Chapter Thirteen

“You didn’t have to be so mean to Rosie,” Adric complained while walking with one arm around Harmony’s waist to comfort her as they made their way to the inn’s training yard.

Harmony should have guessed the princess would run off to her brother after that disastrous visit. He was ranked moderate in authority one step below her. The first thing she did was check. Adric didn’t have an inspection style skill, so that was his excuse for forgetting about it, and it was one of the reasons he’d had more leeway than his siblings or cousins in associating with people.

While Harmony didn't feel Princess Rosaline would poison or order Adric's poisoning, she hadn’t put a stop to it either. It was too much like the princess was the servant to the handmaiden and not the other way around.

“I disagree.”

The training grounds at the back of the Dragonfly Inn made the dungeon lodges look quaint. An expensive area with a dozen combat rings, advanced dummies for practice, and even golem opponents available. Instructors for guests had a little pavilion if you purchased their services. The extras weren’t part of the package deal Ambrosia had negotiated for their stay. Adric was always happy to spar like an eager puppy showing off while Harmony panted after him. Even having Hyacinth help didn’t do much since he’d learned to expect the tricky toad.

The large open square sat connected to a private city park, cared for and shared by several similar establishments, allowing space for more wild pets and familiars to roam. [Familiar Bond] showed Hyacinth prowling there now, practicing jumping from shadows to scare, not eat, other beasts in the forest. Mistaking a pet for a meal in the capital was not recommended, to the point where Harmony spent an hour lecturing him prior to the trip to get the point across. He’ll easily get his fill in the dungeon as it was.

The plan was a short warm-up before heading to Nae’s Garden. Sir Maxwell sat kneeling honorifically in the yard close to the entrance. While she’d told him to arrive at dawn, Harmony hadn’t been so rigorous with her schedule, and the man must have waited a while for her. She’d half hoped the knight wouldn’t show, or leave during the wait.

“My Lady.” He intoned.

This time Harmony was prepared. This wasn’t a surprise at an Inn she hadn’t known she was going to, in a lobby where eyes would be upon her. Training grounds were a largely informal shared space since they were designed for bouts of rough and tumble. Hard to require aristocrats to always be proper when they might get covered in grime while being tossed about.

“Oh, get up, Max. You can explain what all this is about as we head to the ring that’s been reserved for us.” Internally she found the connection his oath to her had created, time and distance had weakened it some, but not that much because of how she’d twisted it tightly when the man stupidly made it, and she tweaked it to make sure he’d be honest, the hint of authority she now had knitting into it tighter.

Max shot up to his feet as if yanked by a rope, his hand massaging his chest. “It’s my duty…”

“No, I want your selfish reasons. You didn’t need to come find me and have been happy to stay away until now. Then you can talk about duty, honor, and knightly things your skill is trying to filter for you.” Harmony considered pushing the pace to make him jog a little as he explained, but she’d have to run to do that while Max and Adric would simply need to lengthen their strides. Sometimes she wished she was big.

“My family has plans for me and I can’t evolve into a decent class without time in noble servitude. One of the horrible things about trying to evolve as a knight. All those tales of glory sucker boys into it. That was why my aunt got me into Little Lord’s team, and I tried for Hemlock’s favor and took that gamble on you. I’d hoped the capitol would be rife with opportunity, but there are a lot of people in my situation.”

“So you wish to use me to find a patron.”

“What? No. I want you to be my patron.”

Only long practice of incorporating [Style and Grace] at a low but constant level kept Harmony from stumbling. “I don’t have any money.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Not expecting any. I have my own funds. A proper knight serves by shouldering the weight of some of their patron’s authority and working in their continued advancement. I already have an oath to you. I merely need you to complete the process. Despite my lack of success at finding a patron, my experience and connections will be valuable in handling many social situations before they become problems.” There was something more there, enough that Harmony found his oath again and pressed ever so slightly. “And it would piss off little lord Tyler.” Max blurted out.

