In the yard was more fog, cows, grey grass, and patches of dirt. Same as what spread behind me and forever elsewhere in this muddy pit. On the harder spots stood targets for aiming practice, and straw dummies to swing at. I was exhausted again, now that the excitement of my situation had worn thin. Leaning against the wall were two men: an Ottoman broad and of medium height (but taller than I) holding a lance as foretold, dressed by armor and helm; and a Swede white as day with short blond hair, a small beard, and a button-toga over slacks – his massive, chiseled body was larger even than The Blacksmith's. As I came close, The Strongman picked up an iron ball and tossed it my way, shouting "Think fast!"
I blinked and dodged it with a quick step to the side, and it landed past me with a thud. My father's skull would have cracked to it as easily as my own.
The Lancer sneered, "You didn't catch it, shifferbrains," and the two shared a laugh and bumped shoulders. If I was to learn trust through them, the duke chose poorly – this was more likely a threat. By him or The Scholar, I couldn't say.
"I'm to speak with you before murdering the red duke," I announced.
The Lancer slid off his helm and laughed, his lance piked into the ground to lean on. "You're gonna WHAT?" he crowed, in disbelief that took his handsome, mature face and turned him a child again. His black, scruffy hair and blue eyes shone from ritual grooming and young wonder, in that order.
The Strongman's face went grim, and I sensed that before, he was only play – now he wasn't. "Why would you go and do a thing like that?" he pondered.
I looked down in fear, realizing my lie made darker of me than my mask. I cracked a sheepish smile. "Well, that's what I'm being told to do, anyway. But hey, no knife's drawn till the coin clinks, right?"
The Lancer jeered, "Haha, there's NO way YOU kill people! I've skewered more people than you've ever met! In more ways than one, ahaha."
Hand on my neck, I laughed along. "Aye, the red duke has a treasure of mine. He extorts me for blood, as does the blue."
The Strongman snorted, and spit on the ground. "Use plain words with us, lad, we're not politicians and you're no poet."
"My words are plain-"
"You arrange them to be fancy. It puts your head in a fog, like the shit that rolls through here day in and day out. Dulls your pain. Embrace the pain of putting in effort, or you'll never get stronger."
That irked me, reminding me of The Manager, but it was easy to cool off in the biting chill. And he was right – I was sparing my tired lungs the pressure to speak plainly, trotting gingerly through my words, dancing around barricades. I leaned next to The Strongman against the wall, and noticed his soft green eyes were similar to mine, though nested in hard, jutting bones that seemed a weapon of their own.
I asked, "So what's really going on with his so-called 'war'?"
The Lancer spit on the ground, and shook his head. "It's fuckin' babysitting, man. Their dad is dead, their mom's at the castle getting wasted red. She can't stand her two little bastards with all their FIGHTING. Obnoxious little shits yelling all the time, makes me wanna smack their heads together so hard they get stuck that way."
The Strongman asked, "What finally tipped you off?"
I thought. "Two forts within jogging distance on flat ground surrounded by mud? There's no tactical advantage to being two stone's throws away from your enemy at all times, not a hill in sight to hide by. This is a training ground, for drills."
"That," The Lancer adds, "and all the soldiers are still alive, even though I'm still here!"
"Huh?"
"Becau- are you stupid? Because I would have killed them all!"
Seeing his anger flash startled me, but I stayed amused. "Ohh, okay."
The Strongman growled, "Just an immature game played by rich brats too neglected to become true kings. That they'd resort to murder is disturbing, but not unexpected. It's what their father did to his brothers to become lord."
"But why shoot at travelers?" I asked.
He grunted, "Because ordinary people don't matter to them."
The Lancer kicked the wall, and picked up his lance. He thrust the lance into a straw dummy, over and over with grace, his mind elsewhere, his body plenty capable without it. "I was supposed to be Captain of the Guard, but when our lord died, all his land went to the lord down south. That's what he gets for calling himself a king against the French one, I guess.
I remembered, just then, that The King I knew wasn't actually a king at all – he was just a wealthy realtor who looked like one. The Realtor and this dead lord were an example of why nobody dreams past their first job – someone already has all the best positions.
