Seven Districts: New Haven

[DUEL Rory Laurent]

The five acres of prime real estate in New Haven had been the most expensive purchase that Rory and Chris had made thus far. New Haven had become littered with lavish manors as the wealthy of RhyDin had fled the center of the city for a better lifestyle amongst their equally rich and connected peers. The value of real estate in New Haven had skyrocketed.

Rory knew she had been lucky to find this tract of mostly undeveloped property. The front half of it facing the road was grassy with rolling hills while the back half was heavily wooded. Rory stood inspecting the property and enjoying the early Spring sun warming her back as she waited for Kheldar Drasinia whose construction company would build a manor befitting the property at a discounted rate.

The sole structure on the property – a crumbling old barn which would have to be torn down before construction – caught her attention. Unfortunately, the building’s aged wooden planks of a muted grey color where the weather had stripped all but a few peeling flakes of red paint would not fit in to the opulent design of the manor. Also, the building did not even seem to be sturdy any longer.

Hopefully, when Kheldar and his crew were finished with this land, the house would be stunning enough to entice even the most discerning baron to live in RhyDin full-time. After all, who could pass up a rent-free manor built for a king, or at least a well-connected duke? A high-pitched whine broke her train of thought. She listened closely in hopes of finding the source of the whine or to at least get a better idea of its location. For a long moment all she heard was the whistles, shrieks, and calls of song birds but then she heard the timid high-pitched whine once more. Whatever was creating the whine was hiding inside the barn.

"Hello," she called out, hesitantly stepping through the wide doorway and onto the soft dirt floor of the barn. The whine replied from a dark corner. As she stepped closer towards the dark corner, praying not to stumble upon a mouse, the whiner – a frightened ball of fluff – scooted past her feet and scurried up the stairs to the hay loft above.

Rory started up the stairs after it, taking each stair carefully and listening closely to the groaning wood. At the landing, she spotted the puppy cowering behind a bale of moldy hay. "Come here, puppy," she coaxed in a soft non-threatening tone, holding her palms up and out invitingly. The puppy whined in response but did not budge from its hiding spot.

The ancient wood beneath her feet creaked and grumbled as she shuffled towards the puppy. With a soft smile, she scooped the fluffy puppy up into her arms. Just as she secured a hold on the scared stray, the floor boards of the hay loft began to crack beneath her weight. The smile immediately vanished and she froze in place, too frightened to even shift her weight.

Just as the hay loft began to crumble apart around her, a pair of long strong arms drew her back to the staircase which remained firmly upright and attached to the side wall. She shut her eyes and clung tightly to the puppy, wincing at the tremendous sound of splintering wood and crashes of bales of hay as the hay loft fell into the empty stalls below.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rory opened her eyes to find the grey eyes of her savior staring sternly back at her. "What were you thinking?" Kheldar asked as he released his tight grasp on her hips.

Rory flashed him a shaky smile, still quite shaken by the close call. "I saw a puppy scoot up here," she said, holding the tiny puppy up.

Kheldar released a heavy, relieved sigh of his own as he shook his head. "Let’s get out of here before the entire place collapses." Placing an arm around her waist, Kheld guided Rory and the puppy she was clinging to out of the barn. After putting what he deemed a safe distance between themselves and the barn, the pair turned to admire the property in front of them.

"So what do you think?" Rory asked, the business at hand pushing the tense moment further from her mind. Her blue eyes swept up to Kheldar’s face to watch his reaction to the land she had bought with the Duel of Swords’ profits.

Kheldar drew up a hand to rub his chin as he considered the possibilities. Despite his muscular frame and towering height, Kheld was not the least bit intimidating. There was simply something in the his posture, his friendly manner of speech, and warm smile that disarmed people. That was probably the reason that he fit in so well with the bull-headed Graziano clan. He could keep them in line without inciting their stubborn streak. He turned his gaze back on Rory, the hand dropping back to his side. "I think you’ve done well, Ror. This place is already amazing and the house will be spectacular."

"So you have some ideas for the house then?" her gaze remained on Kheld as the puppy in her arms nuzzled and squirmed against her.

Kheldar reached out one of his oversized hands to gently pet the whimpering puppy. "Sure. I’m thinking a lush English manor. The floor plan should be warm, open, and inviting."

"Oh, and it needs a beautiful garden with roses and a cute little pond," Rory broke in, excited by Kheld’s idea.

Kheldar chuckled softly at the enthusiasm, nodding along. "Actually, I was looking around a bit before I found you and I stumbled upon a pond on the other side of the property."

"Perfect," Rory said as she stuck the fuzz ball into her jacket and zipped it up halfway so the puppy could stay warm against the chilly morning air yet still peek its head out.

"Yep. We’re going to build some stables over there," Kheld informed, pointing to a spot to the left of the old, condemned barn.

Rory glanced in the direction of the point before turning her attention back on him. "So when will you start?"

"We’re going to tear down the barn and break ground Monday morning. Although, I want to warn you, the manor probably won’t be finished until the end of August," Kheld answered with an apologetic shrug.

"No, I understand. Maybe the baron who chooses this property can... you know... work with you on certain design features to make it their own?" Rory asked.

"Sure. We can do that." Kheld nodded. "So how many districts have you secured now?"

Rory pursed her lips tightly as she looked back over the land. She was pleasantly surprised. The project was moving along with much greater speed than she had anticipated. "New Haven is the fourth."