Inwardly Harmony smiled. “Your personal vendettas are not a great reason to choose me as a patron.” The trio slowed to a stop at their reserved ring as Ambrosia waited with refreshments, and Bates stood at attention if needed.

“You’re my last hope,” Max said pleadingly.

The phrase beggars can’t refuse scraps, played painfully in her mind, reminding the necromancer about her mother. While Max was begging, she knew that she could use the help. Servants could only inquire so much outside of their social circle. Sir Maxwell, however, could handle the task of keeping her informed about Ma Bell’s nightly guests. Less things to worry about while she focused on the dungeon. Even better was that he wouldn’t take her non-existent funds.

“I don’t know how to complete the process of being your patron, though.”

“Oh. I know!” Adric interrupted, clearly excited that he did remember something from his education. “You reach out with your authority to the worker pledging to you and announce with conviction that they may support your burden as you support them.”

Sir Maxwell dropped to his knee and bent his head. “My Lady White.”

Harmony held back a growl. She hadn’t agreed to this yet. What were the consequences of doing something like this? Adric didn’t seem worried, but Adric got distracted by colorful, shiny objects.

Hyacinth nudged her through their [Familiar Bond]. “I’ll Share.”

Now that was someone she could rely on. If he asked her to jump she’d jump. With her authority, she reached out toward Sir Maxwell, both through the air and the bond he had formed with her. Connection made sure to pull from Hyacinth and the toad’s share of her burden, giving her a clearer look at what he’d been doing for her. So much strain. “Sir Maxwell, oathbound, support my burden as I support you.”

Authority shifted into the oath he’d made her months ago while she was still only a maid, tying it up in strings making the once one-sided oath, more something she would need to support as well. Authority flowed from her familiar and through her, onto the knight. Then it snapped into place.

Maxwell collapsed face-first onto the ground. Struggling to move. “Ooog.” He groaned.

“Heh, heh, heh.” Hyacinth chuckled only to her.

A look at Adric and he returned a perplexed shrug. Ignoring the knight, Harmony took one of the drinks from Ambrosia’s tray and started sipping it. “Bates, do help Max up if he isn’t able to right himself in a few minutes. I don’t have all day, and it will be good to get his input before I head to the Nae’s Garden.”

“Adric, any new information about the dungeon or how tourists progress so fast in it?”

“The guides for the floors are the same, first floor woozes, second floor vinestrictor and twiggys, It’s all based on team tactics. Evolved kingdom tourists don’t like to interact with candidates for the crown. It’s a weird mix of looking down on us or worshiping the aristocracy. Polite or rude, their lips are sealed on the topic."

I know.” Max croaked from his hands and knees.

A nod towards Bates and he moved to help the knight up.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that to kick so much.” Standing on his own now, he spit out the dirt that got in his mouth and brushed his cheeks.

Removing that dirt didn’t help the rest of him, as he was covered from head to toe after flailing on the ground. If he was going to be Harmony’s knight, she couldn’t let him look that grimy without at least earning it in the practice ring. [Dust] synergized with [Beautician] as she pulled a little bit of help from her other skills to strip the man clean. His roots were showing too. [Manipulate Dead] pulsed on his hair turning it all a uniform shade of pink as she also un-snaggled bits of tangles from his beard.

“Explain.”

“It’s not the biggest secret in the world, and why locals don’t mess with the tourists. They go into the dungeon as a team, but each takes a different path alone. That’s why it is rare to see them with a pet even, splits progression they say. It is also one of the reasons why familiars are twice as popular in the evolved kingdoms, here they’ll curse the loss of a skill when you could simply get a pet instead. Not the safest thing, but it gets them where they need to be.”

Not the biggest secret? Harmony turned her attention to her pet prince. On the outside, he has the calm, immaculate, if a little empty-headed look of a person using a social skill. Through the pet bond, she could feel him squirm a little. The plan they’d sketched together had him, with his experience shadowing her, keeping her safe if needed. A full party took years to evolve in the capitol dungeon, there was no time, no time to risk him being there.

“Guess you’ll have to be a good boy and stay.”