Chương 186: Pen Pals

Sir Levi, It is my great pleasure to finally write to you. As soon as I returned to the capital, and as soon as I picked up a quill, I knew I had to contact you. My choice of words is, perhaps, foolish.

'Returned' is not accurate. Rather, I was forced to return, and I will be locked up in the palace for decades, most likely. There is talk of finding me a suitor from the western nations, of course, to continue the bloodline, and that shall likely be my last glimpse of the outside. All that to say, sir, that I will remember my time at Castle Urcia fondly. Did Lord Ceonwin defeat you on the lists? Did you defeat Sir Hinfic? I am certain you did. There is a feeling I get about those sorts of things.

I promised you a friend, and you promised me the same. Though the world keeps us apart, I have managed to sneak parchment into my room, and Croak is a faithful ally. Perhaps he remembers all the crackers I would feed him when he was a hatchling. He found me in the high tower, ready to serve.

'Why can't you use your Art to escape?' If only it were so easy, and that is a trick that only works once before the Subtle Men impose a seal on your room. I should know, because I tried. Now, they guard the door, suppress my maegen, and I hear they have been crafting a collar to nullify my bodily enhancements. The window is only large enough for Croak to fit in and out of. As for the purpose of my letter: I wish to help you.

I know there is not much more I can do, but I believe you stumbled upon a bit more than you were initially expecting when you took over Hinfic's lands. In order to succeed, you will need someone who knows the inside workings of the government. I may not be able to help you physically, but I can guide you in many ways. All I ask in return is that you keep writing to me. Your letters will be the one stroke of colour in this now-gray world. Please write soon, Sir Levi.

Croak will only stay a few days before returning to me, and he is an anxious flash-raven. Holding him any longer would make him very ill, in spirit and in flesh. If you do decide to return this letter, Croak will know to deliver the next letter directly to you. It will help, however, if you feed him a treat or two. If people question why you are sending the letter, or who it came from, tell them that the Registry of Thegns is having troubles with your paperwork and processing you.

Most of them will know that any dealings with the Eraen-Kalora government bureaucracy take months, if not years, to resolve if you are not a princess or don't have sufficient bribes. The most friendly regards, Alisid (Alis) I pressed my lips into a thin line, trying not to smile or show any surprise. What were the chances these soldiers had actually read the letter and were just telling me they hadn't? Either way, I wasn't taking any chances.

I rolled it up, then said, "The Registry of Thegns has extra paperwork for me to fill out, it seems. I'll get working on it." I held the letter like a scroll, then glanced at the raven. Was his name Croak? I had no idea how to communicate with a messenger raven, but if Alis was right, he was very food motivated.

"Do we have anything to feed the ravens?" I asked.

"Work on filling out your form, sir," said one of Ceonwin's soldiers.

"The capital will want that back as soon as possible, and so will you. It will take them months to process it, and they may have more requests. Besides, although a flash-raven is fast, it will still take a week to fly north over the mountains and reach the capital. We will work on feeding the raven while you work." I clicked my tongue and gave the scroll a flick, then nodded and walked away. At least that lie held, but it did beg a question. Was I actually going to need to communicate with the Registry of Thegns?

Was there such a thing, or had Alis made it up, and the soldiers had just gone along with it because it sounded right? Either way, I had to reply quickly. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I took the letter to my room in the barracks, running as quickly as I could. Halfway, I crossed paths with Anchor and Brawl again.

"What is the letter, brother?" Brawl asked.

"And why the rush?" Anchor added.

"You're grinning, and practically glowing."

"Alis wrote to me," I whispered.

"Congratulations, brother." Brawl patted me on the shoulder.

"You have earned the trust of a princess—""Don't get stupid, Levi," Anchor hissed.

"Be careful, and make sure you're actually dealing with her. This could be a ploy for you to divulge a criminal confession in writing, and to remove you."

"The way she wrote is…almost exactly how I'd expect her to. Besides, it's her handwriting. I know that for sure."