"At least," The Lancer smirked, "I have The Lover's good company at night."
The Strongman chuckled, "As do I, my friend."
"Well, she likes me better."
I was confused. "But she works for the red duke. She's promised herself to him."
The Strongman explained, "We're waiting for our last payment from the ex-lord's treasury to part ways, after the new lord takes his cut. We play our roles for the brats, until their drunken mother remembers what she's in charge of."
I felt sad. Grain isn't the only thing that in liquid ferment becomes worse for you. I asked, "Shouldn't you each take a side, to balance things out?"
"They wager us to trade in games, and we swap colors and change houses. But it's all the same. Just like a real war, I suppose."
The Lancer butted in, "Except here, soldiers hardly ever die."
I raised an eyebrow. "Hardly?"
The Lancer shrugged. "I get bored sometimes."
I was now wary of him, seeing him as being truthful, and frowned.
The Strongman went on, "Anyway, we'll probably be on opposite sides again when their mother hears their next squabble tonight, over dinner."
The Lancer smiled, "But I like our matches. I usually win!"
"Not by my count", said The Strongman, who leapt at The Lancer and grappled him until his lance fell. They wrestled and laughed, punching one another. I watched in humor, wondering if I'd ever see The Knight again.

The Scholar walked by, and elbowed me on the shoulder when I was least expecting to be spoken to.
I jolted and turned to him. "Hey," I croaked. I was passing through the grounds, into the blue hall. The warm light colored him orange, but my clothes didn't have enough color to match. They stayed black.
He laughed, "I just got your pun: you're an assassin who calls himself 'The Reaper'! Trés macabre."
Uneasily, I nodded. "Yeah, just a little joke."
Entertained, The Scholar leaned against a table. "Do you know the boys enjoyed seeing you, today? They felt you were a marvelous performer. Where did you learn to act in such a way?"
I swallowed a lump in my throat. "I uh... I wasn't, I'm actually just very gullible. The world outside my village is yet new to me, in all honesty."
He laughed. "WELL then! Aren't you a character, all by yourself? Y'know, they're asking about you, if you'll come back tomorrow. They want to play more games with their new assassin."
I winced. "I... should probably move on. If you have a bed for me to crash, I'd appreciate it."
His face went stony. "Right. Yes, a bed."
I turned my head slightly to left-eye him. "Is that... a problem?"
The Lover walked by, sultry as before. "You might as well tell him! It's why we're all stuck here in the first place."
She was gone as fast as she'd arrived, red waves of hair bouncing behind her. The Scholar watched her go with less interest than I did. He caught my eye, and instead of looking jealous, was only disappointed. I pulled myself back a bit, and lowered my head, ashamed.
He cleared his throat. "The Dukesmother's drinking is not without cause – she's recently lost a child. A nephew, whom she adored just as much as her own sons."
"I'm sorry," I responded.
He shook his head. "Don't be. He was The Green Duke; one of a set, apparently." He cracked a sad smile. "We'd let a traveler stay with us before, not too long ago. In fact, I'd say it was a couple of months prior to now. He was a fat fellow, stupid-looking as they come, of red skin. We thought he was dumb enough to keep watched, but..." He sighed.
I sat, patiently, eyes narrowed. This man sounded familiar, but I couldn't be too certain. The world was a big place. But could it be...?
The Scholar continued, "The Green Duke was the eldest, and he'd recently become... interested, especially in my wife and I. We denied him, thinking that was wise, and I certainly hope it was. But the traveler, this... idiot, he'd asked us for two things: a gallon of oil, and shaving supplies. We thought him eccentric, for it. Like he'd just come from somewhere far away, and that explained his gold well enough, which he'd gladly parted with. But it wasn't worth the price we paid, in the end."
I bated my breath. I didn't want to hear what I knew I was about to hear.
"The Green Duke was found dead, in the his own bed. We thought at first the door had been broken through, but the Green Chamber... you see, they each have their own that we'd painted for them. The Green Chamber was opened from the inside, it had to have been, in the middle of the night. The door wasn't bent one bit. Only the Green Duke himself had the key, aside from his mother. And we found her asleep on the dining room table, with a glass of wine in her hand. Missing exactly one key."
