From Death, A New Beginning

“So that is what is going on huh? This is a lot to take in. What do you need me to do?” Chris asked as they walked through the busy streets of Svarostadt.

James had explained what was going as they walked.

“What I need from you is to get the most current medical records of Duke Rudolf.” James replied

Chris gave James a pained expression.

“What’s with that reaction?”

“Well usually the head of the Hospitallers branch will review over the log of who checked out medical files. Also known as Master Adeline. Also known one of my professors and one of the scarier one.”

“Ah come on man. Don’t be a coward. Do it for king and country.” Alex said.

“Eh...I was going to do it but since you put it that way, I think I’m going to go home now.”

Alex punched Chris on the arm, “you can’t just go home now! You just joined.”

Chris rubbed his arm and chuckled, “you right. But you two will have to handle Adeline when she finds out.”

“Oh, that’s all on James our fearless leader.”

“Well, if we are going to the University of Saintess Enya I can lead the way."

“Go ahead.” James replied

With Chris guiding the way they arrived outside of the university.

James paused to get a better look.

The campus was large with many buildings including clinics, lecture halls and residence halls. At the beating heart of the university was a grand cathedral. The building itself appeared quite ancient, a relic of a bygone era towering over Svarostadt. These buildings were grand and made with grey stone that was worn with the weight of the tremendous history of the university. The University of Saintess Enya was founded by the legendary King Jorah Strass in the early years of the Kingdom of Lyris. The main entrance gate featured several Hospitaller knights standing vigilant.

Chris turned to Alex and James, “You two will have to wait out here for a moment. You aren’t Hospitallers nor patients. I’ll be back with the papers you want soon.”

James nodded and sat outside on a bench as Chris went into the university. Alex stood beside the bench as Alex and James were left to wait outside on the campus grounds.

“Any chance that Chris cut and run?” Alex asked

“When we both know where his family lives? You are joking right?” James replied

Alex didn’t reply and then sat down on the grass. An expression of shame on his face.

“Come on speak up Alex, I told you need to be honest.”

“…I didn’t like the looks we got back there from earlier. Also, what you just said. I don’t like it. I thought we were supposed to be the good guys.”

“You get used to the looks.” James replied with a weary tone. How often has people looked at him with fear and distrust when wearing the uniform of the royal army? The Military Grand Council and the military will always be seen as a force of oppression. They were only tolerated because the kingdom was prosperous and stable after the civil war. The people remember the civil war well. The war left lasting scars upon society.

“Well, I don’t want to get used to looks! I want to be a hero! A shining beacon of hope for our country after civil war. To prove we are better than the bonfire of misery and violence we created.”

James sighed, “you are young. You don’t know how the world works yet.”

James then paused to reflect.

“Joshua. Rudolf. Whoever is lurking in the shadows doing this is trying to start another war. Not even a new war perhaps. More like a continuation of the last war with all its fury and hate. We must prevent this from happening doing whatever is necessarily. There is no glory in what we must do. Still…let’s try our best to keep some of our honor.”

“That’s all I can ask I suppose.” Alex said rising back to his feet.

Alex pounded his fist into his other palm, “we will find this shadowy lurking asshole and kick his ass. Everyone gets to sleep safely at night, and we get to the heroes. As it should be.”

Alex sighed before he kept on talking, “through I wish I had a beautiful bride to be waiting for me back home like our healer. So unfair what does Chris have that I don’t?”

James chuckled, “Well he’s in a profession that actually helps people, a loving father, has a good personality and is good looking.”

James opened his notebook again and reviewed his notes.

“Hey! I have a charming smile. All the ladies back home say so.”

“And yet here you are complaining that you don’t have a girl waiting for you.” James replied without looking up.

“Well, I still want to sample the buffet before I turn into a grouchy old man with a horse faced ex-wife and whose balls work only occasionally.”

James closed his notebook and used it to smack Alex in the back of the head with it, “upstart boy. I’ll let you know my ex-wife is not horse faced.”

“Can’t imagine why you would let her go then.”

James sighed, “I was married to the job.”

“That was a poor trade. Your job sucks!”

“You know what. I can’t really argue against that. However, it’s a job that needs to be done.”

“I suppose so.” Alex said as he watched the people come and go from the university.

James went back to his notebook as they waited.

***

Chris closed the door from the library.

Acquiring Rudolf’s medical files wasn’t difficult. Chris chuckled to himself as he walked down the hallway. Librarian Meira got startled by Chris again as he was checking out the documents. She gets skittish around basically everyone which is good why she sticks in the library and not treating patients. The Hospitallers have all sorts of people from healers, teacher, administrative staff, and knights. The University of Saintess Enya was always a lively place with the hospitallers and patients under their care. Chris looked up to the bright blue sky, he loved being here.

