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Baron Hanrahan looked ready to explode when Isabell said that the Town of Hanrahan and even his entire Barony weren’t worth fighting for.

He might not be someone who had marched on the front lines during the War of Inches, but by the Holy Lord of Light, he’d done his part! He’d fought to protect this town!

No demon raid on the supply lines through Hanrahan Barony had ever succeeded during the entire war, and he’d turned his very own manor into a safe haven where the priests could gather and the wounded could be treated within the security of his fortress walls.

He had done his part to secure the future of his family and his people!

Unfortunately, one glance at Owain’s calm, calculating expression was all it took to know that further outbursts would only be counterproductive.

His job had been to rage, rebuke, provoke, and do whatever it took to draw Master Isabell and Master Tiernan into making a commitment for the upcoming war.

It was Owain’s job to gently guide them into making that commitment in Hanrahan Baron,y and it appeared that the young lord was finally ready to make his move.

Now that they’d reached this point, Baron Hanrahan would have to swallow his pride no matter how much he wanted to speak up in front of the people at the lower tables, to make a show of defending what they had built here and that they wouldn’t accept insults about the fruits of their hard labor.

But the time to do that would have to come later. For now, it was Lord Owain’s turn to guide the conversation.

"I’m curious, Master Isabell," Owain said, swirling his wine casually in his goblet as he stared at the proud engineer.

"If this town isn’t worth fighting for, then what is?

Or would you prefer to be tasked with rebuilding the town of Hanrahan into something worth protecting.

.. maybe something that could withstand even your fearsome assaults," he said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Isabell.

"I’ve discussed matters at length with Master Tiernan," Isabell said, leaning back in her chair and sipping her wine.

Finally, it seemed like they were going to get to the point.

She only wished she could have gotten here without being so forceful and without having to dredge up so many old memories.

Now that she had, she needed a few minutes to calm herself before she went any further. Thankfully, she and her fellow Guild Master had discussed things well in advance, and he was more than capable of supporting her in her time of need.

"Master Isabell doesn’t mean any disrespect to your lordship’s estate, Lord Hanrahan," Tiernan said, diplomatically stepping into the gap that Isabell had created for him.

"It’s just that, when we discussed matters and considered the interests of the other Masters whom we represent, we find that Hanrahan Barony is a bit too. .. out of the way for our needs."

"So you’ve said on a number of occasions," Owain said, already dreading a return to topics they’d gone over so many times that he felt the conversations had ruts worn in them.

"As I’ve explained, many of the lands surrounding Lothian City have been settled by knights who won their titles in earlier wars.

No knight has been granted lands within a day’s ride of Lothian City since the end of the Brother’s War. "

"That’s not entirely true," Master Tiernan said, cracking his knuckles and sharing a brief, knowing look with Isabell.

"After all, lands were granted to Sir Brevik Shaw and then again to Sir Halaster Mourn," he pointed out, dropping a pair of names that Marcel had provided.

"It’s just that they were never able to hold those lands. "

"Sir Brevik Shaw?" Owain said, blinking in confusion and looking to Baron Hanrahan, who seemed equally lost. "Sir Halaster Mourn? I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of either of these ’brave’ men who failed to protect the lands my family bestowed on them."

Around the room, a quiet murmur arose as people poked their neighbors, each one inquiring if the other had ever heard of these esteemed knights and the deeds that had won them some of the most treasured lands in Lothian March.

The fiefs established outside of Lothian City were so large and so valuable that many expected generations of Lothian Marquis of placing their most loyal retainers there in the hopes of elevating them to barons when the March became a Duchy.

The names of the knights who held those lands were known across the march, yet no one had ever heard of Sir Mourn or Sir Shaw.

"My Lord," Hugo said hesitantly from the far end of the table.

"I, I may be able to help with that, assuming that I’m recognizing the names correctly.

Master Tiernan," he said, looking at the physically imposing ironmonger.

"Could it be that you’re talking about the parcels directly adjacent to the, the demon highway, before it enters the Vale of Mists? "

"Yes, that’s it, exactly so young lad!" Tiernan said with a wide grin. "It’s clear that Hanrahan Barony was chosen for its proximity to Airgead Mountain, but it’s also a bit too distant from Lothian City, and while there are good streams and a few large ponds out here, nothing we’ve seen here compares to the River Luath. "

"You, you want to build your fief at the mouth of the Vale of Mists?

" Owain said, momentarily too stunned to give any sort of composed response to the outlandish request. That region was beyond cursed, and in his lifetime, it had likely become even more cursed when he ordered Sir Broll and Sir Tommin to bury Ashlynn Blackwell there after he beat her to death.

The fact that one of those men was already dead and the other had betrayed him to seek shelter in the arms of the Church was only more proof in Owain’s mind that anyone who had anything to do with the mouth of the Vale of Mists would not meet a good end.

Without the full might of the Church behind him, he wouldn’t dare to set foot there and once it was conquered, he still didn’t know if it would be safe to make use of those lands until decades later.

"Are you mad?"