by Pirateaba
The cost in bodies? Lives lost? Trey only half understood. Flos nodded back to the window.
“That is why I wish to listen to my people. To understand if they fear what I fear. I do not know. I must confess—that has never been one of my strengths. I can know the will of my people or hear their supplications from their lips, but I often fail to understand the why of it.”
“So what are we doing?”
Flos looked surprised as he stared at Teres.
“Listening. We will walk among my subjects and listen, today. It is time for it.”
Trey and Teres exchanged a glance.
“But…how can you listen if they know you’re there? Are you going to ask them?”
Flos blinked in surprise, and then smiled.
“No, we shall do it in secret. With this.”
He held up the broach in his hand. Trey stared at the yellow jewel embedded in the center, nonplussed. Flos stared at his confused audience and sighed again.
“Oh, I had forgotten you would not understand. I should activate this now, perhaps, so as not to surprise you. Very well, observe.”
He touched the broach and—changed. Before Trey and Teres’ astonished eyes, Flos turned from a King into—an ordinary fellow. Trey didn’t actually witness the change—one second Flos was there, and the next a slightly shorter, less impressive man stood in his place.
He didn’t have reddish gold hair, and his eyes were hazel. His belly had more flab and there were wrinkles in his face and grey mixed in with his dark hair. He didn’t look bad—but no one would ever confuse him with Flos.
Even his voice was different. It wasn’t as resonant, and it had a nasal quality.
“There. You see? A perfect disguise. Now that I think of it, it is better that I used it here, rather than where others might see me.”
“How did you—was that magic?”
Teres rolled her eyes as Trey stared at the broach. She jabbed her brother in the stomach with an elbow.
“Obviously it’s magic, idiot!”
Flos nodded, showing the twins the broach. It sparkled in the light from the sun, but didn’t shine or twinkle or do anything else that gave away it’s nature.
“It was a gift from Mars, years ago. It allows me to assume the shape of an ordinary person, a common man wherever I go. I have made use of it on occasion to learn from my people. I will do so again now.”
“So you’re going out looking like…that?”
“Indeed. And so shall the two of you! Yes, I think that would be best.”
He thrust the broach at Trey.
“Here. Touch the stone in the center.”
Hesitantly, Trey did so. He heard Teres gasp and looked down at his body. He didn’t see anything wrong. He stared at Teres. Her eyes were wide as she looked him up and down.
“What? What is it?”
“You look different!”
“How? Am I uglier?”
“No—well, you were never a looker but—you’re just different, alright?”
Trey saw what she meant when Teres copied him. Her features altered. She didn’t become uglier or fairer, but her hair and nose and mouth and skin tone changed to make her look more like the people of Flos’ kingdom, rather than a London-born girl from another world. Flos nodded in approval as Trey and Teres stared at each other. Trey had to poke Teres experimentally to make sure she was the same underneath, and Teres exclaimed as she felt at Trey’s features and felt his real face underneath the mask.
“It is a temporary illusion. It will last for several hours if memory serves. We shall mingle with my people while we wear it.”
Flos looked happy at the prospect. Trey and Teres exchanged a glance.
“I suppose that’s alright, isn’t it?”
The strange girl standing next to Trey nodded, looking resigned.
“So we’re just going to wander about?”
“Perhaps. We shall see what occurs.”
Flos rubbed his hands together, looking pleased. He paused as he strode over to the door. Trey had a hard time keeping his eyes off of Flos’ face. There was no longer that strange magnetism around the man, and that was almost as disconcerting as his new features.
“We should avoid going near any of my vassals.”
“Why?”
Flos smiled, and it was another man’s lips which turned upwards.
“They would be able to detect the magic. Orthenon is alert for such tricks and Gazi would be able to see through such illusory magic. Perhaps even without her main eye. As for Mars, she might not notice, but I would prefer not to risk it.”
That seemed weird. Wasn’t Mars the one who’d given Flos the broach? Flos opened the door and after glancing around for a second or two, quickly strode out. Trey and Teres hurried out the corridor. Not too many people were about, and they didn’t look twice at Flos, despite him walking out of the King’s own bedroom. They didn’t look twice at Trey and Teres either, which he supposed was part of the illusion.
“Few will notice us, unless they are actively looking.”
Flos spoke out of the corner of his mouth as he walked more slowly down the corridor, the twins following him closely. Trey nodded.
“Um, my K—”
Teres elbowed him. Trey stared at her, and then remembered.
“F-Flos?”
“It has been a while since I heard that name. What is it, Trey?”
Trey gulped. He forgot the last question he was going to ask and blurted out his question about Mars instead.
“Why wouldn’t Lady Mars be able to see us? Doesn’t she know a lot of illusion magic?”
“Her? Hardly.”
The man Flos had become raised his eyebrows, looking amused.
“She is called the Illusionist, but not because she knows any magic of her own. Rather, she possesses many trinkets such as these—”
“Watch it!”
