The Truce - 11. Chapter 11

Kade leaned back against the wall while sitting on a wooden desk, his feet in the chair that accompanied it. He was in Adrian’s room at the local inn, which he had been staying in for the past few days. His parents had complained about his not returning home at night, but they couldn’t really say anything given that he was still maintaining their shop almost singlehandedly during the day. Adrian’s visits continued daily, until they eventually were almost never apart. Kade now made a habit of getting dinner with Adrian every night, and sleeping in his room. This got the attention of regulars at the tavern that made up the first floor of the inn, but he decided he didn’t care.

The sex is worth it. And getting to eat proper meals every night isn’t bad either. Adrian had been very generous in paying for their outings every time they went out, and Kade wasn’t going to intervene to make it stop. He felt like he was finally getting some relief from his monotonous existence and didn’t want that to end. Kade knew he would probably just be a tally mark on a list of the prince’s conquests, but he had accepted that. He resolved to keep this going as long as possible, and milk every bit of Adrian’s time and money that he could before the prince moved on to the next town. Kade still wasn’t sure why he was here, but didn’t want to ask and remind Adrian of a purpose that would lead him to move on.

As the sun began to come up, light shone through the window and caused Kade to shift his focus. It illuminated a tangle of sheets in the bed, and a naked Adrian who was still asleep. Kade admired how the light made the thin silken hairs on Adrian’s legs and thighs glow in vivid white streaks. A smooth round butt was exposed amongst the linens, and Kade let his gaze linger there.

He is pretty cute. Kade had taken other lovers to bed before, but none had ever been so satisfying as Adrian. When he was in the academy, seduction was simply a part of forging alliances with the other students to survive. Sex was dispassionate and selfish, and it had really only interested Kade in brief flashes. But he… he seems to have this want for me that makes it so much hotter. There’s more than just lust in his eyes… it makes me feel good. Kade felt slightly uncomfortable with his feelings of attachment and frowned. Just like the academy, he knew that this reprieve from reality would be taken away soon. He didn’t notice when Adrian woke up, and was still wearing an upset face when the other man greeted him.

“Good morning handsome,” Adrian said with a sleepy, happy, and dazed look on his face. When he rubbed his eyes and looked at Kade again, his face frowned as well.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” said Kade with a return to neutral. “Just thinking about the day. And the future. I need to head over to the shop soon.” Adrian nodded.

“Okay. We can wash up and head there in a few.”

“You don’t have to come, you know.”

“Of course I’ll come. I do every day.”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t.” This took Adrian aback, and he sat up in bed.

“Why not? Do you not want me to?”

“No… I mean yes. Err, no. I want you to, but I really don’t get why you should have to. You’re a prince – hanging out in some dumpy shop is hardly the kind of thing royalty should do.” Adrian shrugged.

“I like it.”

“Why?”

“Why shouldn’t I? You’re there.” This statement hit Kade in the chest, and he felt bitter hurt begin to fester there. Affection wasn’t something he had felt too often, and the idea of it being fleeting made him nervous.

“Like that matters to you.” Adrian frowned deeper, his eyebrows creasing his forehead as they moved together.

“Of course that matters to me – why would you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s true.” Kade made eye contact with his lover, and felt anger flush his face. “Look – I know that you’re just using me for fun while you’re here on a visit or whatever. I don’t want it to stop, but I can’t help but feel that you’re going to pack up and leave for better things any second now. There’s no way you’ll spend time in this shithole town for longer than you must. I don’t know what business you have going on here, but once it’s done, you’ll take off.” Kade’s guilt for using Adrian right back swirled with his fears of being left to the dull life that he had before Adrian had walked in, and it made him bristle even more.

“Well… that’s partially true,” said Adrian. Kade threw a hand up in annoyance, and scoffed.

There you’ve done it again Kade. Scared off any hopes for the future. At least now he admits it, and we can both move on. Shit. Why couldn’t you just keep it together for a few more days?

“But I don’t think that means this” said Adrian with a gesture between the two of them, “whatever we have going on, has to end.” Kade’s heart thumped, and he looked back and Adrian.

“What do you mean?”

