Marewood, Gandalwell (1598)

Dear Journal,
                       I've created 10 new pieces of jewelry that are, if I do say so myself, worthy of royalty. The ores are always difficult to source but the end result is always brilliant. I can only hope I will acquire a buyer down by the market today. It is my monumental dream to be able to create prodigious pieces worthy of the King and Queen's affluence and power. I pray today brings good fortune. I truly believe I deserve it.
- 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
June 4, 1598

"What are you doing up so early darling?" Genevieve asked her husband.

She liked to pretend it was the sound of him scribbling in his journal that had awoken her and not the drunken chatter of the men in the tavern above their small cottage room.

"Just getting an early start." Elias said, closing his journal and stashing it under the loose floorboard beneath their bed. It creaked as his roughly textured hands grazed its surface, a result of his hard work in the sword shop.

Standing tall at six foot one, Elias was of glorious build as his chiseled arms were a swollen with muscles from lugging heavy metals. His chestnut brown hair and green eyes did well to accentuate his slender face, taking the attention away from his crooked nose.

As a talented silversmith in his home town, he wore 3 silver rings, 1 on his left hand and 2 on his right as a means to advertise his undeniable skill. At only 20 years old, he had already created a name for himself by debatably becoming the best swordsmith in Gandalwell. Though, he preferred to be called a silversmith since that was where his true passion resided.

His father had taught him the trade of becoming a swordsmith, it being passed down in his family for generations but Elias had taken the skill to another level.

He had developed a knack for creating jewelry, despite Marewood not being the ideal place for his craft. As selling his pieces proved difficult in the ascertainment of money to provide for his wife and himself, he had to resort to his father's more tedious line of work. That is— creating swords. It was not a surprise however, that he did this in a perfunctory manner.

His swords were used by the kingsguard themselves under the pretense that they were created by Randall of Odifell, another swordsmith two towns over who was popular with the nobles and upperclassmen. Unknown to everyone except the sword shop of Marewood, the swords Randall created for royalty were bought from Elias and his men as their skills were simply more exceptional.

Genevieve, his wife, was seventeen years old when he met the blonde haired maiden two years ago. He had fallen inlove with her after hearing her sing at a tavern across town and continued to show his undying fondness through the creation of rings which garnered attention everywhere she went.

She had beautiful diamanté necklaces that had to be left at home so thieves would not harm her. Her rings would glisten in the dim light of the oil lamps in their small cottage, creating shadows on the walls that Elias often made fun of. He would spend his last on acquiring the materials to craft his jewelry but he'd often describe Genevieve as a rare bijoux, beautiful and dazzling; his pride and joy.

"Will you be back early today?" she asked hopefully. He often took Saturdays off to go to market and sell
his jewelry, or rather attempt to. He rarely got any sales but he had plenty of admirers and that alone was enough to fill not the pockets of his trousers but that of his heart.

"I will try." he promised, kissing her forehead before dressing in his tattered white linen shirt and loose fitted trousers.

"You always look so beautiful in the mornings." he admired, lustfully regarding her naked body as she covered it with the bed sheets.

"Are you trying to say I'm hideous otherwise, Eli?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him before letting out a laugh. He enjoyed seeing her like this.

He laced up his boots before retrieving the wooden jewelry box with his recent masterpieces and placed them gently into his rucksack. Genevieve had already gotten dressed and gone into the kitchen to prepare his lunch.

"I feel good about today," he said ecstatically, "like something great will happen."

Looking at the silver pocket watch his father had given him, he smiled as he rubbed a thumb over its face. His father had found it on his travels across Europe and had given it to him on his 15th birthday before he died.

"Be a man worthy of respect. Be a man worthy of honor. Be a man they can never forget. Be a man."

These were the final words of a father to his son on his dying bed. That day, Elias had told himself that he would never forget them.

His lunch was soon packed and ready so he kissed Genevieve goodbye before heading out into the cool morning.

The Marewood market was a little way from where they resided as they had rented a small cottage beneath a tavern called The Rose. The tavern however, was far from its pleasant name.

Too many times he had to brush dust out of his dinner from the old, wooden floorboards and cover his ears at night from the drunken cheers of Marewood men. He was sick of it but at the moment, he could do no better. The only comfort in his mind was his surreal dreams of being the King's jeweler and residing in the castle of Gandalwell with Genevieve and his 5 children in the future. All of which would have the opportunities his mother had granted him, specifically, the ability to read and write.

She had been a high born lady; his mother. A lord's wife who fell inlove with a traveler and a swordsmith. After miraculously hiding her pregnancy from her husband by pretending she was sick from a deadly and contagious illness, he sent her away to stay and ultimately die with her own family. Elias's  father had been with her through it all, pretending he was one of the lord's men. His grandparents, up until their deaths had tried their best to educate him, even though they could never claim him as their relative due to the conditions of his conception.

As Elias walked through the market, he saw William, his stall competitor, walking hastily. He squinted at him in the distance as the piping hot sun radiated heat like a furnace.

