An expensive commission

[O'Neil(#19982)]          It is the end of the day and most of the people of Creatach Keep are in their homes snug beside a warm fire as the winter air howls past the stone shelters of the people of Bear. This is not the case for all however as a bright flickering light is still being emmited from one of the Keep's forges. All the windows are shut tightly and the door's lack of ratteling suggests that it is barred securely. From within, the constant (almost rythmical) ringing of a hammer striking against it's target is heard, even above the howling wind.
 
          The sky above is densely packed with clouds but no snow has yet to fall. Instead there is only the bitter cold to greet the nightly traveller - a very bitter cold.

As if closed windows and a barred door will deter Aeden Kavanagh. Well, they might. The child makes his way to the smithy's building and the first thing he tries to do is yank the door open. When that fails, he pounds on the door once. The boy frowns as the thud is entirely too quiet and Aeden looks around for a moment before scooping up a wooden tankard that was left strewn on the grounds. He slams that agains the door and as it makes a far more satisfactory banging, the youth can't help but smile at his own ingenuity. He stands waiting, wrapped up in a thick cloak, hopping from foot to foot in the cold.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          The ringing of the hammer fall continues, quickly followed by a sudden and dreadfully loud roar of the bellows at work. And thus due to the noise within, the first knock from without goes unanswered. However, silence suddenly settles upon the inside of the smithy save for a muffled cough allowing for the youth's second attempt to be heard loudly within. Footsteps are then heard crossing the floor but it is a few more moments before the sound of the wooden bar is lifted along with the latch. Only a head sticks itself out from behind the door though that head stands an enourmous distance from the ground.
 
          Gazing down at the youth, 'The Giant' frowns before speaking in a voice soft but touched with a pinch of irration. "Get in here, boy before you let all the heat out. Though you better have a good reason for disturbing me. Its quite past my business hours."

Aeden grins when the door opens, unflustered by the intimidating blacksmith. He's but one of a great many intimidating men that swirl around in the boy's life. The mug is tossed back to the ground with a lack of care and the eight year old hurries inside, grateful for the warmth that washes over him.

Kavanagh looks much like his father, with a thick shock of brown hair on his head and dark eyes that match the former Ceann almost perfectly. He peers around the room curiously for a few moments, then turns to look back at the man, his head tilting back as he regards the full stature of the blacksmith towering over him.

Aeden grins when the door opens, unflustered by the intimidating blacksmith. He's but one of a great many intimidating men that swirl around in the boy's life. The mug is tossed back to the ground with a lack of care and the eight year old hurries inside, grateful for the warmth that washes over him.

Kavanagh looks much like his father, with a thick shock of brown hair on his head and dark eyes that match the former Ceann almost perfectly. He peers around the room curiously for a few moments, then turns to look back at the man, his head tilting back as he regards the full stature of the blacksmith towering over him.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          And tower over the lad he does, the massive smith examining Aeden with his amber eyes before turning back to the forge. Returning to the flames, he works the bellows several times causing the fire to roar back to life once more and send strong waves of heat throughout the room. Turning to face the boy, he points to a nearbye brazier upon which a bottle of spiced wine is boiling and then to a table covered in mugs and cups of various shapes, sizes and value. "Drink?"
 
          Walking over to the bottle, he pours for himself and then waits holding a second glance listening or watching for some sort of response from the boy. All around the room are tools or pieces of work put neatly into their own places, giving the smithy a look of order and producitivity, as one could see through the projects in their different stages of completion.

The boy watches the smith with interest, following after him slowly when he moves off to pump the bellows. As the warmth of the room saturates through his winter cloak, Aeden shrugs off the garment to the floor and walks over to the table with the cups. "What is it?" He asks with a wary expression. The youth has learned in the last few weeks that not all drinks are created equally.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          As the boy look with interest, the smith looks on with an almost empty gaze. When the youth inquires as to the name of the beverage, 'The Giant' brings forth a small smirk before shrugging. "Spiced Wine. Not sure what kind. Don't care really as long as it keeps me warm." The smith then takes a large sip from his mug and moves to a bench seated against one of the walls near the forge, the stones heated due to their proximity to the warmth.
 
          Now seated, the massive men stretches out his legs and lets out a sigh before closing his eyes. Suddenly noticing that the bar isn't over the door, he looks as if he is about to get up and secure it but instead he shrugs and turns his gaze upon a huge maul hammer laid flat across one of the tables. Now comfortable he closes his eyes while listening to the howling wind outside. "What is it you want, boy?"

