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Whoever said all heroes are selfless, they never met Izandul.
A pure warrior at heart, but that heart also had a small infestation of sheer
greed inside. He saved the world once, becoming very rich in the process.
The one thing that was really driving him on was the great reward that was
said to be in the end of his grand adventure of righteousness. The rumors
were true and when he came back home everyone praised him as a grand hero.
Even I fell for the ruse and was duped into marrying him.
"Watch what you're doing!" I heard Izandul yell at one of our servants.
I carefully placed a cloth slab between the pages of a book I was reading
and waited. "Karan!" He called my name. Sighing slightly I stood
up from my seat and walked to the treasury, knowing that's where he would
be. He sits there all day counting his fortunes. When I got there the cleaner
Natisha was almost cowering from the room.
"Izan? You called for me?" I crooned soothingly, stepping inside.
"Aye, Karan. This keeper, she doesn't know what the bloody hell she's
doing." He raged straightening a stack of gold coins on his red oak desk.
"What did she do?"
"She decided to arrange my gold. She moved everything and now I've lost
my count. I'll have to do the bloody thing all over again!"
"Izan, you know exactly how much is there. Why must you continue to count
it?"
"Because of thieves, Karan. The only way I know my money is safe is if
I know how much is there at all times."
"Thieves? Really Izan. You have nothing to worry about with thieves.
They would be too scared to touch your gold. You made sure of that with the
last time one tried."
"Aye, and I hope he rots in that barren cell."
"I still don't know how he's going to eat after you cut off his fingers."
I shook my head.
I did feel a bit sorry for the poor man, even if he did try to steal from
us. You would think my husband, of all people, would have shown a little mercy.
Why Izan was a thief once himself. When he was a child his mother was widowed
to a rich landowner. Everyone suspected her of killing her husband so they
took their land away and she and Izan were cast out of society. You can imagine
the surprise when the black widow's son returned from a quest that no one
else could complete. They used to call Izan's mother that of all things, but
since her sons return they refer to her as Lady Fatisha. She lives with us
in the manor, now.