They cracked the tankards together and before the sloshed liquid could touch the ground they each had the pints to their lips to drain the contents in one swill. As the two guards finished they laughed merrily and clapped one another on the back. Xander swayed as he turned back to the bar and bumped into the haggard beside him who muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. He looked at Caedmon and they both snickered before rapping on the counter once again for another two pints. The barkeep was much quicker this time, realizing this pair was going to throw a bit of money his way and not just leave after a pint each. He even gave them a cockeyed smile when he poured their tankards again and Xander slid seven coppers across the counter telling him to keep the extra coin.
“These rich boys’re spoilin’ you Peter,” the man to Xander’s right said almost as a complaint.
Xander chuckled and took a sip of his fresh drink. “I’d hardly call an extra copper rich. I figured the barkeep was giving us a good time, so why not return the favor?”
“You want to do someone a favor then get that whore back over here,” the drunkard slurred. Caedmon chortled but stopped suddenly when the man glared at him. “I’m serious, she offered herself for two silvers to you. Don’t think I didn’t hear it. Just the other night she was wantin’ three from me for the same thing. Talk her down to two for Nolan.”
“I don’t deal in the business of whores,” Xander replied curtly. “If you want to haggle the prices of a fuck then go speak to her directly.”
“You talk big for a young pup,” Nolan retorted.
“We’re in the Pontian Household Guard,” Caedmon announced proudly.
“Military boys!” the drunk roared with laughter. “Aren’t you two whelps a bit a ways from your grounds to be talkin’ tough to the likes of me?”
Caedmon looked the man up and down and saw a drunken sot, maybe a few inches taller than both him and Xander but without the muscle that either of them possessed. “Take care how you speak to us, citizen.”
“Oh, I’m shakin’,” Nolan replied. “Let me guess, you’ve got friends in high places?”
“Something like that,” Xander answered.
In a heartbeat there was a crack as the drunkard had smacked his pewter tankard over Xander’s head. Caedmon moved to defend his friend but was grappled from behind by some man that had been standing to his left the entire time. The dull roar of the tavern was silenced only for a moment before it exploded into a ruckus of noise as every patron scrambled for a better view than the next man. As Nolan went to strike an immobilized Caedmon he suddenly lost his balance and hit the floor.
The onlookers pushed others aside to fan out around the four men and saw a bloody-faced youth pull Nolan’s legs out from under him. Leaving him on the floor for a moment, Xander threw a punch into the drunkard holding Caedmon’s arms behind his back. He was stunned but shook his head and darted through a shocked crowd for the door. Nolan regained his standing only long enough to be assailed by a freed Caedmon. The drunk blocked the first right the guardsman threw but then was struck swiftly in the stomach by Caedmon’s left. He doubled over to gasp for breath as the first hook came back again to his undefended face. Nolan crumpled like burning parchment and spat a bloody molar from his mouth. He gathered what humility he had left before pushing his way through the crowd and out into the night.
The patrons quickly melded back into their places at the bar or their seats at the tables and the din grew back into Neptune’s Tankard’s customary clamor. The barkeep, Peter, was standing with his arms folded behind the counter, staring at the two young men as if they just told him they burned down a temple of the gods. Xander apologized and slid a silver piece across the bar. So much for saving money, he thought with a deep breath. Peter inspected it quickly then nodded and asked if they wanted two more pints. They both declined graciously and it was not until they were back out on the cobblestone street of Pontos that Caedmon exploded into jubilation.
“That was great, I mean truly great,” Caedmon said as he stretched his back and threw a few punches into the night air.
“I’ll admit it was kind of fun,” Xander said with a smile lurking behind his hard-edged mouth.
“Let me see your head,” Caedmon said. Xander bowed his head down for closer inspection by the light of the stars and the moon and Caedmon began to laugh. “That bastard really had it in for you. I think you’re losing a fair amount of blood. How do you feel?”