Perhaps the boy isn't feeling brave tonight when it comes to alcoholic beverages. He doesn't say anything when a drink isn't poured for him. Instead, Aeden slowly looks around the room again, his eyes going over everything with a more careful examination. "Do you know how to craft a sword?" Slowly he approaches the forge, curiosity of the glowing embers drawing him in like a bug seeking a bright light.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          Though his eyes are closed, the smith's face forms a strange expression before letting out a deep booming laugh that echoes through the room. "No, boy. I just wear this brown apron for fun." At first he sounds serious and at the begining so does his voice but soon he is smirking again before saying "Yes. But before I do things like that I generally like to know who I'm talking to, what they want it for and what they are going to give me for it."
 
          Lifting the cup up from his side he then takes another sip despite the fact that his head is leaned back.

The laughter earns a glance from the youth, his brows drawn together. "My name is Aeden.. My father was Brodie Kavanagh and my grandfather is Gabhran, the Fian of Kavanagh." The boy says, holding his hands up to the heat rolling from the idle forge. "I'll be Fian someday. I need to have a sword. I'm going to be the greatest warrior in Caerdh."

[O'Neil(#19982)]          As the youth speaks to O'Neil, he lets out a long sigh. "Hmm...a Ceann's boy. And your going to a Fian. /And/ then your going to be the greatest warrior in Caerdh. Thats quite the list. Now you've answered my first two questions but not my third. What do I get in return for my services?" 'The Giant' now opens his eyes and rises to his feet once more looming over the relatively small boy. Draining his cup, he now moves to the brazier and its rack for the spiced wine bottle.
 
          Filling his cup once more with the steaming liquid, he awaits an answer with a look of patience upon his face.

"I'll tell everyone who made my wonderful sword. I'll tell them of how great a smith you are and you'll have more business then you'll know what to do with!" Aeden says with some gusto, looking up at the giant of a man with another grin on his face. "And when I'm Fian I'll make sure you're well rewarded. I'll even swear an oath."

[O'Neil(#19982)]          As the boy describes how he is going to pay for his purchase, the master smith can't help but frown. "More business than I'll know what to do with? I suppose you didn't notice all my orders over there on the shelves, did you?" Pausing his speech, O'Neil takes another long sip of his spiced wine.
 
          "I'm afraid boy that oaths from most men are worthless to me. When you live around enough thieves and murderers your trust in others has a tendency to take a hit." Sighing once more, he finishes "Oaths from boys worth even less. So unless you can either name an item of equal value to trade I can't help you."

Aeden's smile fades as the blacksmith turns down his offer. He's obviously thinking hard as his gaze trails over to the bellows and the forge again. He approaches the device and jumps up, reaching to grab ahold of the handle so that he can send a blast of air into the furnace. "What if I helped you? I could help you finish all your orders, then you would have more time. And I would -still- tell everyone who made it. Have you ever even crafted a sword?"

[O'Neil(#19982)]  As he watches the young boy move over to the bellows, O'Neil can't help but laugh as he jumps for the handle. "Imagine how thrilled my customers would be when they found out that a boy was working on their orders? Yes....I'm sure my business would definately increase.." The sarcasm in his last sentence is fairly evident but he does not appear irritated just yet.
 
          Now the amber eyes of the smith reveal something else though...Perhaps a realization? "How come you just don't ask your Fian for a sword? After all you /did/ say he was your grandfather."

The boy is jumping up to pull at the bellow again, rather enjoying the blast of heat from the fires from his efforts. He drops down to his feet again and looks over at the smith, showing the first sign of hesitation before answering. "Well.. I could. I think he would be more impressed if I sorted it out all on my own. Plus, it would be a surprise." Aeden looks around again, "Do you have any swords here? That I could look at?"

[O'Neil(#19982)]          The smith now grins again, "And yes. He would be impressed. Especially since he the Fian with his own hold and your just an heir with nothing of value to trade as we've seen except promises." As the boy questions whether there are even any swords present in the smithy, O'Neil almost reacts as if insulted.
 
          "Of course there are! But I really don't want you touching anything that I'm trading with people. If word got out that I let little boys into my smithy and run a much, I'd loose credibility." Rasing a hand, he brushes a braid out from infront of his eye. Moving through a row of shelves, he finds an object wrapped up in some worn cloth. Returning to the boy, he unfolds it to reveal a elegant blade and places it on a table. "This used to belong to a friend of mine. The blade runs full tang." If one were to examine the pommel of the blade they would see an ornately carved Hawk on either side.

A tall man just standing isn't so intimidating, but when he starts raising his voice the situation changes rather quickly. Aeden's eyes widen and he unconsciously steps back a few steps, though the man isn't that close. When the smith returns with a sword.. a real sword!.. all of his fear vanishes and he rushes over to look at it. "You made that yourself? Truly??" He reaches out to try and run his finger over the carved hawk. "Why is there a hawk on it?"

[O'Neil(#19982)]          Paying no attention to the boy's reaction to his voice change, O'Neil nods. "Yup. I sure did. Not my greatest work but its still a beautiful sword." As the boy reaches out and runs his finger over the hawk, it first looks as if the master smith is going to yell but then he sighs and swallows his words.
 
