Miniarc-Villains-17
The camp looked different at night. It felt different.
In the frank light of day, the refugees were pitiful things. They seed paralyzed by their circumstances, living statues that commorated their tragic lives. But in the darkness, all that made them sad was shrouded in shadow.
He could make out the faces of those that sat closest to the fires when they turned to him. The flickering light transford their dead gazes, giving energy to the repressed anger within. Their gaunt faces, thin from heavy rationing, seed malicious in their hunger. Being stared at by dozens of such gazes was unsettling, far more than a few rebels trapping the road. Ewan could easily handle a few brigands but a mob of hundreds? Royal knights had limits to their strength. Even if Ewan should prevail, the thought of such a massacre done in his na made the prince slightly nauseous.
Despite the ominous mood, the two didn’t run into any trouble as they strolled down the singular road of the camp. The few acolytes that took notice of him were surprised at his presence, but no one bothered them, all the way to Alyssa’s tent.
Surprisingly, when Ewan announced them, it wasn’t the redhead that erged but Lane, scratching his bare chest while yawning. Samuel allowed himself to raise a brow at the sight, confident the bleary-eyed man wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t a pairing he was expecting but also wasn’t entirely surprising. Plain n often found themselves involved with domineering won, in his experience.
“Your highness.” Lane forced his eyes open in a semblance of attention. “Sir Reed. Is there a problem?”
“A bit. We ran into trouble on the road.”
“Are you hurt? Is the prince?! I’ll send for a—”
“There’s no need. They rely sabotaged our carriage before retreating.”
“That’s a relief. That you’re not hurt, I an. Sorry, I’m barely standing. Boss and I switched shifts anticipating trouble. You’d think the regular hours would be better but I’d just gotten used to staying up—”
“Lane,” Ewan interrupted.
“Right, right. Er, you’ll be wanting to stay the night then, leave in the morning.”
“Correct.” Whatever his faults, Samuel could admit that Lane wasn’t dumb, though the lack of sleep was clearly addling his mind.
“If you could direct us to a place to bed down, I can handle the rest. I also need to a runner to inform my n.”
“Yeah, that’s—hey!” Lane shouted down an acolyte, whispering a few words in the younger man’s ear before sending him off. “I don’t rember where the soldiers are so I sent him off to find them and check what kind of supplies we have for you. Should at least be able to find sothing for the prince.”
“I appreciate the efforts,” Samuel said, trying to inject so feeling into his tone. He doubted said supplies would make the hard ground that much more comfortable, but it was better than nothing. “I didn’t know you and Miss Filagree were involved.”
“Involved?” Lane stared at him blankly but understanding dawned. He looked over his shoulder and back, his face flushing. “You think…no, no. You’ve got it wrong. Boss let nap here. Things are really hectic and…bah! You get it.” A hand rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re not, er, together.”
Clearly, he wanted to be. “She objects?”
A battle warred on Lane’s face, the desire to keep his feelings private fighting the faux pas of refusing a prince, even sothing so small. In the end, he spoke. “Yeah, she objects. Sees as more of a brother than a husband, in her own words.”
Samuel felt a rare twinge of sympathy for a man whose circumstances so closely reflected his own. “She does seem difficult to…charm.”
“Difficult? Hah! Impossible. After I was rejected, I asked around, tried to get an idea what she was interested in . The answer is nothing. At least, no one knows. She’s never been in a public relationship since she ca to the city. That’s over a decade, you know? If that doesn’t scream she’s not interested, then I don’t know what does. And with a woman like her, you know it’s a choice.” He sighed. “Can’t woo a woman that doesn’t want to be wooed, you know?”
What kind of man accepted that? Probably the sa kind that fancied a woman he called Boss. “Isn’t that the point of charm? The point is to convince soone they should be with you.” There was no such thing as soone who couldn’t be wooed, only those incapable of wooing the objects of their affection.
“I can’t speak about every woman but Boss isn’t an indecisive woman. No one’s going to convince her of sothing she doesn’t want and good luck to the idiot that tries. I’m willing to do whatever it takes but if there’s nothing I can do…” He sighs. “Look, ah, don’t let it bother you. I don’t an to dump my problems on your shoulders.”
Ewan looked to Samuel and surmised his motivations with a glance. “No bother. All of us have felt the sting of unrequited love. It’s admirable that you’ve managed to remain close with Miss Filagree.”
“Yeah, she was good about it. I’m glad she’s willing to sweep it under the rug, so to speak, but the reason why is disheartening. Still, I’d rather we be friends than nothing. She’s family, one way or the other.”
Samuel shook his head. Was it really love if he could surrender it so easily? Did he really want it if one rejection was enough to make him settle for friendship? How could he stand to be around her? The prince wondered he could be so copacetic when Alyssa eventually found soone who was capable of charming her. Would he still be able to say he was happy to be friends?
Samuel knew he couldn’t do it. Anyti he spent ti around Cecilia, he was drowned in self-recrimination, wondering what facet of himself wasn’t good enough. Surely, Lane had to be going through the sa thing. Perhaps he was a glutton for punishnt. So part of the man had to enjoy the neglect, as a capable caster with a decent future ahead of him could find a bride whenever he pleased.
They continued to make small talk until the acolyte Lane sent off returned, quickly delivering his report before running off again.
“Alright, your highness. Sir Frost has been inford of the situation and is relocating. We have a field reserved for the more…for the volunteers with sensitive circumstances. I’ll lead you there.”
“Good.”
“There’s just one problem. Well, not a problem. Another, ah, sensitive circumstance that I think I should warn you about.”
“Out with it,” Samuel snapped, his emotions riled from Lane’s confessions of the heart. He was in no mood to endure the man clumsily dancing around what had to be bad news.
“…there’s soone staying there that you might worry you. But you shouldn’t be worried about them! Before I tell you who it is, I want to say three things. First, Sir Frost knows about them and decided to bed down there anyway. Second, this person has been a model volunteer. Saints witness, I wish we had a hundred more like them. They’ve visited several tis and haven’t caused a single problem. Third, and I can’t stress this enough, you don’t want to start a problem with them. For everyone’s sake.”
“We’ve taken your words to heart,” Ewan said. “Who is it?”
“Yulianna Jas.”
Samuel flinched, the reflex escaping his control. Ewan’s control was better but his displeasure still showed in his frown. “Surely, you’re aware of the rumors that the Jas family is behind the destruction of the city?”
“We’ve also heard rumors that it was arranged by the Teppiins, the guilds, and a secret cult of lizard people, for saints’ sake.”
“This isn’t the ti for flippancy. We know the conflict originated in the north. Until the whole truth is found, it is reckless, bordering on stupid, to allow a possible traitor amongst you.”
“You’re right, we don’t know the truth. What we do know is that Yulia isn’t a combatant. She’s not a threat to anyone but she is a major help. We’re not going to get anywhere antagonizing—”
“Enough!” Samuel glared at the two n. “Ewan, we’ve been over this. If Lou wanted dead, I’d have never made it to the Hall. Instead of dwelling on fictitious threats, perhaps we can take this opportunity to get closer to the truth you’re so interested in. Unless you think two royal knights aren’t enough to protect from a woman.”
“At least three. She always brings at least two guards…” Lane trailed off as the prince’s glare intensified, raising his palms in surrender.
The royal knight sighed at the sight of the stubborn royal. “You’re not making my duty any easier. Very well. Lead on.”
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