City Guardsman

***Disclaimer*** This is not my story. It is the work of Ka Hmnd AKA Kenneth Hammond. I have not changed or edited this in anyway.
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I took another sip of coffee as I looked out over the square. I had been in or with one military unit or another most my life. I was twenty five and had finally decided to settle down. That meant finding a wife and a job I could expect to survive in. I was the youngest son of the youngest son of a minor noble so the only thing I got was a good education and weapons teachers that were more than willing to give me lumps while they taught me.

Whitecliff was a large port city and seemed like the place to start. I was trying to think of how I could get in to see the duke to see about a job as one of his officers in the city Militia. I shook my head and stood, the young serving girl appeared at my side and I smiled at her pretty face and handed her the money for the meal and coffee.

I crossed the square and walked quickly down a small side street. At my small set of rooms I stopped at the door, I looked at the open door and pulled my dagger before stepping in. The first thing that struck me was that my weapons were missing. My bags had been dumped on the bed and gone through as well.

I stepped out and looked around, several people working on the street seemed to avoid looking at me and I nodded as I memorized them. I turned and walked back to the square and crossed to the City Guard building. I nodded to the guard as I entered and stopped at a desk with a sergeant behind it. I told him what had happened and he just looked at me, “What do you want me to do about it?”

I looked him up and down, “How about finding the thief that stole my weapons?”

He sneered, “You probably don’t even know how to use them. Leave it alone kid, find another line of work.”

I looked at him for a minute and nodded to myself, “So you aren’t going to look.”

He growled, “Listen punk, the Guard has better things to do than look for your toys.”

I nodded, “Fine, I will find them myself and on your head will rest the fallout.”

I turned and walked out and back to my set of rooms. I crossed the street to a couple of toughs standing on the corner. I had seen their type before, bullies and lookouts for the thieves guild. I stepped up to them, “You made a mistake.”

The bigger one laughed, “beat it kid before you get hurt.”

I was done talking, I kicked his kneecap from the side shattering it and struck the other man in the throat. I knelt beside the man on the ground screaming and holding his knee. I drew my dagger and put it against his throat, “I will count to three and if you haven’t told me where my stuff is I will cut your throat and find someone else to tell me.”

I looked at him as he glared at me, “One.”

“Two.”

He screamed, “The Silver Swan.”

I sliced both his cheeks, “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”

I stood and walked away, not even glancing at the second man as he died. I stopped a Cartier and got directions to the Silver Swan. It was on a street that was poorly cared for, the front of the shop was dirty and three men lounged against the door.

As I approached they looked at me and one of them stood away from the wall. I kicked him in the groin and stepped to the side as another pulled a dagger and lunged. I grabbed his hand and twisted. I spun him into the other man that had just started to move.

I whipped his arm around and brought my other hand down in a strike that broke his arm at the elbow. Taking his dagger, I stabbed the other man through the eye and then pulled the dagger back to cut his throat. I knelt by the one on the ground and stabbed him through both thighs.

I stood and walked through the door and into the shop. The two men in the shop had been watching and held their hands up. I stopped a few feet from them, “Your guild stole my weapons. I want them back, now.”

The one on the right had narrow eyes, he looked me up and down, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My quick step as I closed surprised him, as did my dagger as it sliced across his stomach. He dropped to his knees screaming until I kicked him in the face. I looked at the other man, “My weapons, now!”

He nodded and quickly opened a chest beside him. I stopped him before he could reach inside. I reached in and pulled my weapons out and a small bundle that I recognized as mine. I turned and started walking towards the door. The man I had left was feeling braver, “The Guild will kill you for this.”

I turned at the door, “If they want to try they can, but if they do, you tell them I will do more than kill a few replaceable punks.”

I walked out and started back to my rooms. I buckled on my sword and slipped the other weapons into their place. When I got to my rooms there were ten guards and that sergeant across the street. When I stopped at my door and looked across the street the sergeant was staring at me. He stood and gestured as he started walking towards me, I turned and waited for him. When he stepped close he gestured again, “Take his weapons.”

I smiled as my hand pulled the sword a couple of inches free of the scabbard, “That wouldn’t be wise.”

