by P. S. Power
The man that had passed him had a bow three times as big as the one he wore however, so it probably wasn't fashionable. He made that a plain, matte, gold color. Then he changed his hair tie to the same thing. It took about half a minute to get it all done.
Sara smiled at him and nodded.
"That's about right. Now, we should go in something small. You don't mind practically sitting on my lap, do you?" Her eyes actually glinted then.
"That sounds like a lot of fun, actually."
What she turned the vehicle into was a wonderfully magical creation. It was, it appeared, a floating orb of glass, made gold with hints of moving purple in it, much like the river had going on at the moment. There was a moving scrollwork pattern that could just be made out, too. The inside had one seat, and it wasn't vast, but while their legs touched solidly, there was no real lap sitting.
He enjoyed it well enough, her cool body just a bit distracting.
"This is incredible. Did you make it yourself?"
"This old thing? No, this is an original Tor fast craft. I've had it for years. I think Tim gave it to me one day. I should run up something similar, for Mars hopping. Do you have everything?"
"No. And it's eating at my stomach like acid. I'll probably come back to find my entire world missing."
That got a chuckle from the Ancient.
"More likely you'll come back to find that no one went within fifty feet of the place. Everyone knows who you are, after all. We don't have that many new Princes around here. We won't, for a few days. Just think of it. Hours and hours for you to be special, just waiting for you alone." She drove for a bit, in silence, not making a real noise until they were just inside the city gate. Then she drove four streets straight on, and turned right.
It was very nearly impassable already.
Bodies lined the thing, and worse, people stopped to stare at them. They weren't all dressed in bright colors, but many were. Sara smiled, and closed one eye, then turned to him, ever so slightly.
"Hold on." There was no flying in the city, thanks to the missiles, but rules didn't seem to apply to pretty immortals. That or they were cheating, without quite breaking the laws exactly.
She rose ten feet in the air, and hovered over the people below. That meant they were all looking up at them as they slowly moved along. At about thirty miles per hour. They were hit a few times, but it seemed harmless enough. People tossing things at them, that hit on the sides and bottom. Paper hats and streamers were a popular option.
When she finally landed, just inside the gate of a tiny palace, which looked suspiciously like the one the King had, if in miniature, she climbed out and turned it off.
"I get to come to your party, don't I?"
"Sure. In fact you can help me plan it, since I have no clue what to do. King's like sausages on sticks, don't they?"
Instead of telling him that was beneath such a person, the Ancient smiled. It was a gentle and sweet thing. The kind that a woman might give a child, if they said something cute. That was less than fun to realize, but she really didn't seem to be taking him seriously. Not on the level that any man, no matter how young, would want to see from a pretty woman.
Not that she was being mean about it.
"I'm pretty certain nearly everyone does. Yes, that might go over very well, if you're willing to risk it. Not many would be."
It hatched a plan in his mind anyway. Even if it was probably a horrible one.
Chapter nine
Inside the tiny palace they were hit with a din that actually got him to step back. Dare covered the reaction with a smile, one that had to seem strained and a little concerned. For some reason he'd expected the crowd in the street to have not infiltrated inside the buildings yet. That was a mistake, obviously.
The press of bodies inside was concentrated enough that a small woman, who was about his own size really, but clearly not a pure commoner, bumped into him. He was right next to Sara, just inside the front door. The serving woman had a tray of wrapped sausages, small ones, and nearly spread it over his front in a single, rather smooth, move. It wasn't about her being clumsy however, because a wide man with a bit of a belly had slammed into her, trying not to step into a woman on the far side of him who was dressed a lot like Sara, only in red and gold.
The surging of people trying to not hit others spread out from a point further into the room. Dareg saw it happening right in front of him, and managed to put one hand on the silver serving tray, the other wrapping around the woman, who was only a few years older than he was. She had a panicked expression on her face at first, but looked at him and managed a tight smile.
As she stood straight, recovering her burden, she spoke.