“During the fight I felt fine but now,” Xander glanced about at his surroundings and saw his vision begin to spin. Despite himself he started laughing. “To tell you the truth I feel like I’m drunk.”
“Well… you probably are,” Caedmon replied with a smile. “Nevertheless, let’s get back to the barracks and put a linen wrap on it.”
Xander laughed and they both walked briskly down the street, talking about days long past and the troubles they would get into as children. It helped to numb the pain of his bleeding head to think about those careless times when things were not as complicated as they were now. The pain of his head helped to numb that of his heart. For just a moment he forgot all about Roselyn and the relationship that had been so easily disregarded.
The Heir
“Nothing too fanciful, Theodore,” Daemyn said as he toweled himself dry. He looked back at the tub with disgust. The tepid water was now a murky light brown. He laughed to himself as he thought of how much dirt even a prince can carry in a week’s time.
When he walked from his bathing room he saw that Theodore had laid out a fresh set of clothes on the bed for him. The servant now meekly stood in the corner of the prince’s bedchamber with his head bowed so as not to see his master’s nakedness. Daemyn informed him the selection was adequate and the man quickly ushered himself from the room. There was a pair of linen breeches dyed jet black underneath a linen white shirt with golden buttons. He slid the clothes on and stretched his legs comfortably in the trousers, then buttoned up the crimson satin vest Theodore had left to go over the white shirt. Over all that he draped a gold chain about his shoulders, each link holding a ruby to represent his house. They were plain enough clothes, he knew, but at times the men around the palace seemed to respect that more than when he wore his most regal garb.
Daemyn strode from his room with determination in his steps. This meeting his sister had requested of him was getting on his nerves and it had not even occurred yet. What could she possibly have to say now? The prince thought as he walked down the torch-lit stone hallway to the small dining room reserved only for members of the royal family. His father and mother always broke their fast in bed, so the mornings typically left the regal dining room bare unless Daemyn and Roselyn wished to share a meal together.
As he entered the room he saw that there was not a single person there other than his sister. She sat before a banquet of fruits that looked as though she had purchased the entire food seller’s cart just for their meeting. Roselyn wore a gown of red satin matching his vest, but she had not stopped there in displaying her rank for she wore an ornate comb of gold in her loose blonde hair. A necklace of gold interchanging with pearls accented her pale shoulders. She smiled and gestured toward the chair opposite her own.
“I trust this meeting has some importance,” Daemyn began. “I was to go hunting today before my trip on the morrow.”
“You shall have plenty of time for that, Highness,” Roselyn reassured her brother. He waved his hand toward her to dispense with the pleasantries. She took a plum from one of the baskets before her and bit into it delicately. “I was wondering if you had come across any time to do what we had discussed.”
“With Xander?” the prince asked.
“Hush,” Roselyn scolded him. She took another bite of the plum and spoke in quieted tones as though there were others in the empty room. “Yes, I do not wish for things to be… awkward, should we even bump into one another.”
“These things take time, Roselyn,” Daemyn said, exasperated. I knew this meetin
g would be a waste of my time. “I’ve begun to speak with Father about my want of a new guard for the tax payments, and I will slip Xander’s name in when the time is right.”
“I know, I trust you. I just wish that you would do it sooner. I do not see the harm in him leaving with you in the morning as his first assignment,” she suggested. “Have you at least informed Xander of the advancement?” Her tone was almost giddy, as if that would suddenly throw the promotion into reality instead of mere desire.
“By the gods, Sister, it has been two days. I have not seen the man since the night it happened and I am not so sure that I even wish to at this time!” Daemyn exclaimed. She tried to hush him once more but he continued, “To be honest I have done little else but think about this affair since it was brought to my attention. The man is my friend and confidant, but his feelings be damned. This is as much a betrayal to me as it is degrading to your name… our name.”
“To be fair, it was I who began the advances.”
“I do not wish to hear any more,” Daemyn said with a hand in the air to halt her. “It has been two days. We shall never speak of this again.”
