Episode 22
Bludger
Rory “Bludger” McDougall was born in the Laudanese village of Hemeshere, Co. Bingle. He had an unremarkable childhood by most accounts. His father, the village blacksmith, was unpopular and prone to drinking, but an excellent craftsman. His mother ran the tavern.
When he was six, Rory decided that he wanted to be a knight.
In those days, becoming a squire was out of reach for most, not least because of the rise of Parliamentarianism and inflation: Lords and Ladies were divesting their retinues as part of their complete commitment to Reason.
Rory didn’t become a knight. He didn’t become a blacksmith either, though he learned everything his father taught him. When he was 16, his father died unexpectedly after an argument with his mother.
Life went on.
He’d always been a brawler. There were reasons, of course. But now there were consequences, or at least more consequences. When he was old he would often think about what happened. Was there ever a moment?
It was hard to know. When he was younger, the fact was he didn’t know.
After the King’s death, and his mother’s, he went west. Just in time, as it turned out.
Laudanum, at that time, seemed the centre of the world.
Next episode: Captain Hyde