“YOU FUCKER!” the old man screamed as he hit the ground. I winced at the sheer volume of it as he leaped to his feet, “OH I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!”
I stepped off the carriage and brushed my legs. Delaney tapped me on the shoulder. “Oh right.”
I turned around and offered her a hand. She took it, lightly stepping onto the ground before gracefully walking to the old man. “Holden, it is good to see you on your feet.”
“No thanks to that one,” Holden growled, staring me down.
“My apologies.” I said, “I will be more careful in the future.”
“See that you do,” he growled and stomped off into the palace. Well, it was less of a palace and more a castle. If I were being honest, I’d have to say that it was not a very impressive castle either. It lacked the rich grandeur and sheer presence of the Royal Palace of Byrum and was a drop in the bucket when compared to the massive hunk of stone that was the Ironclaw Fortress in Forest Deep. One of the walls even seemed to have a slightly melted look, not dissimilar to wax. The stones burnt black and fused together. What did catch my eye was the hundreds of ballistas mounted along the walls. It wasn’t uncommon for castles to have artillery but the number of them seemed a tad overkill.
Delaney noticed my gaze, “A reminder from your uncle," she shrugged, "well your uncle’s dragon.” I nodded, as speaking might not have been the wisest move. “Come on, we mustn't keep the Highlord waiting.”
We walked through the gate. Guards in plate armor stood at the ready, spears and swords laid by their stations. One of the guards, a soldier with a blue feather sticking out of his helmet, stopped us.
“And who might you be when you’re at home?” he asked.
“Very funny, Milton.” Delaney said dryly, she crossed her arms, “now let us through.”
“Sorry Ms. Hightower but I can’t do that until you identify yourself.” he glanced at me, “or at least your company.”
“Who he is, is none of your concern.” she said quickly, I eyed her with surprise, “now I am tired of your games Sergeant, let us through.”
“Hmh, interesting. So you don’t wanna tell me? Why might that be?” he grinned, tapping his chin.
“Could it be that he’s your boyfriend that you don’t want your uncle hearing about? You know, your mother's been getting impatient, waiting for you to bring someone home.”
“NO!” we both shouted at the same time. The guards stared at us unbelievingly, her glowing red face wasn’t helping our case either.
“Sure…” Milton said, “well we should probably take this young man to your father first.”
“He’s not my boyfriend! That is Ryze Varus, nephew of the most dangerous man in history. Someone I might add, I have no attraction to either way.”
I looked hurt, "hey..."
The courtyard went silent. The half-joking attitude disappeared instantly and the atmosphere died an ugly death. Swords were drawn and crossbows readied. I even saw a few firearms in the mix.
“Uhh, hi?” I waved at the stunned Milton. His eyes went from lighthearted to cold as a sword materialized in his hands. “Whoa, you can do that too?”
The sword flashed and I stumbled backward as it nicked the front of my shirt. Blood welled up, dying the white cloth. “What the hell man?”
I yelped, the sword hissing through the air. It went over my head as I ducked under it and kept on backing up. My hand reached to my side and gripped the hilt of my own sword. “Alright buddy, let’s not try anything you’re going to regret later.”
Ignoring me, he pressed onwards, this time I unsheathed my sword. In one smooth motion, the crimson blade went from its scabbard to whistling through the air. It slammed into Milton’s sword, cleaving it clean in two. He gasped as pain shot up his arm. I took another step forwards, feinting right and moving left, slashing at his head. He raised his shield just in time to block the blow. Sparks flashed to life as I sheared off the top third of his shield. I raised the sword over my head preparing for a killing blow. Milton closed his eyes, accepting his fate. I grinned down at him and cut him in two.
Or would have if my sword hadn’t been stopped mid-air. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” a very irate blonde screamed. I couldn’t tell if it was directed towards me or Milton.
“Killing that son of a bitch.” we answered. She let out an incredibly frustrated scream. I had never heard so much raw emotion before. Honestly, she should pick up acting.
“This is exactly what I didn’t want happening.” she groaned, “Milton if you fight him, you are going to die.”
“I could take him.” He puffed out his chest.
I smirked at him, “sure you could. It's not like I disarmed you in under five seconds.”
She rolled her eyes, “Even if you manage to kill him, his uncle will not be a happy man. You remember what happened last time the Red Dragon came.” she turned to me, “Ryze, he may not look the part but that is the son of the garrison commander. If you kill him, you will not make it out of this city alive.”
"Please have a little faith in my abilities, but being the kind kindred soul that I am. I’ll forgive him as long as he apologies,” I said, she flashed me a small smile. Milton crossed his arms.
“No way.”
“Ok.” I swung again. The sound of steel on steel rang out through the courtyard as Delaney parried my strike.
“Stop!”
“Only if he apologies.”
“I’ll get him too if you stop trying to get us all killed.”
“Fine.” with a flourish I sheathed my sword. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Milton, what do you say?”
The man in question glared at the two of us for a moment, defiance shining in his eyes. “Fine, I apologize.”