"Someone could have forced her to send the letter, then." I opened my mouth to protest, but he was right. There was a chance, and I couldn't risk it. I wouldn't say anything dangerous yet, until I knew for sure I was dealing with Alis. Technically, if Cuthward's word was to be trusted, the Warlord didn't see me as a threat yet. The people in Eraen-Kalora likely wouldn't even have me on their mind. But maybe a Subtle Man had taken interest in me.

Maybe there was a division of traitor-hunting spies who had me on their radar still. There was no reason to get complacent. I returned to my room and sat down at my desk, then pulled out an inkwell and a quill that I used to make notes in the library—before my Focus had improved to the point that I didn't need to jot down notes to help myself remember. Since this was my day off, I could take however long I needed to craft my letter, and I could be as cautious as I needed.

I twirled the quill between my fingers, then tapped the metal tip on the edge of the page, leaving a splotch of ink. ~ ~ ~ It took a few hours, but when I finally had a suitable letter, I read through it one last time to check for mistakes. I couldn't use English script, which I was used to writing, so it took far longer to force my hand to write using the letters and words of Gate. My mind knew it, having learned as a Dupe before I stole this body's soul, but habits were hard to overcome.

Dear Alis, I'm glad to hear you returned safely, and I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I'm not sure how much Croak can carry, but if you need me to send anything something lightweight, please just ask. Forgive my hesitation, but I hope you'll understand. I need to make sure this is actually you who wrote to me. Moreover, if someone is reading these letters and forcing you to send them, I hope you'll include a way of warning me. A way. Alright, I'm going to do the same thing as you, I guess.

I'm not sure if that's the right way of phrasing it. I just need to make sure that this is safe for both of us. If you are truly Alis, you would know who rode in Lord Ceonwin's stead after the stable fire incapacitated him for a course. That was a calculated risk. There was a danger that Lord Ceonwin was revealed as a cheater, but he still had plausible deniability and could say I was lying if someone did read these letters. Besides, I was ninety percent certain this was Alis writing to me.

It wasn't much of a risk. I continued reading the letter: Once again, sorry for not trusting your letter, but I need to make sure it was you who sent it. As for your questions: Yes, I defeated Sir Hinfic and inherited his lands, and I have started ruling them as best as I can. I'm sure Lord Hinlaw will do his very best to inflict some kind of retribution on me, but I don't know what it is yet. If you have any suggestions hints, I would appreciate it greatly.

The lands are beautiful, and they have the potential for greatness, but they're suffering. I've done what I can, and what I think is best. It might not work, and I'll accept the fault if it doesn't. I have one last question of my own: Is the Registry of Thegns real, and will I actually have to deal with them for legitimacy? Best regards, Levi I rolled up the letter and wrapped it in a ribbon, sealing it tight. That was the best I could do for now. Hopefully my response wasn't too cold, but Alis would understand.

She was smart enough to know. With the letter rolled up, I raced back to the keep and climbed to the top level, where the soldiers remained, even as the sun began setting. They leaned against the merlons, fingers folded together, staring off into the distance with utmost boredom.

"Sorry it took so long," I said.

"Just make sure to feed the raven before it goes, sir," a soldier said flatly. He held out a cup of nuts and berries.

"That way, he will return directly to you, and you won't have to worry about us again." I took a handful from the cup and held it out to the bird.

"Eat up, Croak." The raven pecked at my hand, carefully plucking the snacks out of my palm without pecking my skin. It warbled and croaked as it ate, cracking the nuts in its beak and crushing the berries. Once it finished, I held out the rolled-up reply, and the raven took it in his talons. With a flutter of wings and a downdraft that threatened to knock me off my feet, the bird took off. First, he climbed, then angled his wings back and fluttered, shooting north in a blur.

A boom crackled behind him as he flew north.

"Thanks for the help," I told the soldiers. It was the least I could do, given how much boredom I made them suffer.

"Let's just hope your reply arrives safe and sound, sir."