He looked me up and down, “You killed a man, boy.”

I nodded, “I killed three men. If you had done your job, I wouldn’t have. If you want to take my weapons, it will be a lot more.”

He looked at his men and could see none of them were going to try to take me. He looked back at me, “we’ll be back.”

I smiled thinly, “Make sure you tell the men that come with you, that it is an Armsmaster they face.”

I turned and went into my room, in the small side room I stripped and washed. Back in the main room I put my light padding on and lifted the mattress to remove the steel chain shirt. I slipped one of my good shirts over that and replaced my weapons. I straightened up the bed and cleaned the room.

I sat at the table and pulled out a clean parchment and began writing to the duke. I had just finished when someone knocked on the door. I turned in the chair and called for them to enter. The door opened and three men entered, the first was a guard lieutenant, the second a captain and the third… the third man was older and wore the tunic of a sworn man with the duke’s crest on his chest.

I smiled and gestured toward the bed, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anywhere else for you to sit.”

The lieutenant and captain stood but the older man smiled as he sat, “It seems I have a problem.”

I looked at him and he glanced at the captain, “My Captain and Lieutenant think they wouldn’t have that much of a problem in arresting you. I on the other hand know what a trained Armsmaster is capable of. So tell me, are you a capable Armsmaster?”

I grinned, “Very.”

He nodded, “So how do I resolve this?”

I smiled, “How about with courtesy?”

He blinked and glanced at my shirt, his eyes lingering on the small gold crest sown into the left shoulder. His smile was more relaxed, “My apologizes. I am Jonathan Whittel, Sheriff of Whitecliff and the surrounding county. This is Captain Hurst and Lieutenant Belet.”

I nodded, “My pleasure gentlemen. My name is Charles Edward Simon Winston.”

All three men started and Jonathan smiled, “It seems I was right to come speak to you first. What is the highest regarded Armsmaster doing in Whitecliff?”

I smiled and leaned back in the chair, “Looking for a wife and someplace to work away from the mercenary companies.”

Jonathan smiled again, “Retiring already?”

I nodded, “A request from my grandfather.”

He again looked at my crest, “To far away to be in the line.”

I nodded, “My grandfather and I have always been close. I think he just wanted to know I wasn’t in the middle of a battle every other week.”

Jonathan grinned, “I think I understand, but that brings us back to what has happened here. You killed three men.”

I nodded, “Yes. I asked the Guard for help and was told the Guard had better things to do than find thieves and stolen property. The sergeant told me to leave it alone and find another line of work.”

He looked at Captain Hurst, “Who was the sergeant?”

Captain Hurst’s face was red but I don’t think he was angry with me, “Harris.”

Jonathan sighed, “Take his strips and have him walked to the edge of the duchy. We don’t need that kind of man.”

He looked at me, “Are you looking for the Armsmaster’s job or something else?”

I smiled sourly, “Armsmaster Henry has been with the duke for a long time. I won’t try to push him out. I was thinking of an Officer posting.”

Jonathan looked at the captain and lieutenant, “Would you gentlemen excuse us for a minute?”

He waited until they had closed the door behind them and then looked at me, “Armsmaster Winston, have you submitted your letter yet?”

I handed him my letter, he read it through and sat back looking at me thoughtfully, “I know you aren’t trained as a city guard but how would you like a job?”

I smiled, “As one of your Guardsmen? I don’t think so.”

He smiled, “How about as the Duke’s Kristin.”

I looked at him in surprise, Kristin was an old term. It meant Judge and fact finder and a lot more, “Why?”

He knew what I was asking and smiled, “The Guard is good for what it was meant for, but now we are getting new types of thieves and killings. Ones that take someone that has a different outlook I think.”

I looked down at my hands thinking, it wasn’t what I expected and not really what I had trained myself for. I looked at Jonathan, “Will I be working alone or do I get someone to help?”

He sat forward, “Charles, listen to me, some of these people have to have had inside knowledge.”

I nodded, “Do I get help?”

He nodded, “Fine, I’ll put anyone you want in uniform.”

I shook my head, “Give my letter to the duke and if he agrees then we can talk.”

