When Nua returned to her quarters she found something unexpected waiting on her bed, along with a scrawled note in the poor handwriting of somebody who was only just learning to read.
While Kaiji and Priceless worked like women possessed of the god of speed. They flew from wardrobe to wardrobe, dresser to dresser, gathering what would best befit their goddess for a meeting with the only man in the city who had authority over her.
Nua however, barely noticed. The elven woman had her eyes on the unknown object… a simple book. She read the note before touching it. ‘Found among your things, not in your hand, Sobella’s name within.’
She felt the cloth going over her arms, the glove covering the mutilation that Yersin had replaced, her breath was picking up when she reached for it, her hand shaking, her eyes were already watering as she suspected what it might be.
“Mistress, your… your hair, the dark part… what is…” Kaiji began to utter before she realized her owner’s entire body was lost in trembling, looking through pages. The sound of their turning folds, each one seemed to cause their goddess to swallow harder or take a deeper breath or blink for longer.
“My…” Priceless’s words were shut down through an order cast through gritted teeth.
“Get. Out.” Nua growled without looking.
“Mistress Aiwenor… the Prince…” Kaiji said softly and began to reach for her.
“Get out! Get out! Get out!” Nua roared the words as she flipped from page to page and on to another after that, her eyes roamed over every single word as if she were desperate to decode a message, and shocked by her sudden shout, they bowed and withdrew as fast as their legs could carry them from the room.
The door was slammed behind them, and a tearful wail was torn directly from Nua’s heart, becoming louder by the moment. “Kaiji…” Priceless asked with a fearful look in her great wide doe eyes, “What do we do now…? I didn’t even know she could do that.”
Kaiji stiffened her back, her eyes fixed on the heavy door that sat between her and her owner, she felt her feet drawing her back to it. ‘Let her beat me… at least she won’t be alone…’ She had the thought and stopped herself.
She put a hand on Priceless’s shoulder, “We do our jobs. We see to the Prince, we explain that our lady has returned… but she is in no condition to see anyone right now. We offer apologies on her behalf, we do anything it takes to help him understand it and not hold it against her later. Come along… we can… do something for her later. For now she needs her own company, in times like this, a person needs a friend… not… not what we are.”
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Prince Rasgen sat in the parlor, behind him stood two half elven twins with their heads politely bowed, one wore a bronze collar, one wore none. They wore the bright blue and green clothing, pants and shirts that were laced up to prop up the bust. Their hair hung down in a simple long braid,
In front of him knelt a bronze collared elven slave who identified herself as Freyjin. “Forgive us, oh Prince, we had no idea you were coming.”
“Neither did I.” Rasgen remarked, resting his head at an angle on his fist, his arm propped up on the armrest. “I wasn’t aware I had to inform the Duchessa of my intentions.”
Freyjin paled, “Forgive me, Prince! I didn’t mean it that way ah, I…”
Prince Rasgen’s green eyes sparkled with mischief and his thin lips formed an amused smile, he waved it away and ran a hand through his dark hair. “It’s alright, slave, it was only a poor joke on my part. I did receive your owner’s message about a delay, needing to return here, and it is fine. I simply find I am more…” He swallowed and betrayed a hint of the sorrow that lay beneath when he looked away from Freyjin.
The half elves each laid a hand on his opposite shoulders. It seemed to lend him comfort, and he carried on, “I am less than patient. I want, I need, to know things. As long as she knows I am here, I will wait within reason.”
“You are very… understanding, Prince Rasgen.” Freyjin said with some hesitation, “I am thankful. Please, let us offer what comforts to you we can. We have excellent chefs who could prepare some fine food quickly, and, if it is your preference, we can offer you something more exotic.”
Rasgen raised an eyebrow at her.
The twins at his back chimed in immediately, ““Pervert Prince.””
Rasgen managed a laugh in spite of himself. “It’s fine, slave, something to eat and some more tea would be plenty.”
