“Quickly,” the older man hissed.

The king sprinted after him, a million thoughts racing through his head. He watched him with weary eyes as they went further into town, passing through alleyway after alleyway in silence.

After a while, they stopped in front of a small house with a tall metal gate surrounding it. Similar houses were wedged on either side of it with no gaps in between the meeting walls.

Leading him through the now open gate, the older man got to the front door and ushered Adrian inside, but the blond hesitated.

“If you’re concerned, you can go back to the Inn,” he said, “but I recommend lying low here for a few hours.” He stepped ahead into the house, and Adrian stared after him for a long moment before sighing and following after.

Inside was warm and surprisingly cozy. The door led straight into a small kitchen where different spices, dried fruits, and vegetables hung from the low ceiling over clay countertops.

There was a tall, muscular woman with blond hair and green eyes cooking something over a little stove. When she looked up, her face spread into a big smile.

“Bo!” She ran up to the older man, towering over him as she pulled him into a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek. “You came back so late. I was worried you’d miss your favorite dish. I made it just for you, Sweetheart.”

“Sorry I’m late, Avril,” he said in a very different voice than what he’d used with Adrian, kissing her back. “There were some issues getting the water. I’ll have to travel again tomorrow.”

She frowned. “They’ve gotten so stingy with those damn water laws.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve faced worse.”

Avril glanced behind him at the young blond man who was standing to the side stiffly.

“Who’d you bring with you?”

“This young man ran into a bit of trouble with a group of animal smugglers,” he said. “He’ll just stay here for a bit before he returns to his Inn.”

“Smugglers again? They’ve been getting real rowdy lately.”

“He held up his own pretty well before I came along.”

Adrian blinked at him in surprise, very much aware that his little temporary stand of bravery had not gone well.

“Anyone with those kinda guts is welcome in our home. What’s your name, Dear?”

Adrian blushed slightly under her confident gaze and tall stature. “Oh, it’s… Ian.”

His heart stopped when the woman suddenly pulled him into a bone crushing hug, kissing his cheek as well. “Nice to meet you, Ian. The name’s Avril. I’m Boden’s wife. Stay and eat if you want. Food’s almost ready.”

“Oh,” he replied, his voice muffled against her shoulder. “That won’t be necessary. I appreciate the gesture, but I’d hate to impose.”

They pulled out of the hug, and she raised an eyebrow. “You’re a very eloquent speaker. Such a unique accent too. Where are you from?”

He paled. “Um, Teasle.” He mentally kicked himself for choosing the same remote place as before.

“Teasle? As in, Teasle—”

“Andveltica, yeah.”

“Well, I’ve never met someone from Andveltica before. Why are you all the way out here?”

“Uh...” his voice cracked, his tired and stressed-out brain unable to come up with a coherent response.

“It’s alright,” Boden said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to state your business.”

He let out a small sigh of relief. “I appreciate it, and I must thank you for your help earlier. I was not as brave as you stated.”

Boden laughed. “You were brave alright, just not very smart.” Adrian blinked. “I can tell you’re good with a sword, but you’re obviously used to fighting a much fairer opponent and only one at a time for that matter.”

His eyes widened. “You could tell all that just from watching me?”

“My husband’s a pretty renowned Venwickin war general,” Avril said over her shoulder as she returned to the stove. “We met during the Minokan civil war, you know. I was part of his regiment. He dissected my fighting flaws as well back then. A real know it all, but he knows what he’s doing.”

Adrian blinked at the man. “You’re a war general?”

“Was. Now I just help New Minokan town folk as much as I can, usually with those damn mid-Elderian water laws.”

“Are the water laws not fair?” Adrian felt a wave of anxiety run through him as he remembered writing those laws during the triple alliance three years prior.

“Fair? They’re downright brutal. Perhaps they were well meaning at first, but the Cappeland and Nebrasian guards that run the water supply stations quickly realized they could profit from the laws by charging double, sometimes triple for imported water. It’s why I make my little trips to the river post that borders Venwick and Cappeland. You get gouged if you buy water in town.”