"Morning, Elias!" shouted a few Marewood residents.

The nature of his job drew popularity to his name, making it quite difficult to move about without being recognized.

"Morning!" Elias hurried, watching and matching William's speed as the man increased his celerity.

Both men wanted to get to the central stall as it was the most visible stall in the market for person's selling inedible goods. William, with his mediocre copper jewelry could never resist racing Elias there every Saturday even though he had occupied it throughout the week while Elias was at the sword shop.

As Elias eyed him, William took off running. This in turn made Elias take off as well. The men raced down the market, William knocking over an old lady's cart of cabbages and Elias ducking a wild deer carcass the butcher carried on his shoulder as they both maneuvered through the growing crowd of people.

Elias was victorious in this race, pushing away William before he could get to the stall.

"You bastard!" William said in between breaths, watching as Elias tossed his rucksack onto the stall to mark his territory.

"Not today, Willy." Elias smirked.

"I told you not to call me that!" he huffed as Elias let out a hearty laugh.

William settled for the stall opposite to Elias's, two stalls down from the fish vendor who often scared away potential customers because of the smell.

"Oii, Elias! You just passed me up by the butcher shop and didn't even say hello. Where's your manners boy?" Edmund scolded as he began setting up his stall to the left of his friends'.

"Sorry, Ed. I wanted to get stall before Willy over there. You know how he is."

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" William shouted across from them as they both laughed at him.

"You heard the King is deathly ill? I heard the Prince of Asphal is about to take the throne," Edmund gossiped as they set up their products.

Edmund was a very skilled artisan. He could make anything you desired out of wood. Elias watched in awe as he placed wooden clocks, spoons and bowls on display. His friend had a keen eye for detail and Elias could not help but admire anyone who took their time crafting their work and perfecting their techniques.

"I heard he's a scrawny little runt who doesn't know a cunt from a hole in the wall," A male vendor said as they set up beside Edmund.

"Hush! Someone will hear you." His mother scolded him, causing Elias to bite back a smile.

"Oh geez! Those are beautiful, Eli. I wish I could afford them. Maybe my wife would start going down on me regularly." Edmund stared at the jewelry.

"Hush, Ed." Elias laughed at his friend. "Wont you ever change?"

"Probably not." Edmund replied, shaking his head.

~~~

As the day went by, Elias had plenty of the usual admirers but still, no one could afford his prices. Each of them did agree that the jewelry was worth it and that in turn brought him some amount of satisfaction.

There was a moment where his stall was overcrowded with people who ogled at his work while trying to swindle him into lowering his prices. Elias, however, never sold himself short.

As Miss. Lovett, the older woman who owned the only brothel in town tried to sweet talk her way into a discount, Elias caught movement through the side of his eyes. A cloaked figure had snatched a ring from his stall and was making their subtle but quick escape into the crowd.

"Excuse me Miss. Lovett, Ed watch the stall for me. Threaten death on anyone who would dare steal,"Elias told his friend before taking off after the thief.

As the figure scurried out of the market, Elias held on to their shoulder as he accosted the crook, spinning them around to reveal the perpetrator.

"You're lucky I didn't shout th...." he said, his voice trailing off as he looked at the beautiful woman before him.

Her cheeks flushed red for a moment but she quickly caught herself as she began to fuss.

"Unhand me you peasant!" she said aggrieved, yanking her shoulder from his clutches.

She had the most dazzling brown eyes and her curly hair was dark brown, accosted from her face by a fine pearl bandeau. A golden broach in the form of raven pinned her cloak together and her hands were covered by fine, silk gloves. Her entire attire wreaked of wealth.

'Why would a woman like this be stealing?' He thought.

"Peasant? I'm not the one stealing here and with that being said, I believe you have something that belongs to me!" Elias said, his right hand outstretched to receive his ring.

"I don't kno..."

"Do not make me shout thief. You will lose those pretty little hands of yours," Elias interrupted her lie.

She looked as if she was about to protest but she only huffed, placing the silver ring into his palm.

"Why are you even stealing? That broach alone looks befitting of royalty. It could be sold for a lot if you wished," Elias joked.

The woman looked so startled by his statement, she quickly turned on her heels to walk away.

Frowning, Elias chased after her.

"I'm sorry if I offended you miss." He said as he circled infront of her, blocking her path.

"You should apologize for touching a lady of my status," Her catty words causing Elias to furrow his brows.

"Status? You sure are spirited for a thief," Elias laughed.

"I beg your pardon? How dare you say that to roy..to me, how dare you say that to me!" she said, clearly offended.

"Princess!" Someone shouted from within the crowded market.

"Oh dear! This is where I take my leave. Good day sir." she said quickly, hastily jogging through the market.

"Princess?" Elias frowned as he watched her leave.

"Where did the woman just now go? What did she say?" A knight suddenly grabbed Elias by the shoulders, startling him by their close proximity.

"I-I don't know." he frowned, to which the knight responded by tossing him to the ground roughly, causing everyone in the market to gasp at their behavior.

The small gathering of knights quickly made their way through the crowd, chasing after the beautiful woman as they ran out of the market and into the square.
~~~

When Elias made it home, his wife was already sleeping. He rubbed his sore behind from the knight's assault and grimaced as he placed his rucksack onto the floor before removing his boots to settle into bed.