I tilted my head. "So the traveler stole it?"
The Scholar shook his head. "No, he couldn't have. He was a loud fellow, shook the room when he walked. Only The Green Duke himself could have done the deed. I suspect..." He grabbed his stomach, which was turning. "I suspect this idiot managed to convince The Green that his interests lie in sharing a bed. The boy thought he was sparing himself trouble by preventing his mother from entering. The scoundrel must have had his way, for we found nothing of him in the bed to which he'd been assigned. I suspect when he feared the boy would tattle on him, he wrung the poor child's neck. His throat was crushed, and cut wide open... which is not the premeditated method, I assure you. We never saw him leave, and he left nothing of his own with which to identify him. Like a fat, slithery monster, gone back under someone's bed."My eyes went wide – if that's what awaited someone who gave in, I was glad I'd never considered it. The murderer had gotten what he wanted, and rather than being placated, became only more afraid for himself.
My Mentor's voice rang in my head: 'You think you can win them over by playing nice? Think again. When criminals get nervous, they dispose of the evidence. And guess what, kid? If you let them have you, then YOU'RE the evidence.'
I shuddered coldly, sad to know how right he really was, all those years ago. I prayed that this murderer wasn't the same man who'd harassed me, because if it was, then I was partly responsible. Or at least, it felt that way. Without me telling The Knight, who told the wankers... there never would have been a show to tell The Oaf his abuse was 'okay'. But it couldn't have been the same man! Could it? He was supposed to have taken The Mediterranean to Arabia, and I was taking the coastline to Morocco. I thought back to my torment in years not long past. It was sounding all-too familiar, except the part where he got his way. How could they have been the same man at all?
The Scholar saw my discomfort, and put his hand on mine for a moment. "Trouble yourself not, child. We'll let you stay here, in a different room than he had. At no cost. I wouldn't let The Dukesmother see you, though."
Distraught, I asked, "Why not?"
He winced back, like I had before. "Because you look so much like him. You even have the same color of eyes."
I squinted them shut, and stared straight ahead. "Got it. Wouldn't want her thinking she'd drank a rite that rose him."
He huffed a surprised laugh, and patted me on the back. "You're very funny. Be seeing you, Reaper."
He walked on.

The Mistress found me later, in the blue dining hall, bag on her shoulder. She reached into her bag, and pulled out my father's skull, and set it down on the table.
I slurped on carrot soup, and swallowed. "Thank you," I told her, "But why do you take this game so seriously in the first place? Why do The Lover and The Scholar promise so much to children barely grown? Especially love."
She sat down, and sighed. "We're all practicing for a bigger battlefield. The Lover and Scholar are husband and wife, neither intends to deliver to either child, at least I hope not. It would only make them MORE spoiled, honestly." She grabbed my glass of water, put her thin, pale lips to it, and drank. "I think they're just... (glug)." She set it down and grunted. "They're experimenting on the dukes, figuring out what makes people do what they do. What promises motivate them to behave. Kings and children are more the same than women and men."
"So neither will be here when those boys age. And you?"
"Oh, I don't intend to stay here any longer than I have to." She clasped her hands under her chin, leaned on the table with her elbows, and smiled. "I want to rule the world."
I was amused, but still concerned. "Do the boys miss their cousin?"
She rolled her eyes. "They tried to kill each other, today. Does that answer your question?"
The Lancer came up from behind us, and saw my mask on the table. It disturbed him at first, his head swivelling as he walked until he came to a stop to keep it from breaking off. "What IS that?!"
I confessed, "It's my father's skull. I'm using it as a helmet."
The Lancer grew excited, and barely managed to keep his voice moderate. "I need something like that! I could really scare the SHIT out of people! God, you must have old ladies fainting when they see you. Isn't that right, Mistress?"
The Lancer slapped The Mistress on the back, and she was none too pleased to be called anything by him, let alone touched. She stood straight up, dusted herself off, and left without a word. The Lancer sat down in the seat's warmth she left behind, much too eagerly. He turned my father's skull towards him and crossed his arms on the table to lay his head into them, and he stared into the skull's empty eyes. Into the darkness inside them. I was afraid I'd brought out something in him that should have stayed asleep.