Adrian could feel his cheeks growing red. “They shouldn’t have that much control over the river. The laws are meant to conserve the water so that all countries that border the Minokan and Tolkma river may receive what they need. They’ve abused the system for their own gain.”

Boden cocked his head to the side curiously. “I’m surprised an Andveltican knows so much about our water laws.”

His face flushed further. “I… just take an interest in politics.”

“Be that as it may, me and my family are lucky to live so close to the Minokan river. Other Venwickins are not so fortunate. The further out they are from the rivers the more the water costs, and those northern towns are already so poor. Venwick has always been tossed around by the wealthier southern countries.”

“But things have gotten better since the triple alliance started taking in more refugees, right?” He tried to hide the distress in his voice.

“Well, we just pulled out of another civil war since that Venwickin uprising collapsed. I think most Venwickins are just trying to get by without getting caught between all the politics. There is still so little support out here.”

Adrian looked down at his hands, the guilt in his chest growing heavy. He wondered if other decisions he’d made as king had hurt people.

“Food’s ready,” Avril shouted, shaking him from his despairing thoughts.

Boden led him to a little table in the other room. Adrian forgot about the water laws for a moment as he looked around the tiny dining room. There were little drawings obviously done by a child, hung all over the walls.

As he sat down at the wooden table, something ran from the opposite hall and threw itself into Boden’s arms. A little girl with light brown skin around four years old with black curly hair and green eyes hugged the older man.

Her voice was high pitched as she spoke. “Daddy! You’re home!”

“Chloe, Sweetie, you’re supposed to be in bed.”

“No time for sleep when Daddy’s home!”

He chuckled. “I suppose you can eat with us and our guest.”

“Woohoo!” She grinned, then looked up at Adrian with curious eyes. “Who are you?”

“This is Ian, Dear. He’s from Andveltica.”

“Andveltica? Where’s that?”

“Far away,” Adrian answered, and she looked back at him, blinking.

“Can I hold your sword,” she asked, running to his side, and touching the handle of Adrian’s sheathed weapon.

“Uh, well—”

“Don’t touch, Sweetie,” Boden said, walking back into the kitchen to help his wife.

Chloe folded her arms grumpily, before running to her seat and climbing into it. “You have blond hair, just like Mommy,” she said once she was seated, gazing at him from across the table. “Not many people around here who look like Mommy.”

“Oh, yeah—”

“Are you and Mommy related?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Will you marry me when I grow up so we can have blond children?”

“Huh?”

“Settle down, Chloe,” Avril said firmly, placing a steaming pan of something down on the table. “There’s a fair amount of people with blond hair and light skin in Venwick. Don’t be rude, Dear.”

“But I wasn’t being—”

“That’s enough, Chloe.”

The little girl folded her arms again, but immediately smiled again when she looked over at the pan Avril had set down. “Oh! It’s Daddy’s favorite.”

Adrian stared at the dish curiously.

It was lined with anchovies, leeks, celery, and onions in a beautiful pattern with alternating layers of fish and vegetables. The foreign dish looked colorful and inviting, the smells filling his senses.

“Have you had Venwickin food before?” Avril asked, and he shook his head silently.

“Oh, really?” Boden commented. “Well, you’ll love it.”

“Thank you kindly for your hospitality.” Adrian had to fight every muscle in his body to stop himself from lifting his hand and bowing his head in the royal Nebrasian manner.

“I like the way you speak,” Avril laughed. “You’re a very polite young man.”

“Er, thank you.”

“Well, eat up!”

After the table was cleaned off, Avril offered Adrian to stay the night.

“I couldn’t,” he said quickly. “I need to get back to my—” His eyes widened as a wave of panic shot through him. “My bag! It’s still in my room. I need to get it.” The thought of being away for a few hours from the ancient Elderian device and the Alchemist journal filled him with absolute dread.

“Don’t worry about that,” Boden said lightly. “I can take you to the Inn in the morning. Your bag will be fine if it’s safely locked in your room.”

