When he had finished getting dressed after his bath, he found a page waiting for him with a message from the constable asking to speak with him. When he arrived at the constable office the constable was there waiting for him with his secretary and a gangly youth in his mid-teens whom he did not recognise.
“Sir Amondo Malla it is an honour to meet you, I am Timor Alby the eldest son and heir to Santiago Alby, lord of Hasford in the barony of Membe which your family has wisely ruled over for many a year and will hopefully do so for many more to come,” was how the lad introduced himself.
“Timor Alby you certainly have grown, I think you must have been two or was it three the last time I set my eyes upon you. How are your father and your mother, are they well and you two younger brothers and sister what about them? I believe you are squiring for Sir Treanor Smyth is he not with you today?”
“They are all in fine health and as for Sir Treanor Smyth he broke his left leg a fortnight ago and it will be weeks yet before he is ready to ride again.”
“I do not think I have ever met anyone as prone to injury as him I remember he had a broken nose and a black eye the first time I ever met him. The few times I have seen him since he has one or two things wrong with him but enough of that what brings you here today?”
“Well, sir as soon as my father received your letter about the land swap, he sent me here to explain it all to you. He did not know that your brother had kept it a secret and even now can’t think of a reason why he would have done so. Still, now that it is all out in the open, he felt you deserve an explanation and since he currently couldn’t spare the time to visit you personally, he sent me in his stead.”
“I was only expecting a return letter not a visit but since you are here now why don’t you go ahead and explain into me?”
“Well, sir it all harks back to a disagreement between Hasford and Antwa that predates your family’s rule of the barony the beginnings of which have been lost to the sands of time. Over the years this disagreement lead to bloodshed as often as not, so a way of settling it without the need for such was sought. The result of this has led to the exchange of the two pieces of land in question between the two lordships at least five times over the years. Before this one, the last took place over a hundred years ago and like the others before it happened because of a lost bet. The same bet as the rest just with different people involved. That time was supposed to have decided it for good or that was at least what the baron at the time declared. Since by then the two families involved had grown sick of it, they agreed and that was that.
“So, what changed?”, Amondo interrupted.
“Your brother of course, always in need of money he was and with the dungeon the way it is he decided that the dungeon fair would only be held every other year but what to do during the one year in every two that it wasn’t to be held. He came up with plenty of ideas but none he quite felt were right until one night when he was visiting Antwa whose lord had a arranged a feast.
During this feast, someone who was like most by then in his cups made mention of the feud and the bet made to resolve it. Somehow the next day your brother remembered what had been said while he was drunk and liking the idea of it decided that the spirit of the bet would be played out that year instead of the fair. And without mentioning where he got the idea for it or those who knew the real reason for it speaking out that was exactly what happened. The competition, for that, was what it now was, had two rounds Antwa verses Wainthe and Hasford verses Ruehasen in the first with the winners of the two in the second. I’m sure you can imagine how things played out from there.”
“Antwa and Hasford no doubt won their first-round matches or whatever they were called and played each other in the second. The result whatever it was would have in the old days led to an exchange of land and this time the honour of the losing side wouldn’t permit this from not occurring. The winning side for whatever reason agreed to it also and when put before my brother he eventually signed off on it but didn’t tell anyone not already in the know about it never mind the reason for it. Then my brother decided not to go through the whole thing again and not replace the fair with anything else every other year.”
“Precisely and now you know as much about it as we do and still a question mark remains as to why your brother was so secretive about it.”
“We might never know I suppose not unless it is rubbed in our faces by whoever else might have been involved or if my brother left behind a record which has yet to be discovered. Well if it’s all above board then we have no choice but to accept it and move on, it was all above board wasn’t it?”
“Yes, the proper procedures were followed, everyone signed off in it and as far as we are aware the fees were paid to the appropriate authorities. Though you might want to check that with them just to be on the safe side.”
“Constable will you see to that for us please and at the same time make sure he didn’t register anything else with them.”
“I already sent them a missive to that effect though it will be some time before we hear back from them.”
“Good work, Timor will you be heading straight back, or can you stay the night and head back on the morrow?”
“No, I have to head back now unless you need me for something that is.”
“No, well I’ll no doubt see you when I pay a visit to your father once the child is born.”
“Until then Sir.”
When Timor was leaving the office, he nearly ran into a page who had been about to knock on the door.
“Sorry pardon me.”, he said to the page before going on his way.
The page then entered the room and informed Amondo that a Sir Glenn Labrador and his squire had arrived at the castle and had requested an audience with him.
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