Flos turned his head and quickly stepped out of the way. Trey yanked Teres back as four men carrying heavy sacks of something or other walked past them. One cursed the trio as he went past.
“Keep to the right side, fools! Unless you’re carrying something heavy, keep the corridor clear!”
Startled, Trey looked at Flos. The King looked nonplussed, but as he and the twins looked around they realized that they were getting dirty looks.
It suddenly occurred to Trey that they were walking like they had been before, straight down the center of every corridor as people hurried around them. It was so natural that they hadn’t realized it. But that was how the King and his sworn vassals walked. And once Trey looked, it was obvious they were making a mistake.
The servants, workers, and other people bustling about the palace did not walk down the center or wherever they pleased. Instead, they walked on the right side of the corridor while people going the opposite way walked down the left. The center was reserved for people in a hurry, or carrying things too bulky to go with the usual flow.
“I believe we should walk on this side.”
Flos stepped closer to the right wall, smiling at an older woman who did not smile back.
“Hurry up and move. We ain’t got all day.”
“Sorry!”
Trey and Teres stepped smartly and followed Flos on this new, more proper route. They no longer walked at their own pace; they were now following the person in front. When they slowed, the three had to slow as well or run into someone.
Flos, Trey, and Teres were all unaccustomed to walking that way. But they obediently followed the flow of people on the right side of the corridor, chatting quietly as they did.
“Fascinating. I had no idea there was a system for such things. I suppose Orthenon must have implemented it for convenience’s sake. It is this sort of thing that I wish to experience.”
“Walking?”
“Getting yelled at?”
Trey and Teres stared dubiously at Flos. They didn’t think there was too much special about this, but he seemed privately delighted.
He didn’t get to finish his proclamation. An annoyed woman’s voice called out to the three and they saw a grey-haired lady hurrying over to them with a scowl on her face.
“What are you three doing? You’re not part of the interior staff!”
Trey stared anxiously at Flos, but the King smiled.
“We are laborers, Miss. We did not have any work at the moment so we—”
He got no further. A huge scowl replaced the smaller one and the woman snapped at the three.
“If you’re not busy you should be reporting to wherever you were assigned for more work, not wandering about the halls getting in the way!”
Flos bowed his head, looking contrite.
“I am terribly sorry, Miss. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Too right! Now if you’re done wasting time—we’ve quite a lot of supplies to be moved. Another [Trader]’s come by and we need all the goods taken up to the storerooms and the kitchens within the hour!”
She pointed down the hall and Trey noticed a stream of people carrying heavy loads coming their way. He expected Flos to refuse, but the man just smiled.
“We would be delighted to help, Miss.”
His comment didn’t impress the woman.
“Too right you will, or I would be having a word with Lord Orthenon directly after this! Get moving you two—I’ll send some others to help unload.”
“We can take care of it ourselves. My two…my niece and nephew here can help me. I’ll carry everything up.”
“Oh, a [Laborer] are you?”
The woman paused to look Flos up and down skeptically. He grinned at her.
“No. Just strong. We’ll have your supplies in a moment.”
Despite herself, the woman smiled. Even with another face, Flos’ grin was slightly contagious.
“If you can do it quick, I’ll have a cold drink waiting for you. For now, bring anything edible to the main kitchens and the rest to the store room next to the library. You know where that is? Then get moving!”
She strode off. Flos nodded at Trey and Teres, and they followed him again, this time heading out of the castle.
“We’re not going to carry stuff, are we?”
Dismayed, Trey stared at Flos. His arms still hurt from practicing with Mars earlier. Flos nodded.
“Of course! I gave her my word I would help unload that cart. A bit of work won’t be wasted while we observe the others.”
“But—aw—but—”
Trey didn’t get any further. In moments he found himself struggling to carry a heavy sack of something on his shoulders. He staggered after Flos as Teres did the same with an equally heavy bag. The King strode back through the castle, carrying five heavy sacks at once. Trey stared, and some of the other people carrying things made startled comments as Flos passed.
“Don’t kill yourself there, Mister!”
“Those bags of flour will wait, no matter how loudly the [Cooks] yell. It’s not worth a broken back!”
Flos laughed and responded jovially as he marched through the halls. He stepped into the huge stone kitchen and after being directed where to put his load, he and the twins set down their cargo and headed back for a second trip.
Trey was massaging his shoulders as he hurried after Flos. The King smiled at him.
“If your shoulders ache after only that, we’ll have to build your muscles, Trey! A set of good armor might not be as heavy, but wearing it for hours on end is far more exhausting.”
“Is that why you can carry all that at once?”
The King laughed as he strode down the corridors, following the right side’s flow of traffic.
“Hah! Well, I must admit that I’ve grown weaker than before. In fact…”
He frowned and his smile vanished.
“That was actually quite unpleasant. Carrying such heavy loads…it is little wonder few choose the [Laborer] class. I am beginning to regret volunteering to carry all of the [Trader]’s goods myself.”
Trey and Teres glared up at Flos. He laughed again.
“Never mind. A promise is a promise. Onwards, you two!”