His heart pounded. He mulled over the suggestion while pacing around the floor. “What if someone breaks in? What if it gets stolen. Oh, I can’t even remember if I locked the door.”

Boden placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, relax. You’re staying in the Inn on the main road, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“I know the owner. He takes very good care of that Inn, and the rooms especially are quite safe. We’ll go first thing in the morning, okay? I insist you stay here and rest for the night.”

Adrian let out an anxious breath, then reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”

He was led to a small room with a twin sized bed next to another that was already occupied.

“Hope you don’t mind sharing a room with Chloe,” Boden said, and Adrian looked to see that the little girl was already fast asleep.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Boden began closing the door behind him when Adrian said quickly, “Thank you, again, Boden.”

He smiled. “Of course. It was so nice to meet you, Ian.”

🗲🗲🗲

Adrian slept very well, barely stirring when a hand shook him awake.

“Psst! Ian.”

He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, looking up at the figure standing above him. “Mmpf, Tony?”

“Sorry to wake you up so early, but you wanted to check on your bag, right?”

His vision cleared, and the face of Boden smiled down at him. At the mention of the bag, he threw the covers off and got up quickly.

As he reached for his clothes, a soft snore caused him to turn. Chloe was still fast asleep in the bunk next to him. He glanced back quickly as the older man set a bundle of clothing in his arms.

“I found some clothes that would fit you. You’ll blend in better this way. S’far less likely for someone to think you’re a foreigner.”

Adrian glanced down at the bundle, taking it gratefully. “Thank you, though I think my hair and complexion will always give me away.”

Boden smiled comfortingly. “Your physical appearance is uncommon but not unheard of for a Venwickin. It’s your mannerisms, your style of sword fighting, and your current clothes that give you away.” he laughed. “You also have this look about you like a deer caught in a trap. If you want to blend in, you’ll need to learn more about Venwickin culture and ways of speaking and such.”

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Adrian gripped the bundle, his face falling. “I don’t even know where to start without drawing attention to myself. I wish there was some way for me to learn all this without having to fight ruffians in back alleyways.”

Boden laughed again. “You certainly caused a scene back there.”

“How am I supposed to make it to Elden Town in this state?”

“Elden Town?” he repeated bewilderedly. “That’s where you’re headed? Why in Elderian would you want to go there? That’s one of the poorest and most crime ridden cities in all of Elderian. I would highly recommend against it, especially with your limited street smarts.”

His heart sank at the words. “You don’t understand. I have to go there. There’s something there waiting for me. There’s someone I lost a long time ago and that place… It’s all that’s left of her.” His chest tightened.

Boden examined him closely. “You have come such a long way already. It would be a shame to just turn around after making it this far, but Elden Town is completely different from New Minoka. Those ruffians you fought… that’s far more common, and if you think we struggle getting water here, they’re so far from any fresh water source, water is like gold there. There are some pretty nefarious water lords that run that city. I wouldn’t go in your current state. You’ll be eaten alive.”

“What am I to do then? I left everything for this journey.” There was desperation in his voice, and the thought of returning to Nebrasia empty handed crushed his insides. Even with the loneliness and culture shock he’d already faced, nothing could be worse than returning early to that dreary castle where he had to watch the woman he loved live her happily-ever-after with his brother. Not to mention, the kingly duties he’d be returning to… He closed his eyes. He couldn’t give up yet, but what could he do?

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, shaking Adrian from his thoughts. “Hey,” Boden said gently, “Don’t fret. If you want, you can stay here for a while, and I can help you get familiar with the culture here. I’ll even teach you how to fight unfairly.” He winked.

Adrian gaped. “I couldn’t possibly impose.”

He laughed heartily. “I’ll help you with your speaking as well. You have such a formal use of words.”

The young man blushed in embarrassment. “I really appreciate your offer, and I’ll help with anything you need me to in the meantime.”

He nodded. “Yes, you can come with me to retrieve the water from the Minokan River post today. Perhaps between the two of us, we can be more convincing at getting cheaper water. You’re not a good haggler, are you?”