“Ah, there is my sixth favorite student.” Chris heard from across the hallway. He looked over and it was Master Adeline Sforza. Chris instinctively bowed.

“Come now. How many times have I told you don’t have you bow, silly goose.” Adeline said with a warmth in her voice. She was the motherly figure to a lot of the healers at the university. “Force of habit. Out for a walk?” Chris said as he looked back up at Adeline.

The woman smiled kindly and patted Chris’s shoulder affectionately. Her blonde curly locks fell onto her shoulders. Her vibrant blue eyes sharpen when looking at Chris evaluating him. She in the dark blue armor of the Hospitaller with the crest of a white nightingale of the Order of the Goddess Herta.

“Something like that. What do you have there?” Adeline pointed at the leather folder Chris was carrying.

“Uhh…” Should he really be telling her that he is helping military commissioner James?

With her sharp gaze and a quick strike she snatched the folder from Chris’s hand.

Chris was left to stare nervously like when would hand in a paper for her evaluation. He wasn’t even being graded.

She leaved through some of the papers. Her eyes sharpen with focus.

“Ah, so that’s how it is. After all patient paperwork can only be shared by members of the order.” She looked up at Chris. She might be a nurturing figure, but she was also had a steely resolve.

“You are working with that irritable royal army commissioner Mansfield, aren’t you?”

How in the world was she able to guess that?

“I was uh, recruited into their cause.” Chris replied lamely

“Of your own accord?”

“Not exactly…however, my family is still in this city. I want to keep them safe.”

“That’s a good enough reason as any. Could you do me a favor, goose? If you do this, you’ll go from my sixth to fifth favorite student.”

“What an improvement.”

She stepped forward, placed the folder on Chris’s chest, and leaned to his ear to whisper, “I want you tell me everything. Whatever they are doing, whatever they find. Tell me.”

Chris backed away slightly and looked around, there were Hospitallers going about their business. No one seemed to be paying attention to them even then Chris found himself whispering too, “just why? What would the Hospitallers have to do with this?”

Adeline gave Chris her focus of her sharp gaze, steely grey eyes. “This is my city too. I don’t trust James. I have seen what the Lyris royal army handiwork before when they were putting down the revolts. They will hang people from branches of trees and leave a forest of corpses in their wake. A macabre reminder of who is in control. If you love this city like I do, you will do what I ask. As far as I’m concerned, the royal army is just as much of a threat as whoever is behind the duke’s murder.”

Chris shook his head. He wasn’t cut out for this. Should he refuse? Could he even refuse?

“…I can’t promise we will find out anything exciting.”

“That’s ok. You just keep this little secret between the two of us.”

“Fine.”

Adeline gave Chris a massive smile and then ruffed his hair, “that’s what I like to hear, goose. I’ll make you some kolache for your trouble”

“Sheesh, you might be my instructor but I’m not a kid.”

“I know, I know. I need you to stay safe out there, come back for Sophie and Claudia, ok?”

“I plan on it.”

Adeline took her hand from Chris’s head, gave a little bow and left Chris.

***

James looked up to see Chris walking over to him. He closed his notebook and Chris handed over a folder of documents to James.

“Wow that loophole actually worked? I was sure she was more likely to bite James’s stinger off than hand over those papers. Must be Chris’s charming personality.” Alex remarked.

“We aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. Chris as a member of the order of the Goddess Herta simply asked for some documentation and we so happen to be in the same commission.” James retorted.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t push your luck James, she still might bite it off.”

James sighed and rubbed his side.

“You been wounded, right?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal. It wasn’t fatal.”

“Still let me look at it. Father Gideon didn’t have any expectation of when I was going to visit anyways. Come on.”

“Fair enough where we are going?”

“Where do you think? We are at the University of Saintess Enya so a treating room. Don’t worry we will find a private room since the northerners aren’t to be trusted.”

James sighed, “hard to trust anyone really at this point.”

Chris led the way. James watched as he had a brief conversation with one of the guarding knights. James also watched as Alex and a different knight Hospitaller started sizing each other up.

A cock measuring contest, what was Alex? Thirteen?

Soon they were let into the university. James observed the people going about as Chris led the way.

Now that they were on the university grounds James noticed how busy it was. There were healers running everywhere carrying herbs or tools, patients out in the sunshine with various different injuries, and some knights patrolling the university grounds.

Chris led them to the library. Inside was filled wall after white marble walls covered floorboards made from wood polished smooth and bookshelves full of volumes neatly stacked along every shelf.

They went along the outskirts of the library and into a small side room.

It was a treatment ward. A pair of stained-glass windows filtered sunlight inside. There were four beds and a desk full of shelves holding bottles containing colored liquids which glowing softly and other medical tools.

“This is one of the more discreet treating rooms you can find on campus. Meira rather keeps this place quiet since it’s right next to the library. It’s like her personal space.” Chris explained as he motioned for James to a bed.