          When asked about the symbol itself, O'Neil grins and then shakes his head. "I forget how young you are. Perhaps too young for a sword. You'll probably poke your eye out." Sighing he then finally answers, "Because the sword belonged to a man of the Hawk Clan."

"I would not. I've used weapons before. Papa taught me how to hold and throw a spear, and a knife. He taught me how to skin an animal, too. I've heard them talk about the Hawk Clan.. they say they're the ones that burned Kierkgard." Aeden's fingers reach for the haft and then he pauses, looking up at the blacksmith. "Can I hold it? I'll be careful."

[O'Neil(#19982)]          "He did, did he?" The smith appears uninterested at first but as soon as he hears the words 'Hawk', 'burned' and 'Kierkgard' in the same sentence his attention perks. "You've heard them say that have you? Have you indeed....." As O'Neil appears to be deep in thought the giant man almost sways slightly like a tree. When the last question is asked, the master smith hesitates before conceding. "Yes but don't drop it. Or hit anyone or anything with it. Or it'll be your head."

Aeden smiles again in delight when he gets permission to pick up the weapon. "I think that's what they said.. It's confusing sometimes and I'm not allowed to interrupt or ask questions.. Grandpa gets mad if I do that." He tries to lift the sword with one hand and looks surprised at the weight of it. He's used to playing with wooden weapons. The boy wraps his other hand around the heft and concentrates as he lifts it, trying to keep it balanced. "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

[O'Neil(#19982)]          "Yes, quite a lot heavier thank you think. And then try usings it in a fight for a long time." The smith now nods at the boy before he walks over to a table to retrieve his own massive maul hammer. Although coupled with the man's size it does not appear so far out of place. "If you think thats heavy you should try holding my hammer. Or a Greatsword even. Its more work to wield it, Aeden but it also does more work. Or rather makes short work of any enemy of yours." Now O'Neil seems to be contemplating something and he reamins thinking upon it while Aeden holds the longsword.

Aeden slowly swings the sword in the air and stumbles a step, his arms straining to keep the wavering tip from touching the floor. He recovers and tries the same manuever a second time with more careful control. It's slow and clumsy, but looks far less hazardous. The boy is grinning again as his eyes find the blacksmith again. "Whoa.. You fight with that?" He asks in some awe as he stares at the massive hammer. The child gapes, "Can I try holding it?"

[O'Neil(#19982)]          "I certainly do. I can crush a man's skull with a simple swing if hes not wearing a helmet." As the boy asks to try holding the hammer, O'Neil states "First give me back the longsword and then I'll let you try." The smith now waits for the boy to exchange weapons with him but is prepared to catch the handle of the hammer should the boy drop it.

Aeden passes over the sword and shakes his arms out before he eyes the hammer. He reaches with determination, gritting his teeth as the tremendous weight (likely more than he himself weighs) is upon him. The boy has no ability at all to lift it and he's struggling before the smith even completely relinquishes it. "Aaah, it's too heavy!" Aeden says in alarm, starting to fall over backwards.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          Taking the weight of the hammer back from the boy, 'The Giant' grabs both weapons and hoists them into the air. "Smithing is a good way to build your muscles, boy." Now putting the longsword safely back in its cloth wrappings, he moves to put it away into its place on the shelf. Yawning to himself, he says "So your sure that there is nothing of equal value that you could trade for a longsword? I'm afraid I need to go to bed otherwise. Of course your welcome to come back another time like when you've talked to your grandpa but I'm finding myself quite tired right now."

Questions pour out of the boy's mouth as the smith rescues him from getting crushed under the weight of the hammer. "So.. you were friends with someone in the Hawk Clan? Aren't you worried that you'll get in trouble for that? That's not allowed anymore, right?" Obviously, Aeden's history education is sketchy at best. When the man expresses the desire to retire for the evening the youth looks disappointed but jabbers on without waiting for answers. "I will find something... I will ask my grandpa if I can't." He moves to pull up his cloak from the floor, wrapping it around his shoulders again. "Maybe I should get a hammer instead!" He says cheerfully, heading for the door.

[O'Neil(#19982)]          "I will answer all of your questions another time, Aedenn. For now, have a good night." The giant smith then smiles before leading Aedenn to the door after he has grabbed his cloke. "Before you have any weapons however, you'll have to work on getting your muscles bigger, boy. So make sure to exercise a lot." Chuckling he then opens the doors after putting on his own thick grey cloak. As for the forge he leaves it lit for now knowing that the embers are secure and that it might still have a spot of warmth to them should he leave them overnight.

"I'll come back!" Aeden says cheerfully, then rushes off towards the keep proper, eager to get out of the bitter cold before it works through his layers of warm garments.