A Brief History of Ashby

~by Rowena~

The Earls of Ashby Forest had been loyal to the Kings of this land for over 200 years. The Earldom was given over to Sir Evander after his famous victory at the Battle of Oran Field, and his family had held the Seat in an unbroken line from father to son ever since. Evander had been the 8th Earl of Ashby, and his descendant, Edward, was the 17th.

The Earls had never had a comfortable relationship with the Rhodan family, their nearest neighbours to the West, although the hostility between them had always been more a simmering dislike than violent aggression. The Rhodans ruled the small town of Arcadia, which had sprung up over the years around the castle built by their family centuries before. Although untitled, the Rhodans were a wealthy and noble family, and the Kings of the land had never found it necessary to interfere with them greatly.

The Forest itself was vast, covering thousands of acres, and it had never been properly explored or mapped. It was dotted with small villages and settlements, inhabited by a wide and strange variety of folk. Being such a far-flung and isolated part of the Kingdom, the various races had little choice but to learn to live with each other. The nearest large town was over two weeks ride away, and the only people to trade with were the other people in the town and the surrounding villages.

The dwarves mined precious stones and gold at secret locations deep in the Forest, and paid a handsome percentage to the Earl in return for his continued goodwill and protection. There were Elves of course, and humans, gnomes and even the occasional Ent was seen, although never near the town itself. Trolls, orcs and goblins haunted various parts of the Forest and attacked wayfarers, and the Earls did their best to drive these evil creatures out. The Fae had their little enclaves also, but their contact with the rest of the world was very limited.

The Elves had possibly the best relationship with the humans of the Forest, having a sizeable town amongst the trees several miles from Ashby Town. The kept to themselves mostly, but whenever any danger threatened the town, they provided skilled archers to supplement the Earl's army. They generally came into the town itself only on market days, to trade with the other peoples, and gather news.

An horrific hunting accident took the life of Owen, the 16th Earl, while still in his prime. His only son, Edward, was 20 years old, and more than capable of assuming the title, but was as yet unmarried. His advisors insisted at once that he take a wife and provide himself with heirs, but Edward was reluctant to agree to any match they suggested to him.

For Edward was enamoured of Mina, the daughter of the Elven Lord in the Forest, and no other woman had any hope of winning his affections. They had never spoken, but he had seen her several times when she accompanied her family into the town, and now that the decision to take a wife had been forced on him, he was determined to swallow his fear and speak to her.

Mina was achingly beautiful, as were all the Elven folk, but she had a grace about her that surpassed other women of her race. Edward was not the first human her loveliness had unwittingly ensnared. A young human lad called Mallory had come upon the Elven village in his wanderings, and had lived with them for some years, tending the wolves that the Elves loved so much. He and Mina had fallen in love, but her father had disapproved as they were so young, and her heart was broken when Mallory left the village.

It was several years later that Edward approached her. He was a gentle and chivalrous man, tall and handsome, and even the Elven Lord couldn't fault his lineage. Mina quickly grew fond of him, and a month later they married. Mina came to live in Ashby Castle as its Countess, and for several years their lives were happy.

Almost a year after the wedding, Mina gave birth to a daughter, Rowena. The child was the image of her father, although she inherited an echo of her mother's beauty, and her Elven blood was obvious in her pointed ears and pale eyes.

Edward and Mina longed to bear sons, but it was 4 long years before they were blessed with another child. The birth was a difficult one, and the child was born much too early. Mina died, along with her son, and the tiny body was laid in her arms in their shared coffin.

Completely grief-stricken, Edward refused every suggestion that he must marry again and have sons. It was over a year later that the nagging of his advisors finally drove him to distraction, and he agreed to do so, but very unwillingly. He cared not a whit for who the woman might be… his heart would always be Mina's and no other's. The first woman suggested by the nobles of the town was Lady Audra, a beautiful woman who had arrived in Ashby only a short while before, and who as yet had taken no sides in the political intrigues that plagued the town. Everybody agreed she was the safest choice, and as Edward had no opinion on the matter, it was decided.

It wasn't until many years later that it became clear that Audra had been planted in Ashby by Nikolai Rhodan, the hated ruler of Arcadia. Nikolai was more ambitious than his ancestors, and hoped that with his lover in a position of power in Ashby, he might soon be able to gain a foothold in the enemy territory.

At first, the little girl Rowena attempted to like her stepmother, who at least had the advantage of being beautiful to recommend her. Audra took on Rowena's education herself, hoping that the child could be moulded to her requirements, and perhaps become useful as she grew older, but she soon realised the girl was entirely her father's daughter, and could not be swayed to her ideals. She refused to have anything more to do with the child, and spoke to her only when she had to maintain appearances with her husband and his friends.

Rowena had several friends amongst the noble children of the castle, but her dearest friend was a boy called John, several years her senior, and the son of her father's friend Richard. The knight had gone to Palestine to fight in the Crusades, and left John in the care of Edward, who became the boy's foster father when news of his father's death reached them. John was quite fond of Rowena, but in between his schooling and his various chores around the castle (Richard had insisted that John earn his keep in the Earl's household) he never seemed to have much time for her. He made good-natured fun of her a lot, and frequently encouraged her to follow him into trouble, but he was also very protective of her, defending her staunchly against any who spoke a word against her, and watching out for her safety like a fierce older brother.

As the years passed, it became clear that Audra was also unable to give Edward a son, and his plan became for John and Rowena to marry, so that his best friend's son and his daughter would rule side by side. Audra had barely noticed the boy until that time, and was horrified when Edward informed her of this plan, as it would interfere with her own designs on the Earldom. Her spells and bewitchments gradually beguiled Edward, and when John was 17 he sent the boy to St Julian's Abbey to become a novice of the order.

It was during this time that the evil powers Audra wielded slowly became more obvious to the people of Ashby Forest. They saw their Earl becoming gradually weaker, his decisions less honest and fair, and the man appeared to be aging very rapidly.

Mina's family, and all the Elves of the Forest village were beginning to feel unsafe in their home, and left to join more of their people in the South. The Elven lord attempted to take his granddaughter Rowena with them, fearing for her life in a castle now dominated by the evil Audra, but Edward would not allow it, insisting that his daughter would stay and succeed him when he died. The child could perhaps have been taken by force, but not without loss of life, and the Elven Lord could not justify this. He left with his people, promising to come for his granddaughter if ever she sent for him.

When Rowena was only 16, her father died. It seemed to be pneumonia that took the once strong and powerful man, but for many years afterwards the common belief was that Audra had poisoned him. On his deathbed the Earl had named his daughter Countess, to rule in her own right. On the very day of his burial, however, Audra seized control of the town, declaring that Rowena had been driven mad by her grief, and the girl had no choice but to flee into the Forest, as the army were by now entirely under Audra's spell.

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