James sat down and pulled out a couple of the documents from the folder he received earlier. A good as time as any to start reading.

Chris started working on James wounds. He started by cutting up the bandages.

Alex was off to the side leaning against the wall when the door opened back up again.

A mousy looking blonde elf opened the door.

“Oh, is that you, Chris? You are one of the few who use this ward. I ended up finding the book you wanting to check out. Eep! You have a patient.” She said.

Chris turned to her, “We wouldn’t be long, Meira. You can leave the book over at the desk.”

Alex turned over to and stood in front of Meira, “what sort of stuff you are reading?”

“An actual Knight of Lyris? Is this for real and not a fable?” She asked shyly as she looked at Alex.

Alex chuckled, “Oh I’m better than the books. I’m Alex of House Spiers. Your name is Meira, right?”

James nearly doubled over from pain.

Not from the wounds, but the cringe of that line.

She blushed furiously as she hid her face behind the book. “Yeah, I’m Meira. Sorry, this is entirely different than the books. You are so tall.”

“And this is the first time I seen a librarian of the Knight Hospitallers. Are they all this cute or just you? Probably just you.”

Her cheeks flushed deeper red, and she slowly backed away, “on second thought I think I’m going to talk to you later, Chris.” She then made a hastily retreat.

“Hey! I don’t bite, come on we can at least have a talk.” Alex went after her. He did pause at the door and looked back at Chris and James, “listen Chris. Just don’t kill James, I will get in a lot of trouble back in the capital if he dies. I’ll be back with your book.”

James just waved Alex off as he left.

“You sure it will be fine to let him just run off like that?” Chris asked as he kept working.

“He’s young. Let him chase after maidens. That Meira girl. She got embarrassed pretty quickly.” James replied.

Chris laughed, “oh yeah. She’s always been like that. She gets nervous around people especially men. I been told her brother used to tease her because whenever she met a new person she would flinch as kid.”

James felt the gentle warmth of healing magic on his wounds as he read.

It was soothing like being by a fireplace during the winter.

James started to read the medical reports of Duke Rudolf, still nothing out of the ordinary in Rudolf’s personal life other than the duke being of poor health.

The reports became increasingly terse the closer to present the reports were. The final report was accompanied with a letter of resignation, no reason given.

Curious.

Doctor Viktor B.

James leafed through some more papers and found a property registered under Doctor Viktor outside of city in a small village by the river, Misni. So, it looks like Edwin was telling James the truth.

James jolted slightly as he felt Chris rub a wet cloth on his cuts. It stung.

“What was that?” James asked

“Wine, cleaning your wounds before I apply new bandages.”

James put the reports back in the leather folder. He looked back at Chris as he was wrapping new bandages,

“You have a nice family, Chris. How long have you known Claudia?”

“Practically all my life. We grew up together in the same fishing town, Kurkenburg.”

James paused to reflect and then spoke,

“It’s a lovely thing to be married. It feels like a long conversation that’s always too short.”

“You married, commissioner?”

“I was. Raised two strong boys, Jaime and Hans. They are around your age. Jaime works as a blacksmith and Hans is a farmer’s hand.”

“Was?”

“Been divorced. Our conversation was cut short.”

“Oh, sorry to hear.”

“I brought it upon myself. Got too obsessed with the job and the stress slowly wore down our marriage vows.” James then sighed as he stretched his arm.

“If I was your age, I would find an old, divorced man pitiful.”

“That’s not…”

James raised his hand, “I know. It’s just an aging man rambling. You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. So, if you would indulge me rambling like a younger me. Life is complicated and it’s hard. Something you don’t understand properly when you are young.”

“I see.”

“I often think about how life could have gone over the years. Would my life have been better if I just stayed on my farmer’s farm? What would have happened if I wasn’t assigned that commission? My mind often races with maybes and ifs. So, take this as my apology. I wouldn’t have had you join this commission if I didn’t think there was a better option. I promise on my life that I’ll get you back to your family, you have a long life in front of you Chris.”

Chris seemed to pause to reflect over what James said and then laughed,

“You sound like a good friend I know. Through he wasn’t as old and decrepit as you are. Yeah, it was rude of you to just pluck me out of my home. That being said, my family lives here. My adventurous cousin Hilda always dreaming up new adventures, Heinrich still studying leatherworking, and Aunt Maria and Hermann still running their cozy bakery. All the people I have treated and taken care of. They are all in danger if conflict explodes with the death of Duke Rudolf. So, I’ll see this crazy journey to its end.”

James stood back up. His wounds already feeling a bit better, “good talk. Let’s go and find Alex. We need to keep moving. You still have a house call to make.”

“Looking for me.” Alex said at the door with a shit eating grin plastered on his face.

James got up, grunted in pain for a moment.

Time to get back at it.