Freyjin’s eyes darted with surprise to the two slender half elves at the startlingly close openness, then stood, bowed, and withdrew to see to his wishes.
He was eating contentedly a short while later, being entertained by the Steward when he saw Kaiji enter the room.
“My Prince…” Kaiji said hastily and, along with the unfamiliar companion that followed her, she prostrated herself at his feet. “I beg you… I beg you to let my mistress come to you.” Her hands were cast out in front of her with her head pressed to the floor. “This is… a very bad time now, please, I beg you to simply depart and… and to not say I asked this of you.”
Freyjin stared at them both and shot to her feet, pushing off the ornate golden cushioned chair. “Kaiji… what is the meaning of this?!” Freyjin felt panic rising. Her eyes darted around the formal parlor, the shelves lined with books, the few tables long and short where a chessboard belonging to their mistress sat. The steam rose from the tea near at hand, and half the little breaded snacks were yet to be even touched.
“Please… Prince Rasgen… you’ve known me for years, I would not ever ask this of you, even when I wasn’t a slave… even before we were enemies, if I didn’t have to. I beg you… please go.”
Rasgen and his attendants were stiff at this dismay inducing conduct, he turned his face to his attendants, but they had their eyes locked on the unexpected just as he had a moment ago.
It was then that the brown haired little woman at Kaiji’s side, a woman he knew to be of the purple status also, drew herself closer and kissed the surface of his foot. “Please…” She urged, “Not now, Prince of Pas’en… she, our lady… the past is in her present… please go.”
‘A purple tag doing that is… almost unheard of… what is going on?’ He wondered, though the riddle of her words began to unravel itself in his mind. Then the sound of the mournful wail hit the room, it was faint, but it was clearly a woman, and a voice he recognized.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He stood up, resolute. “Take me to her. Now.” He emphasized, gone was the congenial Prince from before, his soft green eyes had gone hard, his entire bearing changed. Straight backed, shoulders squared, hands authoritatively on his hips, he stared down at the slaves for a long moment, giving them time to remember the difference in their status.
Though he was not a massive man, only somewhat taller than average, the way he drew himself up made him seem to fill the room. “I am not asking as a guest, I am ordering it as the Prince of this city, and you will obey me.”
That settled the matter, rising to their feet, Kaiji cursed their failure to evict him from the estate, and rising to her feet, she held her hands up to stop the others from following. “No, I will take him myself. Freyjin, Priceless… and my Prince, your attendants can remain here… but this is not something for all to see and know.” Kaiji was resolute, her hard eyes said enough, ‘I will bear any punishment to get my way in this.’
The Prince nodded, “Very well, take me to her...Kaiji.”
She whirled on her heel and exited the door, leading him through the estate.
Numerous eyes and ears were turned toward the unthinkable sound, but though the many slaves looked and heard, there were none who moved or understood.
Worried faces were abound, but Kaiji had no time for them, nor did the Prince, and he ignored the breach of protocol in that none bothered to kneel as he passed. ‘Given her… reputation, the norm does not apply right now.’ He thought, and found himself standing outside the door where a terrible wail still rang out.
Kaiji approached, her skin tingled, she knocked at the door. “I said to leave me alone!” Nua roared from within.
Kaiji bit her lip and bowed her head, she tried to speak, each time the words caught in her throat, her heart broke for the mistress she adored.
“Open it.” The Prince ordered, nonplussed by the terrible sounds.
“My Prince… Sir… I’ve never seen her like this… she is dangerous, I don’t know what she’ll do without thinking.” Kaiji wrung her hands, the Prince shook his head.
“She won’t hurt me. She’s my… well, just do it, I’ll be fine, slave.” It was equal parts kindness and command, and with nothing else to do, Kaiji took the key from around her neck and unlocked the door.
Nua whirled to face the sound, her face twisted in a mix of wrath and grief, she was about to roar again, when she saw who had entered her private bedchamber.