“H-haggler?”

He boomed with laughter. “I thought not. Well, the extra muscle will be a huge help. Come along then. Get dressed and then we’ll stop by the Inn for your things before leaving.”

Adrian’s face lit up. “Alright!”

Boden shot one last smile his way before disappearing into the kitchen. Adrian stepped into the little bathroom next to him, closing the door behind him.

As he unfolded the bundle of clothing, his heart felt light in his chest along with a warmth that he could not quite describe. Boden had already shown him so much kindness, he was determined to return it.

He unfurled a pair of large, puffy pants and a white linen shirt along with some other clothing items he was unsure about. Slipping the green pants on first over his white stockings, he saw that they ended in a tight cuff just below his knees, hanging quite loosely around his thighs, and cinching at the waist. He thought they looked quite attractive on his slim body. He smiled slightly in the mirror on the opposite end of the wall.

Feeling quite vain, he slid the long-sleeved white shirt over his now bare shoulders, finding a red tunic that he assumed went over it. The white shirt with puffy sleeves ended just below his chin, hugging around his neck and cuffing tightly around his wrists. There was only a long orange sash left, and he had no idea what to do with it.

Stepping out of the small bathroom, he nearly bumped into Avril who was hurrying past with a basket of clothes in her arms.

“Oh, sorry, Dear.” She caught sight of his clothes. “Well, now, they look good on you, though...” She set her basket down. “Tuck in your under shirt.” She pointed to the white poking out over the green pants.

Adrian looked down, following her command as he tucked it in. Taking the sash from him, she wrapped it around his waist and tied it at the back.

She stood back to look at him. “There we go. Now you’re a proper Venwickin.”

“Thanks, Avril,” he said shyly, rubbing the back of his head.

“Sure thing, Hon. Boden is waiting for you in the kitchen by the way.” Scooping up her basket again she walked around him.

“Oh, thanks.”

He strode into the small kitchen where Boden stood waiting with a pair of short, worn boots. “For you,” he said cheerily, handing the shoes over.

Adrian slipped them on, unsure of what to say other than, “Thanks.”

“Well, let’s get your bag then.”

🗲🗲🗲

Getting the bag was easy enough, and Adrian breathed out a sigh of relief when he found it safely on his bed where he’d left it with all his belongings still inside.

He had double-checked for everything from the Alchemist journal and the ancient diamond-shaped relic to his bag of money and the bundle of cyclamen flowers.

Boden waited for him outside beside a small donkey that was pulling a little cart. He gave a big smile and Adrian returned it with his own, his bag now slung over his shoulder.

“All ready then?” The young man nodded. “Off we go.” Boden climbed onto the front, taking the reins in one hand and patting the seat next to him with the other.

Adrian came and sat, barely fitting on the little bench. He couldn’t complain in the slightest though; blue eyes gazing at the now slowly moving landscape and everything in it. He let out a small, content sigh as the rising sun warmed his skin.

The clothes he wore were much lighter than his previous garments; the loose, light fabric keeping him surprisingly cool. He remembered Princess Madeleine telling him something about how Andvelticans had their cloth imported from Venwick where they had perfected the art of making airy, unburdening clothing.

He quickly pushed away thoughts of the princess as he gazed out into the distance, a calmness now sweeping over him.

A few hours passed and Boden pulled up on the reins. “How about we stop for lunch, yeah?”

Adrian nodded, his stomach growling in earnest.

Hopping off, Boden secured the donkey and the cart inside a stall after paying a man, then heading off into the streets.

In the distance, Adrian spied several large, single domed buildings. Their size and ornate design dazzled his eyes.

“This way, Ian,” Boden called, grabbing his arm, and leading him down a tight alleyway.

“What are those big buildings?” he asked, pointing at the painted domes.

“They’re mosques. All kinds of things to do there. They have a guesthouse for travelers, hostels, shops, a bathhouse—”

“A bathhouse?” Adrian repeated, becoming very aware of his own body odor then. “I could definitely use one.”

Boden chuckled. “We’ll have to stop by one after we eat then, won’t we?”