“See that wasn’t so hard now was it?” I said in a condescending tone, “say, do you happen to have any sisters?”
He frowned, “I do, three in fact.”
“Three?” I exclaimed excitedly.
“Yes three,” he narrowed his eyes, “Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” I shrugged, “could you perhaps give me their names and address? I have a thing for blo-”
I felt a sharp jab in the ribs, “right that’s enough.” Delaney declared and grabbed my hand, yanking me past Milton and the Militiamen, and into the courtyard.
Her face was still cherry red as we walked out of earshot. She walked over to the nearest pillar and slammed her head into it.
“Whoa, what is that for?”
“I can’t believe it! Just my luck that the one time I get stopped, it’s Milton’s watch and I’ve got the most hated person in Rose fief with me.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I said, slightly offended.
“Wasn’t that bad?” she shrieked, “They thought we were dating!”
“What’s so bad about that?” I asked, this time extremely offended, “I’m not too bad.”
“You’re right.” she agreed.
I smiled a satisfied smile, nodding my head in agreement, "I know right! I don't understand why everyone gets their panties in a twist whenever I'm around. It's not fair."
“You're awful.”
“WHAT!”
/-/
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Sam scratched the back of his head as a rather obese man rolled out from behind the throne to fanfare and trumpets. He leaned over to Alex, “what happened to him?”
“I know right?” Alex agreed.
Noah scratched his chin, “looks like someone made a sculpture but added way too much water to the mix.”
“That is not how that works.” Sam said, “a better analogy would be an ice sculpture left in the sun for too long.”
“Sure whatever Mr. Artsy.” Alex sighed.
An orator spoke, “Now presenting Highlord Augustus Rose.”
The bubbling, oozing mass of blubber spoke with surprising vigor, “Bright Prince! It has been too long. How have you been my boy?”
The sheer amount of energy the man put behind the words seemed to shock his companions but Sam had been prepared for it. “I have been well, Lord Rose. It seems that you have made some improvements since I last visited.”
“Hah, the only improvements I’ve made have been to my waistline.” he slapped his prodigious belly. “And none of that Lord Rose nonsense. Let us drop the formalities, call me Gus like everyone else.”
“Only if you’ll call me Sam.”
“Of course, of course, now would you introduce your companions to me?”
Sam nodded and pointed down the line, “That's Alexander of House Taylor, he used to live in the Upper districts of Byrum and is part of my team at Leviathan.”
“It’s good to meet you Highlord,” Alex said with a bow, showing more respect and politeness than Sam had ever seen in the man. The lord acknowledged him with a nod and Sam moved on.
“That is Noah Nixon, son of a legionnaire of Varus, also part of my team.”
“From Varus you say?” Gus raised an eyebrow, “You do know my feelings towards them right?”
“Ah yes, however, the attacks on Rose fief were a little before his time.”
“I see,” he paused waiting for Sam to continue when he didn't. The man spoke up, “forgive me if I am wrong, but are teams not made up of four people? My vision may not be what it used to be but I can assure you that I only see three people before me.”
“Our fourth member-” The doors to the great hall slammed open.
“-Is right here you old fuck.”
/-/
“Ow! I said I was sorry already.” I winced as the scabbard cracked against the back of my head.
“You shouldn’t have said it in the first place,” she growled, raising the blasted thing back into the air. Across the hall, the guards began to stir.
“Protect the Highlord.” a captain yelled and the guards formed a shield wall in front of the fat man.
“Hightower!” Augustus boomed, “what is the meaning of this? How could you knowingly let a Varus into this hall? Arrest that scoundrel!”
The mass of men stepped forwards, maintaining their formation.
“Come on, this again? It hasn’t even been more than thirty minutes.” I sighed, this time I refused to draw my weapon. I eyed the gathered men. One of the more zealous guards broke rank and rushed me.
“Tch.” I dashed out of the way of his spear and kicked his shield with one leg sending him flying.
“Hold rank!” the captain ordered.
“STOP!” Delaney yelled at the soldiers, “what are you doing?”
“Step away from that monster Ms. Hightower. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“No, this is not the best course of action. Killing Varus will only bring more death to our fief.”
“Step away from him.”
“Forget it, she’s already been corrupted by his masculine charm,” Augustus said.
I blinked dumbly, “what?” To one side my team stood, watching with concerned and bemused expressions.
Alex snickered, “Hah, masculine charm.”
“Take her in as well. But do not harm her.”
I turned to them, “guys a bit of help please?”
“What are we supposed to do?” Sam asked.
I gave him a disbelieving look, “You. Are. The. Crown. Prince. FIGURESOMETHINGOUT!”
“Uhhhh, ok.” he said turning to the guards and lord, “Hey guys, maybe we could take a second to think this through a little more before we start spilling blood.”
I slapped my forehead, “not like that you dunce! Put a little bit more power in those words.”
