As Rufus left, he saw a house that had two soldiers outside guarding it. They had the same clothes as the commander of the diamond conquistadores.

They carried all kinds of weapons, from knives, halberds, swords and axes. They truly looked like mercenaries.

The same woman they had met in the senatorial hall, Ximena Toroblanco, came out of the house all drunk with two soldiers holding her so she wouldn't fall.

"Look at that. There goes the king of the Fairfax kingdom. Men, take a bow for the good king who fights for free," Ximena said and laughed as her men bowed sarcastically.

"What is her problem?" Yosef said.

"She is just a mercenary and got a large fortune as payment. Let her be and just ignore her," Doreen said as they walked away.

"So in simple terms...she is a bitch," Yosef pointed out.

"Oh, the great king who was born in the slums is now too good to parley with some mercenaries. I am hurt. Deeply hurt," the drunk woman yelled out trying to provoke them.

Rufus didn't let the provocations get to him and just ignored them.

"Oi! I am talking to you! You slumrat!"

They still didn't get provoked.

"Fucking stupid brats..."

Haley and Joan then had enough with Joan taking out her sword and charging at the woman. Haley formed two crystal snakes that slithered toward Ximena.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The woman then took out her two curved swords and turned them including her hands into diamonds and parried off the attack of Joan and then struck down the two crystal snakes.

Soon the mercenaries of the diamond conquistadores company started to come out with the Ghersengs also facing them.

The republic guards then ran to the scene with one of the senators along with them.

"What is going on here?!" the senator yelled.

Rufus and the rest of his friends rushed with him and Edward hitting the tops of the heads of both Joan and Haley.

"Nothing is going on here. Just some stupid younger siblings misbehaving," Doreen said looking mad at Joan and Haley.

The senator then looked at the completely drunk Ximena who still had her swords out.

"I think I know what happened here. We apologize for the rude behavior of our mercenary. She will be reprimanded," the senator said and bowed.

"It is alright. No need for that."

~ ~

Later the evening Rufus had returned to his army that was camped outside the city walls. Unlike the mercenaries the city had hired, none of the soldiers were allowed inside the city walls. Many of the citizens feared that the grey skin would be an unruly and barbaric race that wouldn't know how to act. For this reason, they barred every soldier from entering the city, much to the dismay of Rufus.

As he was laying in his tent all alone a Gherseng came in informing a most likely unwanted guest had arrived. It was Ximena Toroblanco.

Rufus and Ximena were left alone in his tent with her having sobered up.

After a while of awkward silence, she opened her mouth.

"I am told I should apologize to you, or my soldiers would lose their quarters inside the city," she said.

"Well, will you?"

"Is coming here good enough? I really don't feel like apologizing to a king."

Rufus sighed.

"Fine, just go back to your men. I really am not in a mood to argue, and I hate confrontations anyway," Rufus answered.

Ximena looked confused.

"You truly are a weird king. Almost as if the rumors of you being from the slums to be true."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean everyone says you are from the slums, but isn't that just an elaborate rumor created by you to get the support of your people. I am no fool and have met many people like you. Claiming to be like one of us when clearly being something else."

Rufus laughed.

"I really don't care what you think, to be honest."

Ximena then left the tent not having apologized.