Rasgen was never a coward, he knew that of himself, even though he was never the skillful warrior Sado was, he was a man of will in his own right. It was in that spirit that he stepped closer to the death worshipper who cursed the body of his beloved, and escorted her into the mouth of hell.
Nua was silent, more a wild beast uncertain of what to say or do than the refined woman of noble status, or even the calculating warrior whose plans brought down Bracer. Her breathing was hard, heavy, and Rasgen held her eyes in his for a moment.
“Sobella meant a lot to me, too.” He said in a quiet, tender voice, and acting more boldly than even he wondered if was wise, he put his arms around the deadly, death worshipping Duchessa, and drew her to the floor to sob in his embrace with him.
‘Damn him.’ Nua thought, her fist balled up. ‘A human put his hands on me… I should kill him for that… nobody…’ But her tears got in the way of her vision, and they were not alone, his own were as copious as hers, and ran down from his face, to her forehead, to blend with her own before they fell. ...He’s as stubborn and stupid as Raymond… brave and good hearted… to his own…’
So Nua tolerated it, reluctantly, recalling that she called him friend, and Sobella’s words, and her quiet promise to the dead demon-elf to act in her stead.
No real words passed between them in the dim light of the bedroom, she felt his arms around her, and no hint of desire, he was not especially strong, perhaps somewhat more than average, but he hadn’t even a quarter of Sado, let alone Raymond. But the strength he offered in his embrace was not of the physical sort.
It was only with the greatest of slowness that she began to return his hold over her. “Thank you… Thank you for being with her, Duchessa… Nua. Thank you… she didn’t die alone. I couldn’t do anything for her in the end.” He choked out the words and drew back, “I had no idea you were… that you felt that way about her, though.”
Nua swallowed and forced herself to take a breath, “I didn’t… at first. But I grew to like her a great deal, and she… she…” Nua froze as the recollections of recent events raged through her, when the last scream died, and the memory of the last cheers of the city with it, the assassin explained it all as she recalled it.
“...So in the end, she saved my life. I don’t think I could have killed the God-Emperor myself, at least not without the element of surprise. But, Sobella died without fear. I am… sorry I could not save her, but I did what I could.”
The room was only growing darker as the sun continued its march toward the horizon’s edge, only an orange glow gave them light, and that would not endure. Nua stood, “Here… I have something for you, Prince Rasgen.” Nua said and stood up. She extended the journal to him, “She kept a journal, I didn’t know about it, she wanted you to have this… I read it. I don’t know if I should have or not but… I can’t ‘unread’ it.” She held the book out and pressed it to his chest, putting some distance between them.
Nua then turned her back. “I also have this… after… after she died, I cut some of her hair.” She pointed to the black lock she’d woven into her own. “You and Lodira should have it… but… I’ve been told what happened to her. I’m truly sorry. To lose them both so quickly.” Nua hung her head. “I’ll… I’ll summon a slave to undo this from my hair, you can have it.”
Rasgen laid his hand on her shoulder before Nua could walk away. “Wait… when we’re alone… call me Rasgen. And… keep part of that for yourself. I think Sobella would tell you she likes how it looks in your hair, and she’d be happy to know she meant that much to you. She’d be happy to be remembered that way.”
Nua nodded, “As you like, Rasgen. But, and I say this with affection,” she turned around fully to face him, though her face was still red from her earlier tears, her voice lost none of its impact. “Be careful where your hands fall on me. No is not a word most will use with Princes, but if there are five still living who’ve touched me in any way, warmly meant or not, I can’t name them. I can think of only three, and only one of them was human. Don’t forget that, for your sake, as your friend, I ask you to bear that in mind. There are only graves at my side.”
Rasgen wasn’t quite sure how to take that, her every word was sincere, and beneath each syllable was a hint of pain that seemed almost familiar to him, but they sounded like threats. Or warnings. She was halfway to the door before she stopped again to look over her shoulder. “But… this time… thank you. Maybe a friend was what I needed right then, and those are very rare. I am grateful.”
