The Barton Family

The vast gardens of Barton manor stretched before Lirena as she entered the main gates, giving with a curt nod from the guards as they opened the way. Greenery decorated the vast lawn of the property, but eventually gave way to the white walls of the manor itself.

Samuel, the elderly head butler, was waiting for her at the door and bowed courteously. “My lady, a warning. Your father is…” He stroked his gray beard nervously.

“Quite cross?” Lirena said, playfully mimicking his speech. “I imagine so. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“You also have a message waiting you in your room,” Samuel said before he opened the door.

“Thank you, Samuel,” she said as she stepped into the hall.

Her father was walking in circles in the front hall, and she adjusted her suit jacket as she approached him.

Nicholai Barton usually kept himself composed, but his frantic pacing and swift turns on his laps had left his graying blond hair disheveled, and his face was beet red. In his frustration, he was bent over, hiding his normally proud height.

She already knew what his flustered attitude pertained to. As he made his next turn, he noticed her walking toward him.

“Where have you been?!” He demanded.

“Getting my sword repaired. It was far past due,” she replied simply.

“Yet you spurned the smiths at Lord Auclair’s shop! Quite harshly, I am told!” Somehow, her father was growing redder - she was worried his head might burst.

Lirena rolled her eyes. “All I told him is that his advances were not welcome and I needed work done. It was only harsh because the man’s ego was as fragile as his desire to do anything beyond bedding me. ”

Her father gasped. “Such crass language!”

“It sure was, which is why I took my business elsewhere,” Lirena said, ignoring the direction of the comment.

Nicholai smoothed his hair back. “So where did you take your sword?”

“An Earthtouched blacksmith who came recommended to me by the Zoner Commission,” she said with a shrug.

She felt a smile creep onto her face when she recalled the muscular woman.

“You left a high quality piece of equipment with one of them?!” Nicholai bellowed. “And you dare to smile about it?!”

Lirena’s eyes narrowed. “If you can rely on the Commission, then you can trust the same blacksmith that they do. Should anything happen to it - an outcome I highly doubt - I will see to the cost of its replacement. That is all I will say on the matter. Good day, father.”

Her father continued to rage as she stormed off to her room, and as she turned the corner, she heard his footsteps trail off toward his study.

Nicholai had his business reasons for his anger, but she suspected part of it was because the list of disillusioned men in related businesses grew by the day. The Bartons ran the largest arms supply chain for the kingdom, so of course being married into the family was advantageous for the many greedy nobles who coveted a piece of their business arrangements.

Luckily, her father had agreed to her one condition on marriage: that the only person who she would agree to wed would be one who could defeat her in combat.

Since listing that condition, she had lost count of the number of duels for her hand, and every would-be suitor had lost their challenge.
Those many battles had ultimately given her an opportunity to meet Yvonne, so the trouble was worth it in one way, she supposed.

There was one additional reason that her hand was so often sought, and she suspected that the letter in her chambers was related to it.

The letter lay in the middle of her desk, still enclosed with its wax seal - the mark of the Suleitian Zoners, those of the kingdom who would take to the Zones before the Commission was called upon. Usually, there were enough Touched among the Suleitian forces to handle most cases, but with especially large or troublesome Zones, mercenaries would often be recruited.

Or others, if the need called for it.

She pulled upon a drawer to get her letter opener, and quickly sliced the seal apart and pulled out the letter.

Miss Barton,
Due to the scale of the most recent Zone, and taking into consideration your unique condition and prowess, we humbly request your presence when the vanguard leaves in 5 days’ time.

She folded the letter. There was no doubt in her mind that her swordplay had earned her a reputation, but she knew some of the men she had bruised the egos of were able to pull strings in these conditions and refuse her entry. No, they wanted her along for the same reason some would challenge her to a duel.

Unlike every other human known in Suleit, Lirena was unaffected by the Zones.

For most, being caught in a Zone’s sudden expansion of elemental polarity was a certain way to immediately become one of the Touched. With such an event came some great gifts, such as those Yvonne utilized, but also a great amount of discrimination from the Untouched populace, especially those in power.

Despite being caught in a Zone when she was a toddler and her nanny becoming one of the Touched, Lirena had been unaffected. The mages of the kingdom deemed her “Untouchable” for her immunity, and noble families began to eye her like a trophy to be won.

A disgusting reaction, she thought, especially since being Touched was not be something a bloodline could pass on, so there was no reason yet to believe that being Untouchable was either. Yet it was that very reaction from her fellow nobles that convinced her to practice her swordplay from a young age and make the deal with her father.

Despite why she assumed that her request to join the venture had been approved, she was happy to finally be using her talents to help the people of the kingdom.

A knock sounded at her door, and she called for them to enter as she put the letter back on the desk and turned to face her visitor.

Her mother, Laura Barton, was the woman she was said to be the spitting image of, most notably with her red locks, but Lirena’s eyes were a gift from her father. Her mother’s eyes, a deep blue hue, would almost be stern if it weren’t for the hint of amusement across her lips.“You are going to give your father a stroke, you know,” Laura said.

“He is a grown man, surely he can monitor his own reactions if his health is so perilously tied to them,” Lirena huffed in reply.

“He is doing what he thinks is best,” her mother sighed. “Though I know neither of us agree on the particulars.”

That was one thing Lirena could rely on her mother for - Laura had always supported her daughter’s “wild” endeavors, from the duels, the conditions she wanted - everything had been taken with the Lady Barton’s advice from behind the scenes. The rest, as her mother had said, would be up to Lirena to fulfill; she trusted her daughter to succeed in her duels until she was ready to settle down.

“Well, hopefully this news won’t exacerbate him further,” Lirena said. “I’ve been cleared to go on the next expedition.”

“Now I’m worried you’re going to give me a stroke,” her mother said. “But I suppose this was bound to happen in some form or another. At least I know you’re capable of defending yourself. I trust your sword will be ready in time?”

Lirena beamed. “I’m sure it will be. Yvonne… er… Miss Darlain comes highly recommended.”

Laura gave her a knowing smirk. “I see… I’ll handle your father, just make sure you’re prepared. None of us want to hear of anything happening to you. I’m sure it would also come as a blow to your… new acquaintance?”

“P-probably!” Lirena said nervously. “If she does a good job I don’t see why I wouldn’t be a repeat customer, right?”

Laura left it at that and walked away, and Lirena took a moment to compose herself.

It was only going to be a few days, but already she was looking forward to her next meeting with the blacksmith, the new bright spot in her life.