“Oh, that’s very kind of you.”

“Of course.” Boden patted him on the back as they walked into a small diner that was mushed between several other shops.

The hole-in-the-wall restaurant was buzzing with noise and smells. The young man looked around at everything curiously as Boden led them to a small table with chairs set around it.

“We’ll need to get you used to Venwickin food. You can’t go wrong with mixed bulgar.”

“Mixed bulgar?” Adrian said, sitting down.

“Good stuff. You’ll like it.”

🗲🗲🗲

The pair made their way to the large mosque closest to them. Adrian blinked at the high, arching ceilings and beautiful marble walls. Boden led him to the neighboring bathhouse.

The king soon found himself in a large public changing room with the older man as he was handed a long silk cloth, being told to wrap it around his waist once he was out of his clothes.

Adrian did not feel uncomfortable in the slightest changing in front of Boden or the other strangers in the room for that matter. It was oddly comforting, reminding him of his days changing with the help of his castle servants. He’d felt so lonely the past few weeks, and the lively room with the soft buzz of chatter made for a social atmosphere that surrounded him in a warm embrace.

Once he had nothing on but the silk cloth around his waist and the wooden ring over his left index finger that covered his royal birthmark, Boden gave him a pair of large wooden shoes.

“These will keep you from slipping,” he assured.

Adrian slid the shoes over his feet and followed Boden through a passageway on the other end of the changing room.

They eventually ended up in a large room made completely of marble with a raised stone platform in the middle and stone benches surrounding it. It was hot and the air was humid.

Boden sat down on one of the benches, ushering Adrian over.

“We start in the steam room,” he said with his eyes closed as he leaned back, “and then we’ll move to a room where we can wash up.”

Adrian was already perspiring. “It’s quite warm in here.”

Boden looked over at the pale, flushed face and chuckled. “It’s good for your body. It’ll make the actual washing all the better.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

He laughed again, and Adrian couldn’t help but grin in return.

“Do they have something like this in Andveltica?”

He blinked for a second. “Huh? Oh, well actually the thing is, I’m from mid-Elderian, not Andveltica.” He wasn’t sure why he said it, but Boden had already done so much for him, and it was easy to trust him. “I panicked yesterday and said Teasle, Andveltica, but I’ve never actually been there.”

“Thought so,” Boden said, patting him on the back. “Your clothes screamed mid-Elderian. I understand you have your secrets, so I won’t judge you for hiding that about yourself.”

Adrian nodded gratefully. “To answer your previous question, they do have bathhouses where I’m from, though I always bathed in my personal, er, tub with the help of my ser—um, attendants.”

“Oh, I see. Why didn’t you tell me? You can pay extra for attendants here if you want a full scrub down.”

The offer was tempting, but Adrian felt it would be inappropriate to ask for special treatment. He could afford it himself, but he wasn’t about to flash his cash and risk drawing attention to himself, nor would he ask the other man to pay for him.

“No, that’s alright. I’d rather experience this with you. I’ve never had an experience like this with a friend before.”

He beamed at him. “A friend? I’ve only just met you, but I can tell you’re a good lad.”

Adrian flushed in embarrassment, or was it the heat of the steam room? “I’m sorry, I forgot we only met just yesterday.”

“Don’t apologize, Lad. I’ll gladly accept the title of friend. Why don’t we head to the bathing room, huh?” He stood, wrapping an arm around Adrian’s shoulders, and led him to the next room.

This rectangular hall was much larger than the steam room. The sides were lined with little water spickets with small wooden bowls in front of each one. Tall marble columns lined the walkway, stretching up into the ceiling to support the building’s weight, and in the center was a massive public dipping pool.

Adrian blinked. “How do they support all this water? Isn’t it sparse here?”

Boden led him to one of the spickets against the wall as he spoke. “The mosques are public, and the guards who run the water laws want to use them, so the bathhouses are one of the rare exceptions when it comes to water regulation.”

“So, they don’t charge for the water used at the bathhouses?”

