Having equipped himself with a full plated armor, mace, and tower shield, Tolbar went to the front gate to take up his shift.
When he arrived, the two guards were still 'sleeping' comfortably on the ground. He moved the men in the guards' barracks, to avoid dirtying his new employer's public image, then went back to see a carriage waiting at the entrance.
"Who are you, where are Toma and Leo?" asked the coachman.
"Good morning. I'm Tolbar, and it is my first day of work here. Toma and Leo are resting in their accommodations," Tolbar answered.
"May I see your insignia?"
"Of course."
The giant brought out a small iron heather shield with the Cartela crest: a hammer beating on flames.
The coachman took it and examined the insignia. He could not believe a barbarian had been employed by the Cartela family. But he found no faults on the iron plate and gave it back.
"Can I proceed to the checking procedure now?"
"Sure."
With the man's consent, the giant walked around the carriage, his gaze scanning any potential threats, but found nothing until he looked through the window to see a black-haired lady dressed in noble attire.
"Good morning, good sir. How may I help you, hmm..." said the woman, appearing to look for his name in her memory.
This woman's facial features felt familiar to Tolbar. He had seen them on Lena. But what struck him the most were those similar round blue eyes. Apart from hair color and ample bosom, this beautiful noblewoman was the spitting image of the little girl. Piecing the puzzle together, he realized her identity.
"Good morning, lady Delabroch," Tolbar answered, "My name is Tolbar. I've been recently employed by your husband."
"Well, nice to meet you, Tolbar. Thank you for accepting such a monotonous job," she said while slightly bowing.
Gratitude from others was a long-forgotten notion to the giant because of his origins. And this lady he had never met before made it seem like an effortless act–which embarrassed the guard.
"Please, my lady. Don't bow to someone like me."
Maria shook her head.
"No, it is because of people like you that our citizens can live with a semblance of normalcy despite the necromancer's constant threat. Therefore, you have my gratitude."
Maria Delabroch came from a poor farmer family. She had met the young Kabolt while he was still a mere soldier and fell in love with the man. Back then, they had nothing but the tender feelings they shared and a small roof above their heads.
That's why, during those dark times, Maria took care of the underprivileged, since she understood their predicaments. To aid her people, she had opened orphanages for the children of dead soldiers, distributed free food to those in need, and built a free school.
She had become a well-known figure to the masses, who gave her the title "Mother of Cartela." The nickname echos in the city every morning, during her daily visits, from which she just came back.
Figuring out he couldn't refuse the appreciation, Tolbar reluctantly accepted it.
"Thank you, madam, I swear upon my honor to keep you and your family safe."
Maria nodded towards the guard who immediately left to open the gate. The carriage passed through but stopped halfway. The lady's head popped out of the window and interpellated the guard.
"Would you like to accompany me tomorrow for my daily visit to the city? Toma and Leo are too embarrassed to go willingly. And I prefer not to force them." Maria asked.
"It would be an honor, my lady."
***
Just before sunrise, Maria and Lena boarded the carriage accompanied by Tolbar. Toma and Leo opened the gate to let them pass, stealing black-eyed glances at the giant.
After they had woken up, they complained to the steward about how they got their asses handed over to them by Tolbar. But the latter just beat them up even more as he kept saying, "you should have read the letter." It had been easy for Stix since he doubled as Kabolt's personal bodyguard. In his youth, he had served in the army with the current city lord. They had formed a deep friendship tempered by blood and steel.
In the carriage, Tolbar silently gazed back at his now colleges, hoping the situation won't escalate, until a voice interrupted him.
"Tolbar, look, look!" Lena said enthusiastically while pointing a finger towards the window.
The guard looked in the showed direction and widened his eyes.
Sunlight was slowly creeping its way up on the horizon, piercing the night's veil as if to awaken the world from a bad dream. Mount Cartel's shadows receded like the tide revealing at its foot, a city basking in orange and yellow hue.
"Beautiful," Tolbar declared, "Is that why you wanted to leave before dawn, my lady?"
"Yes. The view from up here is a sight to behold." Marie answered.
The architects who designed the mansion dug the mountain to build it, resulting in the estate being located 200 meters above the city. A path to Cartela was carved and stoned, making it easier to travel back and forth.
The coachman enjoyed riding down this road, especially at dawn. At the end of the path, he turned right in direction of the marketplace. Once there, he stopped in front of Marie's favorite baker.
Tolbar stepped down from the carriage, closely followed by Lena and Marie. They barely had the time to take a few steps in direction of the shop's entrance, that a crowd had already surrounded them. The guard was ready to carve a way with brute force, but Marie made a motion for him to stop.
"Mother of Cartela," said the crowd while bowing, respect shining in their eyes.
Marie leaned over, grabbed the nearest citizen to pull him up, and did the same for the others, before exchanging a few greetings.
"How are you today, Beatrice?"
"Did you get thinner, John? You should eat more."
"So, Oriane, how was your date yesterday."
The people smiled and laughed around her as she took the time to talk with every single one of them.
The giant monitored the whole situation while keeping Lena at arm's reach, but to his surprise, nobody appeared suspicious. It took one hour for the crowd to disperse.
"My lady," Tolbar asked, unable to contain his curiosity, "do you perhaps do this every morning?"
"Of course. I try my best to talk to all of them. Unfortunately, I am but one person and cannot satisfy them all the time."
Indeed, sometimes she had to find excuses in order to flee from the growing masses. But as long as time allowed it, Marie would talk to them.
"Let's buy the bread and be on our way. We've still got much to do this morning," she said a smile on her face.
***
Marie had bought enough bread to fill the entire carriage, forcing Tolbar to ride next to the coachman.
Afterward, they had visited the slums outside the city walls, pausing from time to time to greet people or give bread to beggars.
Their visit to the slum finished, they had stopped by the school and orphanages where Marie took the time to check up on the children while Lena played with some of them.
Finally, they arrived at the mansion's front gate, far behind the schedule. In the carriage, Marie bowed her head toward Tolbar.
"I am sorry. I had planned to return earlier, but Lena was having so much fun with the children that I didn't have the heart to separate them."
Sigh. Tolbar knew it was useless to argue with her, so he just accepted her excuses.
"Don't worry," he said with a warm smile on his face, "I also had my share of fun."
Constant fighting against kindlings had filled the warrior with bitterness. Kindness was a notion he had long forgotten until this tour inside and outside of Cartela. He had been honestly touched watching the lady, sparing no effort in helping her citizens.
"Would you like to accompany me again tomorrow?" Marie asked.
"Of course, my lady," Tolbar answered.
"And me? Can I come too?" Lena said.
"I'm sorry my little spark, but tomorrow you have math, geography, sword, and history lessons," Marie explained.
"But..."
Seeing her daughter ready to cry, she placed her right hand on the little girl's face, gently stroking the residual baby fat.
"My little spark, do you wish to help our people that much?"
The girl nodded.
"Then listen closely because there is something that only you can accomplish for Cartela."
"Only me?"
"Yes, Lena. Because only you can inherit your father's position and lead this city to a better era. But to accomplish this feat you first need knowledge, which can be acquired through tutoring. So if you skip them, you cannot help the citizens in the future. Do you understand?"
The girl nodded.
"Good girl. Now let go grab something to eat. I am starving."
***
Days turned into weeks and since his first day of work, Tolbar had accompanied Marie every morning, to the delight of Toma and Leo.
After a few days, Tolbar had begun to warm up to some people, despite the discrimination against barbarians. The guard quickly made 'laughs and smiles' his routine, unknowing that the ice surrounding his heart–built up by years of war and racism–had started to melt.
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