'The Villainous Cause' #4 -- Noreon, the Fool's Errand & the Seven Swords

Love conquers all

I am all about truth.

I am Ieroh Noreon and I am a fool. I mean that literally. Professionally as well but the joke is always funnier if it is true and so it is important to note that I am a foolish being who is also a fool.

Some time ago, I formed my likewise minded distractors of royal families into a loosely formed clique. It had to be a skimpy thing, this organisation, as we weren't often given a day off to get together. Fools never have a moment when their employers have no need for them. The pressures of rulership are immense, after all. Our 'association' had to take its meetings primarily by letter and message. To make this feasible, I made it a priority to support the small but growing group of 'expression riders', that had begun to pop up around the continent. They had started from just one city, Marchrise on Coaseth. This was four years ago. More recently, thanks to others, seeing the usefulness of a company that could securely move messages back and forth between paying customers, started using the company as well. My initial faith in the company and its heady success, meant that the founders were ever so grateful and provided my 'expressions' special rates for delivery. In this way my 'association' came to know one another very well. There were even several get-togethers that occurred between those distractors who felt the need. One such resulted in a marriage. We needed a name for ourselves and there were many amusing suggestions, most too rude or outright embarrassing to use. In the end we settled on calling ourselves, the 'imps'.

I detail this by way of explanation. Knowing these details will make some things easier to understand. I was quite pleased with my accomplishment. The exchange of information between my fellow fools meant that we could guide our employers to the most beneficial results for every nation. We had to be clever 'imps'. To have this secret business become known would have been each fool's doom. I knew this better than the rest. Not only because I was sensible but because nightly I would be visited by a strange phantom. This 'woman' came to me every night at the middle night hour. She was not beautiful nor ugly but something typical and in-between. Her voice did not coerce nor seduce. She was just... plain -- plain in look, manner and speech. For this reason I paid her more of my mind's attention than I would have otherwise. If she had been wondrous or malevolently impressive, I would have definitely been inclined to ignore her words and worry for my safety!

She told me her name was Skudah and that she was from Onier. I know only a small amount of the soothseers of the isle of Onier. This is because a fool cannot be a married person, generally speaking. I don't mean to impune the fore-mentioned pair of distractors that fell in love and had to be together. They were fortunate to find employment as their royal houses were also joined in marriage. A convenient happenstance. Skudah of Onier was like and unlike her sister-seers. She was the same in that her dreams meant everything to her partner. Like the other soothseers of marriagable age, she could dreamsight her spouse's future. This had to be her partner in marriage -- loving that person was not a requirement. This marriage was one of paranormal convenience. In fact, the marriage could be between the seer and a woman as easily as with a man. These marriages were contracted by the men of Onier who controlled their women in a rather disturbing show of ownership. These men were the women's 'groomsmen'. A strange cultural practice, to my way of thinking. The Onieri men profit by arranging the sale of their 'wives' to nobles, merchants even royals. The soothseer so sold, goes 'willingly' to be with her betrothed. Now, it's a truth that these women seers can dream a future for the foulest partner. The partner might treat them poorly. The partner might be already married to another whom this one loves dearly and so be dismissive of the Onieri woman. She might be feted as an oracle but isolated all her days and nights, kept separate in a form of kindly arrest, to keep her mind only on her partner. This was important because a seer who had feelings for any other than her partner was useless for the purpose she had been bargained for. There were some partners to these Onieri who did become attached to their seer. In these cases, the soothseers' dreams took on more reality and detail. It was a stronger thing then, to love and be loved by a soothseer. It was the rarer of the types of partnerships, however. Love is special like that, eh? That too is truth. Skudah was different from other Onieri women in that she could send her mind about and away from her physical self. When I asked her how, she looked blankly at me and said, "Forget me now. When I am next seen by you, we will be strangers. Tell your king never to consider an Onieri soothseer. This will whet his appetite for one, after all who listens to the advice of a fool." I awoke in a sweat and rolled over and went back to sleep. I forgot all this for a time...



In a kingdom on the southern island of Baym, I had made my pithy comments to my liege-lord, King Fount of Raskuvury, and did so for some years. He had a vague tie to Onieri blood, far back on his mother's side. He had two wives already, when his advisers pressed him with their suggestion to take a third... an Onieri woman as his bride. He wasn't keen to be involved with yet another woman. I praised his wisdom and reminded the king of the fact that, "... You had not known true happiness before your first two marriages and now... it's too late!" The advisers mocked my stance, amusingly as it was presented, despite me meaning every word. The king was not a young man and the kingdom had heirs from both wives already. His destiny was assured in this. What need would he have for a soothseer, a bride and potential bedmate? Should he get a child on her, it might unsettle our happy kingdom. A fool likes a happy spot to make his living in. It isn't easy to make people smile when thoughts are dark, eh?

