Zi’da 32, Arc 717
Tristan had the feeling that his new subjects still didn’t like him very much. They viewed him as an intruder. Some of them even wanted him to die. He had distributed a lot of surgical masks when they had suffered from a mysterious illness, and he had donated money to the poor as well because people liked it when you donated money to the poor, but that didn’t seem to have been nearly enough. He didn’t know what else he could do though. Help more poor people? Ask Sintih to find a few more bodyguards for him to give the assassins he was sure they would eventually send a hard time?
No, he decided, he would talk to them instead. He would try to get to know them better. He would ask them what he could do for them and hopefully convince them that he wasn’t there to take their freedom away. He wanted to work together with them. He had once persuaded Ilaren, the Immortal of Alcohol, to share his bed, so how hard could it be to persuade a couple of merchant families to support him and convince them that he was not a tyrant, but a really nice guy?
Most likely very hard …
~~~
A few trials after Tristan had made that possibly fateful decision Murphy Clyde would find himself facing a middle-aged man that was dressed in a fancy suit and had a rather prominent mustache, just as he was about to tend to his horses. The man looked at him, as if he were wondering if he was facing the right man, cleared his throat loudly and explained, “I’m a servant of His Grace, Tristan, the Duke of Oakleigh, and I bring a letter from him.”
With that he handed the heir of the Clyde family a cream colored envelope that bore a crimson seal.
“If you wish, Sir”, he continued. “You can give me your answer, and I’ll take it back to His Grace.” With that he made a step back, obviously waiting for Murphy to open the envelope and read the letter within. He didn't move at all, but stood there stiffly, as if he were a statue.
When he opened the letter, Murphy would find out that it was an invitation to a private dinner with the duke in his estate in Oakleigh. He wished to get to know the merchant families that had already done so much for the Eastern Settlement better, and he hoped that Murphy would accept his invitation.
~~~
Oakleigh Estate was a very modern building, with lots of white stone, glass and metal. When Murphy arrived, he would find that he received a welcome that was worthy of a lord – for that was how Tristan had decided to treat him, despite the fact that he bore no official title and likely never would. The merchant families had taken care of the Eastern Settlement for generations before he had arrived, and thus they deserved his utmost respect and gratitude.
A servant would immediately take care of his horse – if he arrived on horseback – and the guards bowed to him before they opened the door wide and gestured for him to step through. More guards stood on the other side of the door. They too bowed to him.
Murphy would likely find Oakleigh Estate very … different. There were no ancient paintings. There were no dusty carpets, no heavy curtains that blocked the sunlight and no statues of important looking men and women that had died a long time before. Everything was very modern and, at least for the most part, tasteful which would likely come as a surprise to those that had known Tristan before he had become a duke.
Somewhere nearby Murphy could hear the laughter of a child, the bark of a dog and the voice of a man, and then a door opened, and down the hallway, towards him walked – the duke himself who had a wide smile on his face and was dressed in a fashionable dark blue suit.
Tristan knew that most dukes wouldn’t welcome a guest that was not of noble birth like that, but he didn’t care. He had a pair of perfectly functioning legs, and he would feel stupid (and bored) if he sat in his dining room and waited for somebody to bring Murphy to him.
“Mister Clyde”, he said and extended his hand for the other man to shake it. “I’m glad that you accepted my invitation, and I hope that you had a pleasant journey. Shall we?”
Tristan had the feeling that his new subjects still didn’t like him very much. They viewed him as an intruder. Some of them even wanted him to die. He had distributed a lot of surgical masks when they had suffered from a mysterious illness, and he had donated money to the poor as well because people liked it when you donated money to the poor, but that didn’t seem to have been nearly enough. He didn’t know what else he could do though. Help more poor people? Ask Sintih to find a few more bodyguards for him to give the assassins he was sure they would eventually send a hard time?
No, he decided, he would talk to them instead. He would try to get to know them better. He would ask them what he could do for them and hopefully convince them that he wasn’t there to take their freedom away. He wanted to work together with them. He had once persuaded Ilaren, the Immortal of Alcohol, to share his bed, so how hard could it be to persuade a couple of merchant families to support him and convince them that he was not a tyrant, but a really nice guy?
Most likely very hard …
~~~
A few trials after Tristan had made that possibly fateful decision Murphy Clyde would find himself facing a middle-aged man that was dressed in a fancy suit and had a rather prominent mustache, just as he was about to tend to his horses. The man looked at him, as if he were wondering if he was facing the right man, cleared his throat loudly and explained, “I’m a servant of His Grace, Tristan, the Duke of Oakleigh, and I bring a letter from him.”
With that he handed the heir of the Clyde family a cream colored envelope that bore a crimson seal.
“If you wish, Sir”, he continued. “You can give me your answer, and I’ll take it back to His Grace.” With that he made a step back, obviously waiting for Murphy to open the envelope and read the letter within. He didn't move at all, but stood there stiffly, as if he were a statue.
When he opened the letter, Murphy would find out that it was an invitation to a private dinner with the duke in his estate in Oakleigh. He wished to get to know the merchant families that had already done so much for the Eastern Settlement better, and he hoped that Murphy would accept his invitation.
~~~
Oakleigh Estate was a very modern building, with lots of white stone, glass and metal. When Murphy arrived, he would find that he received a welcome that was worthy of a lord – for that was how Tristan had decided to treat him, despite the fact that he bore no official title and likely never would. The merchant families had taken care of the Eastern Settlement for generations before he had arrived, and thus they deserved his utmost respect and gratitude.
A servant would immediately take care of his horse – if he arrived on horseback – and the guards bowed to him before they opened the door wide and gestured for him to step through. More guards stood on the other side of the door. They too bowed to him.
Murphy would likely find Oakleigh Estate very … different. There were no ancient paintings. There were no dusty carpets, no heavy curtains that blocked the sunlight and no statues of important looking men and women that had died a long time before. Everything was very modern and, at least for the most part, tasteful which would likely come as a surprise to those that had known Tristan before he had become a duke.
Somewhere nearby Murphy could hear the laughter of a child, the bark of a dog and the voice of a man, and then a door opened, and down the hallway, towards him walked – the duke himself who had a wide smile on his face and was dressed in a fashionable dark blue suit.
Tristan knew that most dukes wouldn’t welcome a guest that was not of noble birth like that, but he didn’t care. He had a pair of perfectly functioning legs, and he would feel stupid (and bored) if he sat in his dining room and waited for somebody to bring Murphy to him.
“Mister Clyde”, he said and extended his hand for the other man to shake it. “I’m glad that you accepted my invitation, and I hope that you had a pleasant journey. Shall we?”