Jonathan stood, “Some of the Guard were not happy about the way you threatened them.”

I grinned, “They would have been a lot less happy if I hadn’t.”

He smiled and turned for the door. I rose and opened it for him, there were six guards standing outside the door waiting for him. He turned, “It was a pleasure to meet you Armsmaster and I hope the duke sees things my way.”

I nodded and watched as he walked off with the guards around him. I shook my head, Jonathan was something else, something I hadn’t figured out yet. I walked out and closed the door before walking back towards the square. I sat at one of the small tables in the open front of the tavern.

The pretty girl from this morning appeared just as quickly as she had this morning. I ordered a light meal and another coffee. When she brought it I stopped her and got direction to a banking house. When I finished eating and stood, she appeared and I smiled, “You wouldn’t be single would you?”

She grinned and an older man at the next table laughed. She shook her head, “Sorry.”

I sighed, “All the best girls are taken.”

She laughed and I started off to the banking house and then it was to a tailor and boot maker. I was walking back across the square towards the tavern when the attack came. When I felt a man suddenly move towards my back, I turned and then side stepped his lunge.

I struck his throat with a knife hand blow and the crowd around me cleared to revealed a dozen men with daggers. I drew my fighting knife and my other hand made a throwing motion and a man fell back with a small dagger in his throat. I drew my sword and smiled as they backed away, “Tell your guild I will come for them.”

I sheathed my sword and they turned to walk into the crowd. One man turned quickly, throwing his dagger. My fighting knife knocked it away as my other hand flicked out. The man stumbled and fell with another small dagger in his throat. The dozen guardsmen that broke through the crowd caused the men to melt into the crowd faster.

Lieutenant Belet led the guardsmen and another captain joined him shortly, as well as another half dozen guards. He walked up to me, “The guild has decided to settle the score.”

I smiled as I put my knife away and walked with him and the new captain, “apparently so. Would you like to take care of it or should I?”

Lieutenant Belet smiled crookedly, “I wish I could, we don’t have any idea who is running the guild.”

I knelt and pulled my small dagger out before moving to the other man and removed my other dagger from him as well. I stood to face him, “I could let some of your men tag along I guess.”

He grinned and looked at the captain and back at me. In a loud voice, “Captain Able, this is Charles Edward Simon Winston, Armsmaster.”

Captain Able smiled and bowed, “Armsmaster.”

I looked around and gestured to the tavern, “Would you care to join me for dinner?”

The captain nodded and looked at a nearby sergeant, “Sergeant, have this mess cleaned up and send the sheriff a message about the incident.”

The sergeant started giving orders as we walked towards the tavern. When we reached a table and sat, the same girl was there to get our order. She didn’t seem too happy though and kept looking at the captain. I looked at him, “I think she wants to speak to you.”

He looked up, “Tess?”

She frowned, “William… Teresa is missing. We thought she went to her classes this morning but she never arrived. Could you have the guards look for her?”

Captain Able nodded, “Of course dear.”

He stood and called to one of his guards nearby. I looked at Lieutenant Belet, “Dear?”

He smiled, “Their married.”

I smiled and nodded and pulled a small scrap of parchment out of a pocket, “Tess? Would you ask your cook if he or she can make a small pot of coffee using this recipe?”

She took the parchment and nodded, “Of course. I’ll have your dinner sent out.”

Captain Able returned to the table with a frown, “That is the sixth girl today. I didn’t want to say anything to Tess, but this is happening more often. I doubt if we will find these girls.”

We ate quietly and Tess brought out a small pot of coffee. She grinned at me, “Momma said to tell you thanks for the recipe. She tasted it and fell in love, she said that if she were single, she would have grabbed you up just for this recipe.”

I sighed, “The story of my life.”

Tess laughed, but there was still a shadow in her eyes, I poured a cup and sipped. The square was getting thinner so I saw the group of guards enter with the sheriff in the middle. Lieutenant Belet sighed, “William, time for me to be off. I have a young lady waiting.”

The captain nodded and stood as the sheriff approached. Jonathan smiled at me and sat in Lieutenant Belet’s seat, “Charles, it seems things have escalated.