Darien III of Vinrea. Darius the Bear of the West. Denor the Adulterer. Deron the Bear.
Those are names, names to be praised, to be scorned, to be forgotten. My real name? Darien Freir.
I took the guise of a Nigon military leader in the Courier Knights, named Darien III of Vinrea. No one knew I was born from our lady Avdaviel II, but she knew, and she took me to where I would be best. I was not born of the late King, but of a peasant scoundrel named Darien II of Vinrea, my Courier Knight precedent and father. That is why I had to be taken away from the Castle. Our lady Avdaviel II was kind enough to keep me within the walls of Vinrea, watching me now and again as I rose in the ranks of the Courier Knights mercenary guild.
After I had taken command, I started a campaign to rid the South of slavers. I had become victorious, and the enemy knew me well as Darius, the Bear of the West. At home, the Queen decided it was time to tell the family that I am their half-brother, and they dismissed any sins as if it were a bundle of scraps. The youngest especially looked up to me, and respected me as if I were a hero. And with the populace of the West, I was paid with much respect... and paid with much bounty. With the gold came greed, and with the greed came a downfall.
Though I had been the commander until the very end of the Courier Knights, I was a coward and fled from Vinrea after the last battle the Freir Kingdom would fight. After hearing the news that Vinrea had held, though much was devastated by the Northeastmen, I could not bring myself to confront the Queen again. So thus, I took to Central, the heart of the enemy, to none other than Eslientia. My plan was to kill the military leader, Count Dei Eslient, even if I had to lay down my life. A sort of reconciliation.
My name was then “Denor”. During this time, my plan had failed, because I met a wonderful lady just when I entered Eslientum. Her name is not important, but just know that she was the kindest soul I had met in my life, and I have had a long, dreary life.
Of course, with two children and profit from a farm, the greed came again. I bedded a whore in a tavern in the town of Eslientum, and the Barking Knights heard. The Barking Knights have a few distant relatives to the family of my former wife’s, and they were angry with my actions. Instead of killing me, how a sensible person would in my mind, they banished me from setting foot on the property again, even in Eslientum. They would kill me if they saw me again. They had only saved me my life that once because I am a Westerner, and it was pitied.
I met a group of bandits, taking the name Deron. They were lowly and poor, so they took to robbing cheap merchants and undefended travelers. I took command and led them to prosperity, making truces with the other bandits and brigands of the area. I was again at a high point. Then, I met a boy. Not too young, just much younger than I. His name is Vi Eslient, the son of the very man I meant to kill when I entered the county.
With Vi came the revived goal of killing Dei Eslient. Eventually came the day to attack, but on our way, the downfall came again. We saw an easy target, and thought to ransack their supplies and move onto the town to fight the Magon. However, that target was occupied by Northeastmen, the very animals that killed those I should have protected back home during the war. It was a trap, several Magon we housed had turned against us, and we were torn apart like pieces of food.
Those who looked up to me were either killed or tortured. I've told myself, if only I could see the day Vi takes down the wretched Dei everything would right itself, but that will not happen. The Magon will execute me soon.
They call me “Deron the Bear”, but I am Darien Freir. I led the Courier Knights, I fought the Scentral scum, I was accepted into the Freirs, I fled as a coward, I loved a woman, I cheated her, I rose an army, I failed. My name is Darien, the single identity that will call to me in the afterlife.
I look forward to watching Scentral burn from the heavens.
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