Day Two-Thirty-Two: When two became one

Still in a funk, diary. I won't be too energetic for the next week. In mourning, y'know. For The Baron. Remember him? Yeah, me too.

In order to… commemorate… him… I drew a picture of a dodo. Just like the one he did for me. I tried to approximate the bird from what I remembered, and… this is the result.

It's about as handsome as it's going to get, coming from me. Sigh. I lack the essential artistic groove. Not like… y'know. That wonderful dead dude. He was pretty good at drawin' stuff. I don't care if I'm lacking, though - the picture's hanging proudly in the living room, and it's gonna stay there. The Baron would be happy to know I'm thinking 'bout him.

(I also drew a cockroach. I tossed the picture in one of the public toilets. Let people poo all over the memory of Driscol. HOW DARE HE TAKE AWAY THE BARON, HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO EVER TIPPED ME

GWAR
Yeah, that sounds selfish as hell. I'm sorry, diary. The loss of The Baron has created some conflicting emotions. Some purely sad, some mourning the loss of income. I should shut up about him now.)

Those cockroaches, though… gotta wonder. How in the hell did Driscol do… that? Whatever it was he was doing? Did it have somethin' to do with his orange eyes? Controlling cockroaches can't be an easy trick. Did he train them like that? Or was he usin' some weird magic? I'm bettin' the latter, considering the giant tree-shaped fireball that… you know… killed him.

And The

NEVERMIND, I'm getting weepy. Part of mourning is acceptance. Gotta get there. Workin' hard, diary… workin' hard.

(Man, mourning should be more lively. I wish the human reaction to death wasn't to be miserable. It sucks. I would prefer unrestrained glee. Though I guess that'd mean we were all HAPPY he died, and in whatever afterlife he occupies The Baron might not appreciate that, so… bah. Confusing.)

Everybody we left behind in Bottomless came back today, diary. Including Grylock. Apparently Evangelina and all the merc bosses she'd been meetin' held him captive for a few days. Once news of the attack on the castle made its way to Bottomless, the guards we'd abandoned broke him out. So he's back, and judging by his reaction to The Baron's death he's as chipper as ever. Didn't know they were on bad terms, but there you go.

And Evangelina? Gone. Escaped. Roaming free, somewhere in the wide world. Now that we know she's a traitor I doubt she'll be makin' another appearance at the castle. What a daaaaaaamn shaaaaaaaaaame that is.

… well. It kind of is, I guess. If she came back we could hang her for ambushing my daughter. That would teach the bitch. Yes, you heard me, I called her a big loathsome bitch, minus those two extra words. Though I'll add them on now, because she is big and loathsome.

Not that big.

Fairly lithe, now that I picture her.

Lithe loathsome bitch.

Meh, it lacks the same ring.

Repairs to the castle continue, but slower than anticipated. A lot of people were noticeably missing during the day. I bet I know why, too: they're bein' shunted off to work on the king's stupid Glory Hole, and without Driscol to rein him in Jeffrey's sending in as many people as he bloody well wants. Smooth move, stupid.

I don't know HOW he forces people into the hole, and that bugs me. I know there's a compulsion to dig once you get there, but how does Jeffrey get you to the workspace in the first place? You think some people would remember being forced into the deserted wing at knifepoint, or spearpoint, or whatever. Troubling.

That's why… I've kinda… taken it on myself. To find out. I figure The Baron would want me to root out the bad stuff in the castle. Forget that he was staunchly loyal to King Jeffrey. I'll just pretend The Baron wants me to do this. Yeah. It's my responsibility, now that the guy I would confide in… is gone.

And I've already started. Nothing drastic, mind - my eyes do most of the work. I'm on late shifts this week, and I spent all last night watching the streets. (Screw looking beyond the walls, the plains are stupid.) Nothing caught my attention that might indicate work bein' done: no guards forcing people towards the keep, no exodus by sleepwalkers, not even an abnormal number of midnight travellers bearing shovels. I've seen most of the secret passages 'round these parts, but even those have been unused since the siege.

Yet I bet that the hole is being dug. At this very moment. There are too many tired-looking people for it not to be steadily underway. And I… I have to… stop it?

Do I? What do I have to do? I'm completely lacking in direction. Should I try 'n impede the progress of this hole? The rats didn't like it, so chances are good they wouldn't mind my intervention. But they always sounded like it being finished was a foregone conclusion… so should I even try?

And is it WORTH trying to stop the hole? Maybe it will be a good thing for the kingdom. Driscol's gone, now, which means all of the metal will be used for our wellbeing. Hell, maybe the king's plans for expanding the kingdom through war are a peachy idea. Could bring us all sortsa prosperity and such. We need prosperity.

Or maybe somebody competent could come in and oust Jeffrey. WOW, that's such treason right there. Dragomir, where's your head at? Seriously, mate, get a grip.

I don't know what to do, diary. I'm confused. Maybe I should just let life go back to the way it was, forget about all this nonsense, and be a normal guard. If good stuff happens, great! If bad stuff happens with the hole, I'll run away! Yes, that's the ticket.

Yeah.

Totally the ticket.

Sincerely,

Dragomir the Divided