"Thanks. This is the third time this has happened. I lost a tray of crackers with goose liver earlier. I wasn't told it would be like this!" She was in good humor however, not angry about it all. "Well, it's just for tonight, unfortunately. I need the work. I don't suppose you have something?"
It was a really bold thing to say, if you were a servant, but this was a city woman, which showed the difference right there. If she'd been a commoner, small and meek, she wouldn't have spoken up, and then he couldn't nod his head yes.
"Cleaning and house services? For the Ancient of Noram. The new one? Sam Builder. It's in a palace, but a magical one, so it takes care of itself a lot. If you can get out to the spaceport, it's the place on the left hand side, coming out of the city. The one furthest back right now. A silver a week, but you can live there if you want, and you'll get free food." It wasn't a horrible offer, but he wasn't going too high pay wise, just in case he ended up paying for it out of pocket. It took an act of will to remind himself that he was getting fifty gold per month as a stipend.
She looked considering.
"That's not bad. Still, the Ancient of Noram? That sounds frightening, doesn't it? The man could turn me into a dog if he didn't like how his sheets were turned down." She was pressed up against him bodily, holding the tray almost behind him. Like they were hugging. It was fun enough, but he didn't know how to reassure her. Not about an Ancient.
Thankfully Sara did.
"Sam is a sweet man. Really nice, all the time. Plus magic doesn't work that way, but even if it did, he wouldn't let anyone be harmed for trivial things. Honestly, if it were me, I'd take the job, and then see if he wanted to get married. He isn't yet. Don't let the Ancient thing throw you off either, he's only thirty or so."
Dareg would have thought that would be over the top to say to a woman that was just bumping into them, but she didn't seem upset to hear it, looking more interested suddenly.
Almost whispering in his ear, a warm and slightly moist thing, she smiled.
"In the morning?"
He nearly nodded, wanting to please her, given how close she was to him.
"I won't be around until after noon. My fighting tutor is planning to beat me early. After I heal up? Speaking of which, do you have a Healing Amulet I can borrow Sara? Otherwise I think Kolb is planning to leave me broken and bleeding, for failing to get one. He suggested I find one, not mentioning that he has one already, so it's clearly a trap."
That got a chuckle from both women, causing the one touching him to jiggle and vibrate nicely. She wasn't a grand beauty, compared to Sara or most of the Baker family, but she clearly had her own charms to share, if she wanted to.
She nodded and finally stepped back.
"After noon? For an interview?" She looked hopeful about it.
Dareg shook his head a little.
"Why? I can't tell that kind of thing, so we'll just hire you on, and set you to work. Since you're the only servant so far, you get to be in charge. I'll pay for... Four more? Select them well, so they do most of the work for you? Sam Builder will be around in two days, so there's a time crunch. Hire the others for the same amount."
Then he moved off. More to the point he tried to. The woman with the tray looked both happy and worried, but she scuttled away, nearly being batter
ed as she moved into the crowd.
Sara put her arm around his waist, and leaned in to talk to him.
"This is off. Really wrong. We have people over for King's week, and a full house at night, but this is... I've never seen this before. We need to find Heather. My mother. She looks like me, just older. Come on." He was taken through the hand deftly, with bending and twisting that caused him to bash into people, gently, at least ten times.
That meant he was muttering sorry, over and over again, hoping that no one would want to fight about it. These were the kind of people that might well take offense at a short person doing that.
They went from room to room, finally stopping at a clump of slightly tense people. There were three of them. An attractive lady that did look a lot like Sara, with shorter hair that brushed her shoulders. There was a man there too, who was in his thirties or so, and had light blonde hair over tan skin. He wasn't hard seeming, but had a roughly fit look for a person that old. Next to him was a lady that was a lot different looking. She had a long face, very dark hair that was flowing down her back, and magical clothing. They all did, and while they looked wealthy, and had different styles, the looks was of nice, but practical clothing, instead of what you wore to the palace.