He strode down the hallway, giving neither Trey or Teres a chance to object or throw something at his head.
—-
An hour later, Trey would have sorely loved to kill Flos for volunteering them to carry an entire wagon-load of goods up several floors to the various store rooms and the kitchen. But any possible threat of violence was impossible; Trey’s arms could barely move and his entire body hurt.
He sat at a table in the banquet hall next to Teres. She was slumped over, but sitting next to her, a loud and obnoxiously good-natured Flos was sharing a drink with some of the other servants taking a break at the same time.
True to her word, the woman in charge of supervising the servants had given Flos, Trey, and Teres a half hour’s break to have a drink and a bite to eat. Trey had been too tired to do more than chew the hot, doughy crescents of spiced bread – a popular snack in the region – and sip some water. Teres was the same, but Flos was sipping at his drink of ale and laughing with a group of men and women as they sat and talked among themselves.
“I’ve only ever met a few men capable of carrying that many sacks of grain by themselves. You’d better watch yourself, or you’ll find yourself assigned to ferrying supplies up for good!”
“There are worse fates, I suppose. But I hardly think you all lag behind. I simply feel invigorated today, that’s all.”
Flos smiled as the man sitting across from him, a balding man with scars on his arms laughed. Someone reached out to slap Flos on the back.
It was a strange thing. Wearing a different face and speaking with a different voice—even without his aura of command, there was something about Flos that drew people to him, made them listen to him. It wasn’t just that he’d done twice the work of anyone else in the same amount of time. It was that he cared. When he spoke, Trey believed without a doubt he was telling the truth from the bottom of his heart.
“In truth, I feel far more tired than I should be. Tell me, has it been so busy every day?”
“Aye. And then some. But we have our breaks and hot food and no one could ask for more. Besides, you know how it feels. We’re alive at last, and a few sore muscles means little for that.”
The man sitting across from Flos sighed. There was a smile on his lips, and a light in his eyes. Trey heard people murmuring agreement around him. A woman who’d been in the kitchens raised her mug.
“Our King has awoken.”
“He is awake.”
The man sitting across from Flos raised his mug to that. He didn’t cheer and no one toasted. But people drank and sat in silent reverentially, as if those words were a prayer. Trey reached for another piece of fried dough, but Teres had taken it. He looked up at Flos, and saw the man’s smile had become shadowed.
“Ah yes. The King. I haven’t heard much in the streets. What goes on in the palace?”
“Not much you wouldn’t hear about. Gossips always go into the inns at night to talk—”
The others agreed, laughing about how a few tidbits was worth a free drink in any tavern. But then the balding man clicked his fingers.
“What about those two twins, though?”
Trey sat up anxiously.
“What about them?”
The man sitting across from Flos laughed.
“Haven’t you seen them, lad? They’re scarcely older than you—but they’re a different type than you and I. Foreigners, from Terandria perhaps.”
“I heard they were from further than that. But I’ve not caught the name of the nation from which they hail. No one has. Only our King knows where they came from.”
Other heads nodded. The bald man grunted, looking less pleased all of a sudden.
“I don’t know what purpose those two serve. Aye, they’re yo
ung, but Lady Mars said she has no clue why our King keeps them close.”
“Really?”
Flos stared intently at the man. He drank slowly as Trey and Teres hunched over at the table, feeling guilty.
The bald man nodded. He leaned forwards conspiratorially, but kept his voice loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.
“She says they’re completely unskilled with any weapons. And that’s true enough. I saw them in the training grounds, flailing about with swords as if they’d never held one before. That brightened my day.”
“Hm.”
“I’ve no qualms with them being here, but I’ve been told they’re to be treated with the same respect as one of the Seven. Imagine that!”
“Lord Orthenon seems to respect them, and I have no earthly idea what Lady Gazi thinks. Lady Mars seems to share our opinions, but she’s respectful enough. I wonder what merits our King’s trust in them…”
The others around the table began gossiping about Trey and Teres. Trey was relieved that none of them had specific complaints, but he felt wretched. He was relieved when Flos cleared his throat.
“The twins are one thing. But what about the King?”
“What about his Majesty? I saw him walking down the hall just this morning. He met my eyes and I’ll swear to you all, he was the same man he once was. Just as great.”
The balding man spoke proudly and everyone nodded. But Flos shook his head.
“If he is as he was, that means war is coming, isn’t it?”
“And if it is?”
The man stared challengingly at Flos. The King did not respond. The laborer drained his mug, speaking loudly to everyone at once.
“If it comes to it, I’d be the first to grab a sword and follow him into battle. He has but to ask. Once our King raises his banner, we’ll follow him as before.”
“As always.”
The female [Cook] said that, and the people around her nodded. Trey blinked as he saw every face just as resolute as the balding man’s. If he but asks, we’ll go to war. He looked at Flos and saw something different written on the man’s face.
Anguish. It was there for a second, and then gone. Flos turned to look at Trey. Then he resumed listening to the people talking in loud, excited voices.