholas.
The city seemed cold and broken. Sounds of clashing hammers and working men were all that broke the silence, as the people of Cranst desperately hoped to rebuild their war-torn home. Liam felt more out of place than he had ever had before, as he passed the streets and people of his home. He was an outsider, a foreigner in his own kingdom. They said nothing to him, carrying on with their work, paying him no mind. "Best to keep a low profile. We'll announce your return soon enough. But why distract our people from their work? Now is not quite the time," Nicholas said.
The two continued through the winding roads of Cranst, until they reached the Keep, where Liam's father, Jacob Bannister, had lived. "This is the Keep. It was here that you were born and it is here that you lived for the first seven years of your life. Your father Jacob, your mother Elizabeth, and your brothers Todd and Gregory, they all lived here as well. The walls of this keep have many stories to tell and secrets to not," Said Nicholas.
The keep was not a large one, not like Uncle Jeromy's at Redsand. There were two levels to the keep, both open and dimly lit by a large fire, which crackled in the fire place at the center of the first floor. To the right of the entrance was a study, and to the left a few smaller rooms. A long square table sat in the center near the fireplace. It stretched nearly from one wall to the next. A staircase lead to the second floor, which Liam couldn't see, though he assumed the chambers were located above. A balcony looked down over the grand table and everything else below.
"Do you recognize it, any of it at all?" Nicholas asked.
"No, not really," Liam responded. "I can't remember anything of this place. The face of my father, the voice of my mother, I wouldn't know them from a stranger's." Liam was mesmerized by the sights, which were stored away somewhere deep in his mind, too deep to recall.
"Often, I would find you playing near the fire, there. You'd sit with your wooden toys, keeping them just far enough so that they wouldn't burn. Your mother hated it," Nicholas laughed. Liam laughed along with him. "She always said you'd end lighting yourself ablaze and the whole keep with it. And that if you'd be half as interested in ruling as you were with fire, that perhaps Cranst would one day see another King sit upon the throne," Nicholas said.
"Are the crypts nearby?" Asked Liam.
"Forgive me. Certainly, you wish to pay respects to your father and the rest of your family," Nicholas said. He walked back behind the large fireplace and made way to a large door, which sat at the end of a long hall. The door opened with some force and the two took a torch from the hall with them, as they descended down a long staircase into what seemed an abyss of darkness.
"Did he die in peace?" Liam asked. Nicholas paused, and took a few moments to reply.
"He did. As peaceful as a death can be, I suppose. As peaceful of a death as I have ever seen. He died in his bed, he spoke a few last words, and then his body went limp. I can tell you one thing; it was a more peaceful death than any I have seen on the battlefield," Nicholas replied.
"He must have been a good man then. The maidens who raised me at Redsand Island often spoke of their God. They said that he was a quiet God, and the only time that many would hear from him, was when the died. If a man was given a quick and painless death, that was the God's way of judging a man as a good. If he was killed painfully, then the man was judged as evil," Liam said.
"Can't say that I know much about gods, Liam. We don't have any here in Cranst. If you ask me, a man makes his own fate. There are no gods directing our steps or protecting us in battle. There's only the wit of the mind and the quickness of the hand that keeps a man alive, that makes a man victorious. Your father was a good man, I don't need a god to know that," Nicholas said, as the two continue down the stairs.
They finally reached the end of the decent and Nicholas touched his torch to another which was fixed on the wall. He continued lighting torch after torch until the entire room was lit. It was a large, open room, filled with the stone graves of Bannisters and the Sentrione Kings before them. It was magnificent, unlike anything Liam had seen.
"Here," Nicholas called out to Liam. "This is where your father, mother, and brothers all sleep," Said Nicholas.
Liam looked out at the large stone casket. The face of his mother had been carved on its side, along with words, 'We fiercely defend that which is ours'.
"Those were your mother's words. She used to say them often. Especially before the Great War. Your father and my father, and generals of our army knew that the Esternlund force was coming. And they knew that the idea of Miriela standing together held no validity. Cranst is the most Eastern city in Miriela, and they knew it was to be hit first. My father traveled to Oaksguard, very often, to meet with Lord Gessel. He refused to offer aid, and left Cranst to fend for itself. We lost the city to Esternlund, of course. They spared just a few of us." Nicholas paused. "But the things I saw, for so long I wished they'd instead have killed me," Nicholas said quietly to himself. "But it was your mother's words, 'We fiercely defend that which is ours' there were always there, time and time again. Even when our fathers doubted and surrender was contemplated, your mother roared those words loudly. She was a tough woman, Liam. You would have loved her, and feared her like the rest of us did. Your brothers lost their lives defending this city's walls. We all fought until there was simply no hope. When Kline Wullmont and the Vanguard came East and liberated our people, I remember feeling very little joy, very little relief. For I knew that Cranst would simply have another who want to rule the city. Sure enough, your father was forced to bend the knee, and join The Realm."
Liam knelt down beside the stone casket, where the ashes of his family were enclosed. To him it was simply stone and ash, and nothing more. He didn't know them, just as they had never known the man he was now. But still, Liam felt a sense of responsibility as he knelt down in the crypts. He knew that he was part of something greater than himself, he was the last Bannister.
"I was wonderin' who had business with the dead!" A large man, not quite fat, but awfully close, stood near the entrance of the crypt. His arms were folded across his broad chest. "If your motha' knew you were waistin' time down here with boxes of bone and ash, she'd have killed ya' herself!" Said the man. His voice was heavy and loud, it carried unusually far.
"Liam, may I introduce you to Lord Darien Allstad, General of The Army of Cranst," Nicholas said. Liam stood and turned to face the bearded man. Lord Allstad walked forward and offer his hand to greet Liam. "It's good to have a Duke Bannister back in Cranst. I served your father all my life. He was a great man, one of the best I've ever met. All that I know is loyalty to House Bannister and service to the city of Cranst. I will lead our men wherever you command, and serve as your advisor, should you have me," Lord Allstad said.
"I would be honored, Lord Allstad," Liam said.
"Well, as I said Lord Bannister, 'nough time spent down here with the dead. Unless we wish to join 'em, we best start thinking about defending our walls. An attack is certain, from whom, I cannot say. But it's just a matter of time before there are swords at our gates. It's simply the way of man, to come and take that which is not his," Lord Allstad said. He started to laugh again, and his face turned bright red. He quickly turned and marched his way back up the staircase, chuckling to himself the entire way.
"Lord Allstad is a loyal man, and was a good friend of you father," Nicholas said. He began to extinguish the torches around the room, and made his way to the staircase. "Come Liam, you heard him, war is near us. We must prepare. Let your family rest, you will honor them soon enough," Lord Brenly said. The two ascended the staircase, and left the dead to rest silently in the crypt.
Liam wished things had been different, that he had known his family. Part of him wished he could have died with his brothers on the battlefield. Then he too could have been remembered as a hero. But there was still a chance. Liam was determined to stand for Cranst when the time arrived. He felt that he had abandoned the city once already, and he planned to give his life before doing so again.