You’re wasting your time sitting down, kid. Answer’s no.

Muddy boots, threadbare cloak, a cheap sword you probably wield about as good as you wear… Now, let me guess. Your poor village got itself wiped out—not bandits, though. Ogres, if I had to guess. Now, you want me to help even the score.

Ha! Don’t look so surprised. They don’t call me the best for nothing. But, kid, that’s the only thing you’re right about!

No, don’t even start. I got all the coin I need, and I doubt you got enough jingle in them pockets to change my mind anyway. So get up as quick as you sat and leave me be. It’s a cold night, and all I want is to sit by this here fire and drink my ale in peace.

No? Suit yourself, then.

You’re lucky. Sheidra dances next, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna toss you out and miss the prettiest thing in all the Halfrealms! Sit there quiet, though, or I’ll strangle you with your own cloak!

This crowd? Ha! Boy, I’m good as royalty here! Didn’t you see the blue boar painted on the sign outside? That’s for me! Saved a village boy from a dryad last summer. So if Balian Finn decides to up and knife some whelp who don’t know enough to mind his own business, they sure ain’t gonna stop me!

Hand off that blade, kid. Draw steel on me, and you’ll only make an ass of yourself… I was jesting, anyway. That’s better. Make it up to me? Well, buy a round and all’s forgiven! But don’t go thinking I’m indebted to ya. I gutted my own brother in the Tantagal Riots, and you can be damn sure he meant a lot more to me than you!

The Tantagal Riots?

You never heard of ‘em? Shame. It’s always the best stories that get lost. All them stories floating around about me, and the truest one goes and gets forgotten!

OK, two things—first, stop calling me Sir Finn! It’s just Finn now. I ain’t been a Celestrian Knight since before your mama took the milk-rag out of your mouth!

Second—if you really want to know about the Tantagal Riots, walk yourself to Tantagal City and ask them!

Ha, you got me there, lad. No, I bet you wouldn’t get there in one piece, either. Not these days. Used to be different, you know, but the Knights don’t keep order the way they used to. Truth be told, they’re probably as much danger on the open road as bandits or Ogres!

Oh, how did I know it was Ogres that did your people in?

Simple. You have the look of a Kesh-man. Not a bad place, Kesh. Good, sea-faring folk. I rode through there once when I was young. Good food. A good, tough village, too—with some sturdy gates, if I recall. More than enough for bandits. Only Ogres could put that sour look on your face!

Well, boy, I credit your stones—if not your brains! I already said I wouldn’t help, and I meant it. I’m done selling my sword. See these gray locks? I’m an old man now. Still fast as a storm—mind you—but I’ve got the winter in my bones. Go find yourself a Knight if it’s revenge you want.

Not revenge? You could have fooled me, judging by those fire-coals you call eyes! What is it, then? A woman? Who?

Sorry, lad. Sorry to be the gods’ voice on this, but your wife’s good as dead. What’s it been—five, six days? I’ve known Ogres, lad. If she’s lucky, they finished with her after just a day or two.

Now, don’t go fuming on me. Take yourself a deep breath and sit back down. I ain’t your enemy! I’m just telling you the star’s truth of it. She’s gone. It ain’t your fault or nothin’, but gone is gone. I know. Now take a sip of that ale and get your mind off it. Sheidra should be dancing soon—pretty as a dream, she is! Meantime, I’ll tell you about the Tantagal Riots.

You’ve heard about Lady Amriss? Yeah, thought so.

Thing is, I bet what you heard ain’t right. See, I met her. I knew her—no, lad. Not like that. But I tell you straight, it would have been my honor! She was a beauty, all right. Strong, too. And she had a heart, despite what they say.

While Kreod—that devil’s ass of a king!—was off stirring up trouble in the north, hauling his trebuchets like a damn forest on wheels, she stayed behind. Said she wanted to make sure the Halfrealms were looked after. She didn’t trust the advisors. Good thing, too! They was all Kreod’s men, every bit as crooked as he was! But Amriss sorted it out. Tough as steel, she was! She kept things nice and proper. That is, until the Knights got involved.

See, most men don’t take kindly to a woman’s orders—no matter how much she’s earned it. Them fools in Tantagal were the worst! Faldwin, my cousin, was one of ‘em. All asking for trouble. Amriss should have had their heads, but she only locked them up instead.

That was her one weakness—compassion. I told her there’d be trouble, and there was. Some of Faldwin’s knifemen snuck into the jailhouse. Killed the guards, opened the cells, set the whole bloodthirsty lot of ‘em free! Next thing you know, the whole city’s gone mad! Houses looked like they was wearing wigs of fire! Fighting in the streets. Lots of good men died.

But Faldwin wasn’t one of ‘em—good, that is. I took his rotten head in the courtyard. He was goin’ for Lady Amriss, eyes full a murder. I got in his way. My brother, he was quick with a blade, but I was quicker.

Funny. Ten years gone now, and I still remember the blood.

Damn, where’s Sheidra when you need her?! All this talk shivers my bones, and I sat here just so I could keep them still! Another ale? Sure, kid. Only I’ll buy this time. We both know you ain’t got no more coin, anyway.

Now, don’t look at me like that. I told you I was the best! But gods know how you thought you were gonna hire me with naught but air in your pockets!

See, there’s your problem right there, kid. Keep thinkin’ it’s a Knight you’re talking to—but I’m a mercenary now. At least, I was before I retired. Anyway, I don’t take honor-work no more. Honor don’t keep ya fed, and gods know I’ve gone hungry enough times to buy my seat in the heavens!

Not that I’m complaining. I imagine I’ve seen even more of this world than the gods! I was in Dendain, you know. Only man without wings to cross it! Saw a simurgh once, too—way out in the east. Damn thing’s feathers were as big as horses! It circled us for awhile, then it carried off one of Doomsayer’s elephants like it was a toy!

I’ve fought men, Ogres, hydras—even a minotaur or two. Hell, I would have fought the Centaurs, if Lady Amriss hadn’t struck a treaty! All for the best, though. A man can only take so much blood before it sours him. Reckon I’m damn near tipping point by now. Where was I?

Ah, yes. Amriss. See, she was a good ruler, lad, no matter what Kreod’s bards say. Best ruler the Halfrealms could ever hope for! But she made powerful enemies. I told her it would happen, but she wouldn’t listen! I killed as many as I could. I did. Probably saved her life a dozen times. But I’m no god, kid—no matter what they say. Wasn’t nothin’ more I could do, just me alone against all of ‘em.

I told her! I told her…

What was it she said? Gotta take risks for honor, else it ain’t honor at all. ‘Course she said it prettier than I did, but you get the gist.

Hmmm… You’re awful quiet all of a sudden! What’s on your mind?

Yeah, well.

Enough talk, kid. Do an old man a favor. Take this here key and go up to my room, last one at the end of the hall. There’s a trunk in the corner. Big oak trunk with a brass lock on it. Trunk key’s under the trunk. Inside, there’s a shield with a blue boar on it. And a good, Celestrian sickle-sword. Those belonged to Doomsayer himself, you know—but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, bring ‘em down. There’s armor up there, too, but I won’t be needin’ that. Best to travel light.

For what? Boy, seems you got heart but no brains! I guess you’ll have to be awed by Sheidra’s dancing prowess some other night—damned shame, too! But we gotta catch up with them Ogres, don’t we? Now, quit gawking and go fetch my weapons! Me, I’m just gonna sit here, soak up a little more of this fire before we go after that wife of yours. Probably too late, like I said, but gods know I’ve been wrong before.