“You’re welcome.” Rasgen said and went to look out the window over the grounds of her estate. He folded his hands behind his back, her slave warriors were training relentlessly, and in ways quite unfamiliar to him. Some ran laps, but they wore strange objects around their wrists and ankles. At a glance when they came closer, it appeared to be blue fabric belts, or pouches, filled with something. In the center, heavy infantry performed complex maneuvers under the guidance of one clear authority on a platform. ‘That can only be Onimeus…. The Glorious Strategist of Komestra… It’s a good thing she’s on my side.’ He thought to himself while he heard the Duchessa instruct a slave abruptly.
“How do my soldiers look to you, Prince Rasgen?” Nua asked, he could feel the pride in her voice despite her earlier sorrow. “They are second to none.”
“They appear to be quite enthusiastic…” Rasgen admitted, “Have they been at this all day?”
Nua chuckled, “Yes, I gave them the day off, but it appears some of them chose to use this time for training instead. You’re probably seeing only about half their number. The adventurers I hired to train them in individual combat are doing quite well, while Onimeus is proving his worth as a commander.”
“My free soldiers won’t even voluntarily train on a day off… how do you motivate them to do this without orders…?” Rasgen’s intellectual curiosity was piqued, but he was not prepared for the answer.
“It’s easy, I’m buying their wives, daughters, sons, and so on. I own their families.” Nua answered as the lock of hair came free. “The warriors who perform best, can choose one of their family members to be set free. I set two free from my first clash, they all know it is possible now. So…” A wolfish smile overtook her, “They will fight like demons for me. I pity the ones I am hired to fight against.”
“So do I.” Prince Rasgen agreed, “The rumor about Komestrans being good slaves… seems to be only half the truth.”
“That is how most things are, Prince Rasgen,” Nua said when she walked up behind him with a part of Sobella’s hair in her left hand, “half truths, half lies, it’s all a muddled mess even when we want to say everything. Half the time,” she heard the door shut behind her, and put her right hand on his shoulder, “we can’t.” He turned his head to look down at her, and her gloved left hand extended the strip of hair, he took it slowly, folded it, and put it into his pocket.
Her cold breath caressed his cheek when she looked up at him, a constant reminder that she was of a foreign faith, and likely already an enemy of the priests.
‘It’s difficult though, to not want to ignore all that. Maybe now isn’t the right time… at least not for that. Another day.’ He considered, and changed the subject. “What do you want done with General Leaman, Nua?” He asked with a grim expression.
“If you’re leaving it up to me, I want him executed.” Nua said sharply, “But… I know he was like family to you, I’ll content myself with stripping him of his rank, wealth, land, and exiling or imprisoning him.”
“Thank you…” Rasgen said, not for the first time since his arrival, relief evident on his face when his eyes shut and a tight held breath came out all at once.
“Sobella liked him, and she knew how much he meant to you. But… if we cross paths the wrong way again…” Nua did not need to finish the sentence.
“Mercy once, not twice, that isn’t unreasonable.” The Prince replied, “I look forward to something more… official, for your title, so much has happened in so little time there has just been no chance for it.”
“No, no there hasn’t, but I have a ball coming up, perhaps to save time you can simply do it there. After all, everybody of importance will be attending, save some royal coin on the expense and we can get that out of the way when all the wine and wealth is gathered in one spot.” Nua proposed, and Rasgen huffed a bit in amusement.
“Unconventional, but… agreeable. That way we can do it before you go on your first large scale contract.” Rasgen answered, “I look forward to it, and I’ll bring a gift of my own… something worthwhile, for now however, I had best get going. This brief visit has left me with,” he clutched the book close to himself, “much to do, much to think about, and much more to simply process. Till next time… Nua.” He said, and Nua bowed politely.
“Till next time, Rasgen.” She winked at him, and he left her behind in her room to watch her soldiers forge themselves into legends, beneath her cold assassin eyes.