“That’s correct. The thing is, Ian, s’not that there isn’t enough water to support everyone. It’s the control over the water that bars certain folks from accessing it.”

“That makes sense. Water really is a commodity out here, isn’t it?”

Boden nodded, sitting down in front of the spicket, and motioning for Adrian to do the same.

“Water is more important than money, other than when money is used to buy more water.” He chuckled. “It’s all a mess, that’s for sure.” He lifted the wooden bowl and filled it at the spicket. “Throw this over yourself to clean and here, I bought soap.” Boden threw the bowl over himself before refilling it, and Adrian did the same.

“Is there nothing that can be done?” Adrian asked, struggling to rub the soap over his arms. “Couldn’t people band together and boycott the water laws or something?”

Boden exhaled quickly before handing the blond a rough sponge. “You try boycotting something as essential as water. People are desperate, Ian. They have little power or motivation to cause a big disturbance, especially after the last big uprising caused such an economic downfall. Oh, ha. You aren’t scrubbing hard enough, Lad.” The older man good naturedly took the sponge and demonstrated how rough to scrub down on the skin on Adrian’s arm, using a quick circular motion. “You gotta be kinda rough if you want to be proper clean.”

“I see now.” Adrian took the sponge back and imitated the motion on his chest.

“Yeah, that’s more like it.”

“How have you held out this long with such intense restrictions?” Adrian asked as he targeted his shoulders.

“I do odd jobs here and there, and I’ve gotten really good at haggling, though the water guards have gotten real stingy lately. I don’t know what’s going on. The prices have been rising every couple months. Don’t know how much more people can take. Only royalty types who make the big laws could fix something like this.”

Adrian perked up. “You think they could set it right?”

“Of course.” He threw water over himself. “They’re the ones who made the water laws in the first place. Surely, there’s something they can do.”

Adrian pondered this, already coming up with amendments to his original laws and how to carry them out, but quickly pushed the thoughts away, remembering why he was out here in the first place: to get away from the royal duties. What could he possibly do all the way out here and under disguise anyway? He sighed, throwing the wooden bowl over himself, feeling agitated.

🗲🗲🗲

The sun had already set when they reached the river post.

Boden took the lead, parking the cart into a little stall outside a large wooden building with a massive water wheel attached to it. The edges of the river were lined with a tall fence, presumably so no one could access the fresh water.

Boden pushed through the little entrance with Adrian closely behind him. Inside, there were dozens of others who had also traveled to barter for cheaper water, waiting in long lines that led to several desks with soldiers behind them.

“This doesn’t look good,” Boden murmured. “Seems everyone had a similar idea to us.” They stood in line and waited. Adrian noticed many other soldiers positioned in front of the entrances and standing guard from above on the second floor.

This wasn’t right. Adrian knew that. None of this was at all what he had in mind when writing the laws, but he realized that his intentions didn’t matter, since this was the reality of it.

After a long while, they finally made it to the front where a grim-faced man with a grizzled beard and a small scar over his chin waited for them.

“We’d like three barrels of water,” Boden said firmly.

The man glanced at Adrian for a moment, then blinked back at the older man. “Alright, I’ll ring it up.” He wrote an estimate on a piece of paper and handed it over.

His eyes widened. “Why, this is almost what they’re charging in the city.”

“Prices went up again,” the guard said nonchalantly. “Water’s gettin real tight, so better pay up if you want to keep living.”

“Excuse me?” Adrian demanded, but Boden placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him.

“I have a wife and child to take care of. I’ll take it for one third that amount.”

“Not going to happen,” the soldier said, unwavering. “We don’t tolerate hagglers anymore, and if you don’t pay up the amount written, I’ll have you thrown out.”

Adrian glared at the soldier, his face flushing with rage, but he said nothing as Boden kept a firm grip on him.

“We’ll come back another time then.”

Adrian followed him out of the building. Once outside, he breathed out, hands on his hips. “I can’t believe that guard. Who does he think he is? There’s obviously still plenty of water. They’re gouging you for no reason other than their own greed.”