My subtleties notwithstanding, the Onieri seer arrived with some acclaim and fanfare. I was there naturally. I was always present at social gatherings as one form of entertainment. 'A fool and his king are soon partied', eh? She was Skudah of Onier. She was older than the king and I was relieved. This was no pretty thing to turn his thoughts to a younger king's needs. Her wedding coat was heavy with the many years she had had to embroider her life's story upon it. In her case she had divided the coat into two quadrants, one on the front and another on the back. The coat fell stiffly from her shoulders straight down to the floor. It showed nothing of her figure but not many, I would venture were overly interested, given that her face proved her age. Each of the quadrants on the coat bore the needlework of her hand. She had placed people of importance in her life within each square. A serious and honour-filled pastime. There were some tapestries here and there about the king's home. None showed the fine detail that this soothseer's coat did. I found that a little surprising... I could find little sport in teasing her about the coat, or her ability illustrated by it. Instead I made some plays upon the Onieri men and their rather unseemly way with their womenfolk. This got some small appreciation from the crowd of nobles but from Skudah I received nothing. She looked through me as though I was less than a fool. Used as I am to being 'laughed at', I felt stung by her impassivity. I decided I wasn't fond of this woman... more the fool, I!

In the weeks that followed, I would see Skudah at walks in the gardens or talking with some of the king's retinue. His men-at-arms were a good deal younger than the king. He liked to see these attendant warriors to remind him of his younger self. He had been a sporting king. As well, he had always enjoyed dueling and now, careful with himself, he enjoyed watching his men contest with one another for the prizes he would offer. These were frequent happenings. I attended most of them. It was about a year after her arrival, at one such dueling affair that I first sensed that the king was troubled. As he trusted his fool, I was able to learn that it revolved around the soothseer. It seemed that he had learned to take her dreams for him, as valuable. He told me that he was never dubious but being a practical and smart ruler, had taken her first series of dreams less than seriously. As the first months went by, her accuracy was confirmed. He then began to act on what she saw and told him and the kingdom had done well by it. It explained some small measures he had taken with changing where the crops were planted on the terraced fields of the kingdom. He had also built a new garrison on a previously unguarded frontier. This had proved clever not long after it was constructed, when se'ractors of Deaben had landed nearby. Their surprise at finding themselves confronted by a keep, full of soldiers was total. So much so that they were all taken prisoner without a fight.

This wasn't what troubled the king, obviously. What bothered him was that her accuracy had begun to tail off. She was at a loss to explain it. He asked me to intercede as his questioning of her about this had begun to upset her. So much so, that she refused to see him on pain of imprisonment. He had apologised for suggesting he would jail her but the damage to her friendship with him had been done. Now she refused to use her 'dreamsight' at all. I didn't think it was a good idea for me to entreat with her. I told him as much. She and I were cordial but that was all. The king insisted, as only monarchs can. I refused him. He said she might get away with this attitude but I was a fool to think that I would be afforded the same leniency... I went to see the seer.

I tried my jolly-best to bring her out of her passivity. It almost worked too well. It was later I realised her interest in me was a put-on costume. That she pretended to enjoy my antic words for her own reasons. At the time I was pleased that I had finally reached her. Encouraged I asked her to dance with me and called for the harpe's skill. He played well and she danced wonderfully well and I too. I am not so modest as to say that I was a clumsy oaf, except when I chose to be for comedic effect. 'Only one who is truly skilled can make a proper mockery of something' -- Fateful words. She seemed to take on an energy I had not sensed in her. She moved with grace but a youthful one, not one of some decades' collection but strictly of the suppleness of the young. I was quite surprised by the change that had come to her. As I lifted her to finish the first of the measures, she... well, swooned would be the wrong word... melted might be close? Whatever she was pliant, warm and her lips brushed my forehead as I lowered her to stand before me. She leaned into me. This was not a part of this particular dance. If it had been in public there would have been much ado. As it was only the three of us and the Harpe was a decent fellow -- a romantic one too -- I was less than worried and more than intrigued. I had been long apart. A fool's task is a lonely job. This woman had charm I had somehow failed to see before. I told her so as well, before I realised how that might give her offence. I needn't have wished I had not blurted this out as she smiled and took my arm and strolled me out of the harpe's earshot.

"You have little artifice in you for a fool... what is your name?'

I was touched that she immediately knew to ask. Most were happy to call me 'Fool'. "I am, Ieroh".