They all turned, and oddly, noticed him first. The man bowed to him with a slightly worried grin.
"Hello! Chris Debri. We seem to be rather... Well liked this year. Have you come to stay?" He actually swallowed hard, a gulp that could be heard even in the room they were in, which was loud.
Dare shook his head.
"Nope. Dareg Canton. I'm out at the spaceport? I was just coming to see if Debri wants to set up a small store out there, for people coming and going?"
That got three big smiles. The older woman took his left arm gently and pulled him close.
"You're the one in charge there? We were planning to send an emissary soon, to see about exactly that. Or... You just said you were out there, not running things..." There was a bit of panic again, until Sara moved a bit closer, catching people's eyes.
"No, Prince Dareg, of Harmony, Countier Baker, Countier Lairdgren, is the spaceport commander. For the entire world. All of them. I told him that I was going to set you up as his lover, Heather." She grinned and shrugged as her mother pretended to be scandalized. It was done to be cute though, and playful. As if it were a game between them, rather than an insult.
"I didn't know I was for sale. Not even for a good port deal. I should at least get some fine chocolates out of it, don't you imagine?" She didn't let go of his arm however.
Not even when Sara winked at her.
"Probably. I'm kidding anyway. I shouldn't play like that, but he brings it out in me. Anyway, this is Tor's son. Legitimate, but unknown until this last week." A look passed from her to the others then, clearly saying they shouldn't ask about it.
Like he was ashamed of being a bastard? He was, but it hadn't been a thing he'd spoken about with her.
The dark haired, long faced, lady smiled. It was a bit horsey looking, and she had a long nose, but it also kind of worked for her. She looked friendly, and kind, which were both rare things.
Then she hugged him.
"You're my second cousin then? It wasn't a known thing at the time, but I asked Tor to marry me once. Luckily he said no. Very kindly. Not that it would be a forbidden marriage, since first-cousin is the first non-consignation marriage opportunity. Which means that I can set my nieces on you. You're old enough for marriage, aren't you?" She said all of this while holding him. Pressed up against him like they weren't really related.
Sara laughed.
"Fourteen. Recently. Still, I think that medium-high level merchant is a bit out of the steps for him, don't you think? He has three titles after all."
Chris, the man, shook his head a bit.
"Think about it, sis. He's a Prince of Harmony. No one knows if they follow that there at all, do we? The best test might just be to sneak in a quick betrothal and ceremony. After all, once a thing is done, it's more likely to stick for others as well." The only real saving grace was that the man was half kidding.
After all, Dare didn't really know how he felt about the idea of being married at all. Having kids and the whole mess wasn't a thing that he'd be good at. You had to have a bit of practice, or at least see it being done, and he really hadn't that much. As strange as it seemed he was probably best suited for being a mother, since that was all that he'd known that way. He felt sad, thinking about her, so shook his head a little, like he was clearing it, and tried to find a way to change the subject.
"Sara was telling me that you don't normally have this many guests for King's Week. Does anyone know what's changed?"
Heather, the older lady, took a breath and then looked around for a bit, when she was done, a bit later, she locked her blue eyes with his brown.
"A combination of things. The rebellion ended seven years ago, which means that a lot of people are finally starting to believe it's truly done for the time being. The worst of the storms have calmed a good bit too, and everyone has enough food to survive. That's down to magic mainly, but the farms are starting to come back. A lot of people are going to the large cities in order to find jobs however. Now that we aren't losing people as fast as we were. Add that all together, with the announcement that the Ancients are coming back, and the low cost of modern travel... I should have worked out that it would take place, but other than barricade the doors, what could we have done?"
That one sounded like a plan to him, and he had his agreement for a store at the port, at least a tentative suggestion of it. They weren't going to have it set up that week, he didn't think.