“Oh.” Sam seemed to change before their eyes. He straightened his back, puffed out his chest and his eyes glowed with a far more intense light, “In the name of House Bright I demand that you cease any and all aggressive actions towards Varus. Failure to cooperate will be met with harsh punishment.”
The captain turned to the lord, “sire?”
The man glared at me for a moment longer, “Do as he says.”
“At once.” The shield wall broke and the guards returned to their posts. This time however they seemed to be more on edge. Weapons held tighter and eyes more alert.
“Geez, what did I do to deserve this treatment?” I asked, sighing theatrically. The Highlord glared at me.
“You murdered my son and burned my city Varus.”
“I was seven at the time, seven! The only thing I was murdering was my Uncle’s will to live.”
“That does not make you any less guilty.”
“Sheesh, talk about the sins of the father,” I muttered.
“You were raised by that monster and as such can’t be trusted.”
“Lord Rose, I have had the pleasure of living with Ryze for more than a month now. I can personally guarantee that he will not cause any trouble.”
“Bright Prince, as much as I respect your authority and judgment. I shan’t allow such a dangerous man into my household.”
“Then where would I stay?”
“That would not be my problem, I only wish you gone. Go live amongst the commoners for all I care.”
“What, I can’t do that!” I protested.
“Why not?”
“They’ll form a lynch mob the moment they see me.”
“And that once again is not my problem.”
“It will be your problem when the Steel Legions are knocking at your doorstep. Again.”
“Is that a threat, Varus?” he said in a dangerous voice, not that I like I was in a lot of danger, him being a land whale and all.
“No, it's a promise.”
“So be it. Guards, escort this, this beast out of my halls. His presence sickens me.”
“What you can’t make me leave.” I protested, “I’m-”
“-Not the Highlord.” The captain cut in, “now get out.”
“You can’t make me.”
The guard faltered for a moment, then he drew his sword, “yes, I can.”
“Prove it.”
“Ahhh!” Delaney slammed her head against the door. I noticed she’d been doing that a lot. It couldn’t be good for the brain, “It’s like herding cats! If you won’t let him stay with you then he can stay at the Hightower estate.”
All conversation in the great hall ceased as we turned to stare at her.
“You would?” I asked with surprise.
“As much as I hate to say it, yes.”
The Highlord followed up, “Why?”
She glared at us, “so you two would stop with your incessant arguing! My lord, being this worked up is not good for your health. I suggest you return to your quarters before you overexert yourself and strain your heart. Your health already isn't what it used to be.”
Sam, Noah, and Alex looked at each other before Noah spoke up, “Excuse me my lady, is it possible for us to join you as well?”
She looked the three of them up and down before shaking her head, “no, my father would not be pleased with me bringing home so many on such short notice. Not to mention how we would even attempt to feed three guardians in training. Good day my lords, it has been a pleasure to meet you.”
With that, Delaney spun around and grabbed me by the collar, dragging me out of the hall.
“Hey slow down!” I yelped,
“Keep up then,” she said, I glared at her, before tripping on my own feet. I almost made it to the door when I finally lost my balance and smacked my head against the ground.
“Blasted woman!” She looked down at me with a raised eyebrow before kicking me in the ribs.
“Get up.”
I gave a weary sigh, “yes mother.”
She ignored me and kept walking. Behind us Alex leaned over and stage whispered to the other two, “she wants the D.”
Mid stride, Delaney turned around, grabbed a spear from one of the guards, and hurled it at him. He caught it with one hand and winked at me, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“More like, don’t do anything he would.”
/-/
The door to the great hall slammed to a shut and the entire room let out a collective sigh of relief. Alex inspected his newly found spear, “well that was something.”
“More like she was something,” Sam said with a glimmer in her eye. He turned around to face the high lord, “Who was that girl?”
“That was Miss Delaney Hightower. She’s the captain of my personal guard and my niece.”
“She seems awfully young to be in such an important position,” Noah said.
“I know I can place my absolute faith in her and her abilities. I have no doubt in my mind that she could take care of Varus if needed.”
“She could take care of me if you know what I mean,” Alex muttered to himself. His two teammates turned to him.
“What?”
“Aren’t you dating Arya?”
He thought about it for a few moments, “good point, don’t tell her I said that.”
Sam and Noah nodded to each other, coming to a silent agreement. That agreement definitely had nothing to do with some casual blackmail.
/-/
We walked out of the great hall and headed to another quadrant of the castle. I looked around at the empty hall and spoke, “So-”
“Shut up.”
“Buh-” I tried again.
“Nope, I don't want to hear it.”
“Uba-”
“Quiet.” she gave me a stern look, “once we arrive, you will not speak unless spoken to, if you are spoken to say as little as possible and say what that they’ll want to hear. You will not touch anything, and you will not go anywhere without my permission. Am I understood?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Am. I. Understood?”
“You can’t make me.”
“Of course if you want to live on the streets like a rat, it’s up to you.” I glared at her, forcing my eyes to change color. She met my gaze easily and patted me on the shoulder.
“I trust that you’ll make the right decision.”