“That’s how things are right now, Ian. Nothing we can do about it but wait it out and try again tomorrow.”

“We’re just going to turn around and go home?”

“Not tonight. We’ll try again in the morning and hope we can smooth over a different, albeit nicer water guard. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to return home and wait it out a bit longer. These surges in prices sometimes will only last a week or so before they drop again. It’s normal.”

“I had no idea it was this bad.” He bit his lip, wanting to tear his hair out at the mess he had caused.

“Hey.” Boden stood in front of him, a comforting smile on his face. “It’ll be alright. There are less civil ways to get water that we can resort to if this way doesn’t work, but hopefully it won’t come to that. Right now, however, we should make camp and get some rest.” He walked over to the small cart, pulling out a few rolled up bundles.

In a silent rage, Adrian helped the man unload some things as they set up a little campsite. Several others had the same idea. The area was now littered with tents, carts, and open fires with little pots set over them.

Adrian had never camped before, and he carefully followed Boden’s instruction for setting up the tent and starting the fire. The two men then ate in silence before turning in.

Boden was quickly snoring after tucking under his woolen blanket, but Adrian had never been more uncomfortable and impossibly unable to sleep in his life. Even if the only thing keeping him from sleeping was the hard ground and tight fit in the tent, the issues at the water port flooded his head with unbridled guilt.

How could it all go so wrong? It was his fault all this happened in the first place. He was obligated to fix it, even all the way out here.

A truly risky idea popped into his head. He found himself sitting up and slinking out of the tent as soon as all the pieces were put into place.

He was startled by how pitch black it was outside; the only light being a small lantern that hung on the front of the nearby wooden building. Heading towards it, he found the door was still unlocked and pushed through.

The lobby was empty save for a handful of people who were still trying to barter. Adrian glanced at the second floor, knowing well enough that the head of this port was likely staying up there. He knew he wouldn’t be allowed upstairs.

Blue eyes scanned the room and fell on a stack of barrels in the corner. He grinned, something clicking in his head.

Walking inconspicuously over, he approached an older woman who was standing nearby, counting coins from a little leather wallet she was holding.

“Excuse me,” he asked politely. “Do you know what prices they’ve set the water to today?”

She looked up, then smiled at the handsome face. “Oh, you’re a stunning young man, aren’t you? I wouldn’t buy today though, Deary. The prices have nearly doubled since last I was here—” As she talked, Adrian leaned against the barrels and she was quickly interrupted by the stack tumbling down, pouring water onto the floor.

She looked in shock at the mess as several soldiers walked over.

“What happened here?” one of them demanded.

“I’m not sure. I was talking to this young man and then he leaned too much on them and well, they’ve tumbled all over, haven’t they?”

“What young man?”

“He’s just over—” but she stopped talking as she looked around, seeing that Adrian was nowhere in sight. “He was just here, I swear.”

One of them sighed. “Well, thanks, Lady. Stand back while we clean this up.”

Adrian hurried up the stairs as quietly as he could. Peeking behind corners, he quickly determined which room housed the head of the port. He also spotted a mail room filled with pigeons and made a silent note to himself to return there to contact his brother.

Tiptoeing over to the ostentatious double doors, he quickly discovered they were locked. Drawing his sword, he slid it behind the handles and kicked hard with his foot. The metal burst off its hinges and he pushed through the now open entryway.

“What is the meaning of this?” A man in luxurious silk pajamas lay on an equally lavish bed, glaring up at him. Seeing Adrian’s weapon, he bolted upright and pulled a rapier out from under his bed. “State who you are at once if you want a clean, painless execution for threatening a member of the New Minokan port.”

Adrian, first removing the wooden ring from his left hand, strode confidently forward, easily disarming and pinning the man down roughly on a nearby desk. He pressed the blade against his throat with one hand and lifted the other to show off the Nebrasian royal birthmark tattooed on his bare left index finger.

The man’s eyes widened with realization.

“I am King Adrian of Nebrasia, and you will do as I say if you don’t want this pathetic regiment wiped from existence.”