“But I thought you would help me…” Roselyn began. She was on the brink of tears.
“I will,” Daemyn replied more coldly than he meant to. He reached out and touched her hand gingerly. “I said I will, and I will. Let me do it my own way. Xander shall be gone within weeks and life can resume a level of normalcy for all of us.”
Roselyn nodded acceptance and went back to eating her plum. She silently offered her brother some fruit but he was tired of the conversation and decided to head out of the castle before the day got away from him and his hunting plans were ruined. As he walked from the room Daemyn mentally prepared a list of the things he had to do that day. He decided that he would bring up Xander’s name to the king and request his transfer specifically to Triton, but first he had to get Theodore to prepare his horse and a hunting party willing to go to the royal woods just past noon. Theodore would also have to get together an assortment of food that the prince could take with him so he had something to chew on while he waited to flush a boar or shoot a deer. He had not decided yet. Best have Theodore prepare both the hunting spear and the bow.
“Highness,” hailed a familiar voice as the prince rounded a corner. He turned to find Xander there in full effect and his anger flared for an instant but died just as quickly.
“Xander,” Daemyn returned with a forced smile. “What happened to your head?”
The young guard touched the linen bandage that wrapped his skull and smiled. “Caedmon and I got into a fistfight with a couple of drunks at one of the taverns last night. I took the brunt of it but we sent the bastards on their way.”
“Fools,” Daemyn stated. “I trust you are not too badly hurt. You seem more than capable to make your rounds.”
“Just a couple of scratches, nothing to worry about,” Xander said, clearly as an understatement but with an assuring grin.
“Where’s your pistol?” Daemyn asked. Xander was lacking not only his gun but also any extra ammunition and the horn of gunpowder all soldiers possessed. He still looked the part, to be sure.
Xander was dressed in a leather-lined habergeon of gray iron mail that came down nearly to his knees, draped down his shoulders were several straps of iron-plated leather, and under it all was a grey tunic that stretched down as far as the habergeon, and a pair of black woolen breeches. He wore the typical cloak of the Pontian Household Guard. It was made of undyed wool that left it with a grey color matching the tunic and connected at the neck by a simple brooch of pewter. The weapon that Xander carried with him that day was a plain longsword he wore on his left hip. An empty holster was strapped to a leather belt that crossed down from his shoulder going right to left and connecting with the belt at his waist. Overall, it was not as magnificent as the garb worn by the select few in Pontos’ Royal Guard, but there was a level of seriousness in the drab colors of the Household Guard that made them appear even more menacing than the men they aspired to someday become.
“I leave my pistol in the barracks some days,” Xander answered with a shrug. “No one seems to complain about it. Nothing ever happens worth having two weapons in this castle, or even on this island for that matter.”
Ass, the prince thought bitterly. Daemyn wanted to punch Xander full in the face for a whole slew of reasons but he retained his composure and took a deep breath. “Now is not the time to be slacking on your duties, Xander. There are things at work right now that could put you… you would just do well to be on your best behavior for the next few days.”
“I think you’re being a little dramatic,” Xander said with a chuckle. Silence killed his laughter and he straightened himself. “Is something wrong, Highness?”
“I’m just under a lot of stress right now,” Daemyn said brusquely. He quickly thought of a lie that would not seem unreasonable. “This thing with the Gaians has my nerves pinched and I cannot even express how deeply I do not want to take this trip. My father, however, insists that I be the one to represent the Thalassans with the tax payments every time. He drones on and on about the strength in youth.” There, that was not so bad. Not even a lie, really, Daemyn thought.
“My apologies, Highness,” Xander said gently. With a grin he added, “In time you’ll be an old man and then perhaps you can send someone else.”
Daemyn allowed himself a smile. “I suppose you are right. I do, however, need you to follow the regulations set forth by your predecessors. There are big things at stake that I cannot speak on at this moment but just know that I need you to be the best soldier you can be.”