"Ah. Well, we shouldn't stress your hospitality then. Sara, would it be all right if we leave, do you think? I know that you wanted to visit, but..." He was being rude, he knew, but the fact was, the place was packed enough that people were going to get hurt if anyone more came. They kept doing it too. "I know, why don't some of you come and stay at the port?" He had another few palaces he could set up, if needed, or they could he thought, add some size to the ones they already had.
He spoke loudly, and the room went quiet. So he explained the situation, which got a small cheer. From Heather.
"All right. I'll be your lover. I should have just said yes when Sara mentioned it, clearly." The look on her face was a strange combination of teasing and pleasure.
Which he understood had to do with the near disaster going on in her home at the moment. Even sleeping on the floor they weren't going to have enough room. These were merchants and a few low level nobles at a guess, as well. Not people that would be happy with a bit of hard floor and a bundled coat for a pillow.
He was trying to work out how to load them all into a vehicle to transport them, when Sara shocked him more than a bit, waving her hands.
"If you want to have a place to stay out at the port, you need to walk through the northern city gate. Try the places on the left hand side first." Then she took Dare by the hand, to try and pry him away. No one so much as groaned about the idea. Even Heather and Chris seemed pleased by it. Then, Sara explained pretty quickly. "Dareg has an appointment in the morning and can't spend his whole night going back and forth to make people happy. He needs to be rested and collected."
Then the immortal lady next to him grinned a bit, and looked directly at her mother.
"His personal weapons tutor is Baron Kolbrin. It's his first full force practice."
The woman looked at her daughter, then furrowed her brow and stared at Dare.
"He told him first? That's... Isn't it normally a surprise?"
Sara nodded then and glanced around the space, clearly a bit annoyed by the press of bodies.
"Normally that would be true. That's done to keep the kids from being afraid. Kolb... He likes Dareg, that's clear, but I don't think he cares at all if he spends the night worrying. It's a bit different, though I'm not certain why that is."
No one there got it either. Dareg's
guess was a thing he didn't mention. The combat rage thing. There was probably no way he was being punched in the nose and not going to get really worked up over it. Not afraid, maybe. Not that he was without fear, but it almost always turned to anger when he was pressed. That was controllable, which would be the big plan for the day.
No doubt the man would hurt him, breaking bones and slapping him around, until he triggered into that rage thing, then force him to control it, over and again. Petra had basically done that, and was the one that had gotten Kolb to come for him.
Also, Kolb was a Baron. That hadn't really come up yet. It made sense, because if you were around long enough you probably tended to end up building wealth and power. At least if you worked hard and were intelligent. So far none of the immortals had seemed lazy.
Sara said their goodbyes, and started to drag him away. Not forcefully, but well enough that it was kind of clear just how little effort it took her, even as he tried to move with her, making all the correct twists and turns. His body didn't really want to make them all, and more than once he nearly smashed into other people in a whip like fashion.
Once outside things were much clearer. Free of the press, and scent, of all those bodies. The air itself tasted different, holding less moisture, not breathing in the damp of other people's exhalations. Sara took a deep breath herself, seeming to understand what he was feeling, and exhaled with force.
"Sorry, I really needed to get out of there. That was... My senses are better than they used to be. I was half blind and deaf in there. Now, let's get out of here before people try to beg a ride." She actually hurried, and they were, indeed, coasting away above the crowd in street in her little vehicle, just out of reach as the first people came out and tried to wave at them. It wasn't dark yet, but it was close. That was actually a bit hard to tell.
The river on the wall was bright and glowing purple and gold now, in places, with lights coming from underneath it. When they got to the tan focus stone road that led to the port, the new river on either side was actually much brighter, the mixed purple and gold colors actually seeming to be part of the water. It was very different, and more advanced seeming. It was kind of like the amount of power and magical skill in making the smaller river was simply much greater than in the larger. That might be due to the fact that the thing up on the wall that the little one connected to was just older. It might also be that having a big river was harder, so things like lights weren't added for visual pleasure.