ALL NOVEL Chapter 677 – Those who are Still Around
“When there are great disparities in your lifespans, friendships can often be an ephemeral thing. Cherish what relations you have, while you have them around.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
“Milady Aideen! A gem at the end of the vein as usual!” Greeted a cheerful, familiar voice as Aideen and her group arrived in Ostmauer at the end of the carriage ride.
For a moment, Aideen felt almost as if she was transported back to a century ago when she first visited the dwarven border city together with Celia, as a familiar smiling face once again came to greet her upon arrival. It was a face she was familiar with, that of Roland Stahlfaust, Ginnie’s youngest son who had done the same on the previous occasion as well.
Of course, while it was the same Rollie, he had aged, though not significantly as he was still a youth by dwarven standards back then, and a mature dwarf in the present. He kept the same contagiously cheerful grin on his features, though, which sent Aideen into a little bout with nostalgia.
“Rollie! Been a while!” replied Aideen enthusiastically as she gave the dwarf – now an adult and matured – a familial hug. “How’s the family? Your sister still in charge of the place I hear?”
“Yeah, big sister is doing well, though she’s considering moving on and handing things over to our nephew sometime this century,” said Rollie as cheerfully as always. “Both big brother and big sister have been raising him to take over as Markgraf, so he ought to do well when it’s his time to take over in a bit, though he complained a lot for sure in the meantime!”
“Good to hear that the family’s keeping it up nicely,” said Aideen with a nod. The noble title being hereditary was not unusual amongst the dwarves, though unlike most other nations, it was far more common for them to choose a cousin or nephew or the like as heir instead of their own offspring. It was purely a matter of who would do best in the position, for them.
Despite stereotypes that often portrayed dwarves as greedy, in truth it was nothing like that. The so-called “greed” the dwarves were often saddled with was more akin to the appreciation of an art aficionado to great artworks, albeit when it came to dwarves, it mostly applied to items made of metal and stone. That many such items were made of or contained precious metals was the reason for the rise of such a stereotype in the first place.
Instead, the vast majority of dwarves generally had their vices and predilections under far better control than humans did, with a more far-reaching viewpoint. They knew all too well that power often corrupts, and did their best to avoid the worst of it. There were still occasions when ambition and greed came to the fore and caused bloodshed, but those were far rarer as most dwarven successions were smooth and bloodless.
“Come, come now, since big sister heard you were coming she had prepared a feast in your welcome. Big brother’s here too, as is our nephew, and both are really interested in meeting you, Milady,” said Rollie enthusiastically as he ushered Aideen’s group into the city. This time around they entered from the western gate, so they were at the civilian side of the city.
From there they had to cross nearly half the city as the Markgraf’s mansion was situated right where the border between the civilian side and the military side of the city was situated. The family’s hereditary mansion had always been situated there to remind themselves of their duty first and foremost, which was also one reason why most of the family served in Knallzog’s military, at least in their youth.
Much like in Knallgant, the building itself was a stark, gray stone one in a squarish shape, heavy on the function over form. If there was anything that set it aside from the many other similar buildings in the city it would be the larger size, as well as the emblem of the family carved into the stone walls to the sides of the main door.
While they used the Stahlfaust family name as Ginnie married the heir of the family and took over the title in her generation, many still refer to them as “von Ostmauer” instead as a reminder of their position. It was also a convenient way to differentiate the Ostmauer Stahlfausts and the Royal ones.
The emblem used by the family remained the same over the ages, that of a crossed axe and warhammer set between two shields, all set on a fort’s wall as the background. Even without colors and as simple carvings on the stone wall, the emblem was easily recognizable even from a distance, which left no questions as to who the place belonged to.
Rollie opened the door for them and the group entered the simply adorned mansion. They were greeted by Henrietta and an older dwarven male who Aideen thought was most likely their older brother in the main living room, as well as a younger dwarven youth she assumed was likely the aforementioned nephew.
“Good to see you in good health, Markgraf,” said Aideen in greeting as she embraced the dwarven noble, then her brother, in a friendly manner.
“You have not changed one bit, Miss deVreys, though I guess it is to be expected in your case,” replied Henrietta with a guffaw. When she first met Aideen it was not too long after she had taken over Ostmauer from her elder brother, and now she was already contemplating retirement while Aideen looked no different than when they first met over a century ago. “Shame mother couldn’t be here to meet you again, but I guess that’s what us as her children have to make up for.”
Ginnie had passed on a few decades after Aideen’s departure back then, the old dwarf passing away in her sleep at a ripe old age nearing six centuries. At the time, Aideen had passed on a final letter from her to the Bone Lord, who sighed over the passage of time, and also told Aideen that it was one reason he tried not to get too close to others too often.
