The first stage of Faric’s plan was the easiest, as he had copied and stored the majority of his work with his father, hoping to understand him, but that which was saved in love would be perfect in revenge. Three pieces of information were given to merchants about what had been the source of their misfortune, while a fourth was delivered slightly later to the Knights of the Dragon, protectors of Daggerfall, so by the time they arrived to take Eduard into custody his house had been ransacked in a quasi-legal method of getting money back, and the lord himself had several bruises with more which would take time to show.
He was very well prepared for this second stage, so sneaking into the royal bedchamber in the middle of the night was not as difficult as many people would have expected, or hoped. Back through the earthen tunnel under the moat was followed by him making sure of the guards movement patterns, then a quick blow to the helmet meant that he had time to count to fifty while getting in and out of the room. He regarded the sleeping forms of the couple before dropping one ash-blackened nightingale feather on their pure white bed, and taking a box from the desk leaving a piece of paper there where it would be found later. Right on cue he heard the pounding of boots at the end of the corridor so he ran out into that same corridor, dropping a silver dagger as he did so. The pursuers were quicker than he had anticipated, so much so that he reached the garden seconds before they did, and only just had time to throw himself into a hollow he had prepared earlier, lifting his head up to see a shadow swarming up the castle wall, drawing all the attention.
Nearly everyone was either gossiping frantically or running to their emergency stations, so one man dressed in what appeared to be a grey nightshirt moving quickly attracted no notice at all. Arriving at the dungeons Faric opened the box and brandished the royal family’s personal seal at the men who were talking amongst themselves about the commotion upstairs:
“You lot move, now! There has been an assassination attempt on the King and Queen, every able bodied man is being temporarily drafted to hunt down the assassin. I have been ordered to take care of the dungeons on account of my wounded leg” here he lifted his garment to reveal an reddened bandage on his knee, “so go!” he barked. As the door swung shut behind them Faric leaned back with a sigh and a laugh. He rearranged the shirt till it became a cloak, and reached down to tear off the linen strip on his knee. He walked down the rows of cells, making so little noise that even the prisoners, who listened for any interruption to their monotony, could not hear him.
Eduard woke to the feeling of a feather tickling his nose, but luckily he didn’t sneeze, considering the cold steel hovering just above his throat. Faric watched his eyes widen as he took in who was standing above him, and then his breathing started to accelerate. “Hello Father dear” came the whisper, “I suggest that you get used to being in here, because after people find out about all your activities, and they are going to very soon, this is the only place you will want to be… And since I haven’t sunk to your level and killed you, you have failed at your attempt to mould me too. Have a nice life.” The hilt of the dagger rapped sharply against his temple, and a small satisfied smile creased Faric’s mouth.
In the morning when the relief staff arrived for the jail, they found one cell mysteriously had its floor covered in black feathers, while its occupant cowered on the bed above them.