"Take that ya' f*cker!" Someone shouted from the tavern above, followed by a loud crash and bang. The ceiling shook slightly as dust settled on to both the floor and his side of the bed.

Sighing, Elias brushed it onto the wooden floors before sitting down. Oh, how he hated this place. Oh, how he wished he could give Genevieve a better life. Oh, how he wished someone would actually spend £20 on his jewelry.

As he laid his head upon his pillow, he stared at the rotting lumber of the ceiling.

"More ale!" Another demanded from the tavern, the glass making a thud that Elias could hear very clearly.

"How was it?" Genevieve asked as she stirred in her sleep. She began to turn as she positioned her leg over his, placing her head onto his chest.

"Same old thing, just a different day." he said wryly.

"Do not worry my love. Things will get better," she assured him as she snuggled up to his neck.

He kissed her hair as he thought back to the encounter with the thieving woman. The knights had called her a princess but what would a princess be doing unaccompanied in Marewood? Stealing at that.

His eyes were heavy with sleep and his heart with resentment.

He just wanted to do what he loved with the woman he loved for the rest of his life until his dying breath, not make weapons for foolish men to kill each other. He was however cursed with talent, the talent to create beautiful and great things. It's such a pity that only the dangerous creations were the most popular.

He fell asleep dreaming of silver and jewels, of crowns and tiaras, of the beautiful thief he had met, of his loving Genevieve and of his father telling him to be an unforgettable man.

His sleep was cut short as he awoke suddenly by the sound of his door being kicked down. Splinters flew everywhere as be covered his face while the door shattered to pieces, causing Genevieve to scream at the sight of the intruders who were revealed to be the knights from earlier.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elias asked loudly but was ignored as both he and Genevieve were dragged out of the cottage unwillingly. Genevieve shrieked loudly as they pulled her by her hair in the streets of Marewood, exposing her thighs as she wore only her night gown.

"I demand to know what is the reason for this mistreatment!" Elias bellowed angrily but still, they said nothing as the knights dragged both of them to the square.

Doors opened as the townfolk tried to peep at the scene taking place.

"Help!" Genevieve pleaded with them.

"This is no way to treat a lady! Let her go! I'll receive whatever punishment on her behalf," Elias pleaded once more.

The knights threw them roughly to the ground once they were in the middle of the square before finally voicing the reason for their arrest.

"Elias Steele, you have been ordered to die by his Majesty King Evans and his Majesty Prince Baltazaar for your involvement in the disappearance of Princess Emma of Gandalwell.
Your wife Genevieve Steele is also to be put to death for aiding in this heinous act," a knight read from a scroll under the torchlight of his brethren.

"What? Princess Emma? This is ridiculous! I've never met the princess. I've been framed!" Elias beseeched.

His words were ignored as a knight with a diagonal scar across his face kicked him across the square. Blood splashed to the ground at the impact of the knight's heavy boots and a crowd soon gathered to witness their assault.

"Sir. Knight what is the meaning of..." Edmund began to say but was silenced as he received a punch to the face, knocking him out instantly.

"Please, stop this! We have done nothing wrong!" Elias pleaded with the men but to no avail. He received another kick to the stomach, causing him to crumple over on the ground in pain.

"Stop! Stop this!" Genevieve begged as they beat him.

"Shut your whore mouth!" A knight bellowed at her, slapping her roughly across the face.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Elias shouted at the knight before receiving another kick to the stomach.

"Worry about yourself," said the knight who assaulted Elias. He threw him a menacing glare as his hideously scarred face was permanently etched into Elias's mind.

"You will regret this! You all will!" Elias shouted at them, just before the scar faced knight appeared over him with his sword in hand. He raised it higher as he positioned himself to strike him and Elias's mind went blank with fear.

He could hear Genevieve's ignored cries for mercy as the knight brought down his sword with brutal force into Elias's heart, killing him slowly. The crowd bellowed at the wicked act, voicing their outrage as they threw curse words at the knights.

Ignoring the crowd, they soon did the same to Genevieve, uncaring of the fact that she was a woman.

"Nothing to see here! Get back inside you filthy vermin!" A knight shouted at the townfolk, waiting for them to disperse before dragging Elias and Genevieve's bodies through the woods to the Marewood cemetery and giving them a criminal's burial; a poorly dug unmarked grave.

The knights buried the couple separately, Elias in the west and Genevieve in the east, taking joy in manhandling the lifeless bodies of the dead.

"I should've had a go at his wife first," a knight said, sharing a laugh with his swords mate as they patted him on the shoulder.

"Too late for that now," another replied while they sauntered off for their supper at the castle.