"I like it. It's a friendly name. I need a friend, Ieroh. I am close to madness. I will not lose my mind but I may lose my life should what I have done be discovered." At this admission her tears began. I am not so weak-kneed to be undone by such but she was distressed and that bothered me. She told me that her lack of interest in seeing for the king was because she had unwittingly begun a relationship with another. When I asked how, she told me that like myself, the king had sent others to see her to find out what was wrong. What had been wrong initially was only that she had been unwell for a fortnight. His impatience with her absence meant a string of men-at-arms to her rooms. At some point she had begun to feel better and the men had kept coming and being that she had waited all her lengthy life to be 'at court', she had enjoyed these young men's attentions. I asked how it was that she seemed so much younger than when she had arrived, she brushed this aside. I should have pressed her on this point but I was being myself and I admit, I was also stupid. Still, there was little to be suspicious about. All the men-at-arms were well, as far as I knew. None had gone missing nor were any suffering from a 'mysterious malady' or any such melodramatic thing. I could be assured that my dallying with her was safe enough. I felt no concern for these men or myself in her presence. She was beautiful to my eye as she had not been before and I can admit to a surge of desire to hold her closer than I had in the dancing. I might have signaled this to her by the way I held her arm in mine. That she leaned into me in silent answer is also true. Of course I could not leave things at that. I stole a moment from her mouth. It smiled at me as I reluctantly left it. I felt weak from my want for her. I trod on my way to the gallows if I did more... Truth,in its worst form, is the unwelcome kind.. I returned to the king and made up some absurd tale of necessary isolation to strengthen her arts. He trusted me and left things at that for a time. I returned to my humourous tasks but I was not the same. I needed to see her and I did. This was unfortunate for all concerned.

When I next saw her she was naked. I was appalled. Not by her body, which was more attractive than the last time. Fuller and compelling it was beauty defined. Any that might see it would pause in lustful appreciation, I am sure. That did not cause me disgust. It was the naked man-at-arms covering her that upset me. His nude body swamped hers. I lost sight of the seer. All I could see was the naked man and his rutting stance. His sword lay nearby. As he sought to 'impale', so too did I impale his body with his sword. He died quickly -- no armour, his ardour! I cried tears then and Skudah tutted and calmed me. I had never had reason to raise a weapon, never mind kill with one. I was in shock. She was wonderful to me and said that I was her hero. I replied, "Yes, I'm Ieroh the hero." She laughed. The first time I heard her laughter, it came as I mocked myself and my act of murder. I should have taken heed. I didn't as I was a fool. She stroked my arm and then took me to her. I retreated from my abhorence of myself and got lost in her...

Days later as I took my ease with her, lounging in the large bath in her chambers, I killed another. He appeared calling her name and other lover's titles, before he saw me. His surprise was just greater than my own. He covered his nakedness. I had no such pride being low-born and first arrived at his clothing ahead of him. Neither of us shouted for help. That would have sealed both out fates. In the silent struggle for his dagger, his sword was ignored -- until I took it up. His eyes widened in surprise. He knew well that I had no killer's training. His eyes widened further and he tried to shout for soldiers. Hard to do with a severed throat, I discovered. Skudah said to leave the body to her and to make my way out. It was then that I wondered as to the fate of the first man's body. I did not ask her then, as I hastened away... My tale might begin to bore you. You can guess at the next few days. More deaths at my hands, although in these new murders, I became more planned in their execution. The second man-at-arms' sword proved a useful tool in dispatching the next few suitors. It seemed that all of these were as amorous as the first ones. I thought nothing of Skudah's part in this. She was not to blame for her attractiveness. Any fool could see that she couldn't help it. What's more I knew all too well how much I wanted to be with her. Who could withstand her allure? I couldn't allow others this of course. That she was married to the king was bad enough. He was too old to want her as I did and she didn't love him so I could allow him his connection to her. She mustn't encourage him though. That would be disastrous...

King Fount was a bigger fool than me. He tried to hurt Skudah. He touched her arm and asked what was wrong. That would never do. I ran him through and Skudah told me to leave the kingdom and not to return until she sent for me. I can only do as she says. Skudah is a demanding lover and I am her fool. I kept the dead men's swords with me. Truth is proof and these seven blades are truly proof... I still support the 'expression riders' as they serve my imps. The imps serve my purposes without knowing my mind. I have much need of their information as does Skudah. She has kept King Fount's fate hidden from the kingdom and rules through his name. Clever seer! She sees the world for how it truly is. The whole world desires her love. A love she must not share. I love her.