Xander chewed the inside of his cheek for a heartbeat. “I shall, Highness. I swear it.”
Daemyn clapped his friend on the back and gave him a cheerful smile before saying his goodbyes. As Xander continued his rounds Daemyn noticed that there was firmness in his step that had been lacking before. He smiled and called back, “No more bar fights!”
“Aye aye!” resounded the cheery answer but Daemyn was already down the hallway, praying to every deity he knew of that he would be able to kill an animal by the day’s end.
*
“Wind is good,” the captain of Daemyn’s longship announced. He turned back to his sailors and declared they could all stow their oars and plug the oarholes. Three men quickly rose from their benches to unfurl the sail that caught the wind with a ripple and began to propel the vessel north. There was a ragged cheer from the oarsmen as they went to follow his orders, knowing there would be a respite from harder work for at least a few hours.
Daemyn breathed in the salty air of the sea. “This trip is nearly the same way every time. Stow oars, unfurl the sail, and look at the bleak scenery around us. Such is the life of a sailor, I suppose.”
“I love it,” Brennus replied without so much as a glance at his prince. “The sea is my home, Highness.”
“It is all of our homes,” Daemyn said bitterly thinking of the Gaians living out their lives on the mainland. It didn’t matter though. They could keep their land mass and farmlands. They could keep their grand Citadel and all of its pompous glory. Thalassa had the sands, the gold, and women aplenty. Well that last part might be due to my title, Daemyn thought with a smile. Thalassa had everything he needed. Gaia was just an oppressing overseer that taxed Thalassa’s money, and the prince’s time, every month.
“Captain,” a woman’s voice sounded from behind the two men on the prow of the longship. They both turned and the young sailor bowed her head towards the prince. “There’s a small leak in the bilge. If we have any extra caulking I would like to patch it up while we have extra time.”
“There’s a barrel below deck, Saija,” Brennus answered. “Use a trowel to caulk the leak with that paste but make certain you get it deep into the groove. Do the job to my satisfaction if you’re to do it at all.”
“I would do nothing less,” Saija answered. She gave Daemyn a grin and turned on her heels t
o stalk down into the bilge.
“What’s in the barrel?” Daemyn asked.
“Dung and hair, Highness,” Brennus said. “I find that works best.”
“That’s interesting,” Daemyn said with wandering eyes.
“Saija’s a good woman… a good sailor,” Brennus declared when she was out of earshot. “Her father was my first mate until recently.”
“I remember the man,” Daemyn said respectfully. He could not for the life of him recall the old sailor’s name but he could remember his face as though he stood just beside him. “What happened to him?”
“Bloody flux,” Brennus answered. “In two weeks the man was dead. I visited him once at his home on Proteus during his bout with the horrible disease. It must have been the beginning stages for he seemed fine, though his room smelled of death. I thought the old sailor would be able to pull through, but by the time I went back to their cottage he was already dead and Saija had just buried him at sea.”
“An expensive burial for the daughter of a sailor,” Daemyn thought aloud.
“Not when you use a dinghy,” Brennus replied. “Normally I would not hire a woman but this one’s different. She knew half the tricks of the trade before she even boarded the vessel. Now she’s one of my best assets. The woman can even pull an oar for a few hours before she tires of it.”
“So she has replaced her father?” Daemyn inquired.
“Gods no,” Brennus blasphemed with a chuckle. “She is still a woman, Highness.”
“Aye, she is that,” Daemyn said with a sly grin. “I might go see if she needs help caulking the leak.”
The captain looked as though he were about to say something then thought better of it. He stared out to sea instead. There were wispy clouds of beige in every direction. Large gaps let the blue of the sky dominate the heavens and the ocean reflected that magically with a darker shade of blue that stretched for miles. The only island in sight was Varuna, off to the west and showing as a distant grayish green blur against the horizon.
Severance (The Sovereign Book 1) Page 4