“I just – look. This doesn’t need to end. You can stay with me if you like. You can travel with me and come back to the Illjard.”

“You mean like in a harem? You want me to be a prostitute?” Adrian actually laughed at that, and Kade felt confused.

“No,” he said. “We don’t have those in the Illjard. Well, not in an official capacity anyway.”

“Then what?”

“Marry me.” Kade’s head spun, and he ran his hands through his hair.

Sure, I like him, but that’s a bit hasty…

“What?”

“Marry me,” Adrian repeated. “I like you, and you like me too right?” Kade nodded but kept quiet. “Good. We know the chemistry part works – we can figure out the rest later.”

“I barely know you.”

“I know,” Adrian grimaced. “And I wish that could change. But you’re right in that I am here on business. My business is to find a spouse, and I came looking for you in particular.”

“You’re here to find a spouse?”

“Yup.”

“Who is it going to be?”

“I just told you. I came looking for you.”

“What? Why would you come looking for a cobbler and a dropout thief from school?”

“You’re no dropout. I’m sure you were forced out.” Kade recoiled at that, and felt that he was becoming more and more bewildered by the second.

“How… what…”

How would Adrian even know that?

“Kade,” Adrian said. He got up off the bed, and knelt down in front of Kade still naked. “I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of questions about what I’m going to tell you today, and I promise you I will answer as many of them as I can. I had hoped to do this in a lot nicer fashion, and to be less rushed about it all. But I need you to marry me – finding a spouse is a requirement for me to keep the Illjardi throne.”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

“You see,” said Adrian with a smile, “you have questions already.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Princes don’t marry peasants. I don’t even know if I would say yes to you anyway. We’ve just… we barely have gotten to know each other.”

“You would too say yes,” said Adrian with a cocky grin. “Even if you didn’t like me, you want more out of life. You’ve told me so yourself.”

That’s true.

“I can give you that Kade. I can give you an escape from your life here – whatever you want. You know you want to say yes.”

“Don’t get too confident now,” Kade said with a smile playing about his lips.

“Told you so.” Kade acknowledged that this was the opportunity he was looking for. He felt guilt stab at him for having stolen from Adrian, and wondered how to address the situation.

He’ll rescind his offer if he knows. He tried to push that out of his mind and focus on the present.

“Look – I really hope you’re not playing some kind of game with me.”

“I can guarantee that I’m not. If you want to look it up, I’m sure there’s a text somewhere on Illjardi law here on the continent. Leaders have to be married before a seasonal storm that hits the island, and it’s about that time.”

Like I would go to all that effort.

“I really do need a husband to maintain my position. And every spouse to the Illjardi crown bearer has to come from Ironia, Nabius, and Tomacia on a rotating basis. It keeps the peace.”

“No one cares about a random Nabian peasant – I’m afraid I’ll hold no value as a pseudo-hostage for you.”

“You are not,” said Adrian with an eye roll “a political hostage. You’d be the bridge for an alliance between our nations. And you’re wrong about the value – this is the other piece of information I have the job of telling you.”

“What? I’d be a shitty bridge – most people don’t even know who I am. No one will care if I die. That’s not exactly a good way to protect your country.”

“I think you’ll find more people will know you than you realize.”

“Can you stop being so cryptic?” Kade was feeling a little frustrated now, and was completely clueless about whatever it was Adrian was referring to. The pair went silent for a few moments, and Kade waited for Adrian to continue. Eventually, he did.

“You are not a Hawkins by birth. You are a legitimate heir to Nabian nobility, and the son of a general.”

Come again?

“Your father is General Devan – you’re a Di Coteau.”

… what the fuck?

“Sorry. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you about your adoption, but it’s time you knew. There’s a lot we should probably discuss.”

***

Talia grew tired of her position and tried to shift her body weight around to prevent cramps. She currently had her knees tucked up tightly to her chest, and had her arms wrapped around them to try and minimize her size. I got out of one confinement just to get right back into another. She looked around her, but knew that the only way that she could stretch her legs was to stand. Unfortunately, she could only stand if she bent everything above her waist down in parallel to her legs. I hate this fucking window.

Talia was currently in a great windowsill of Yago’s palace, just over two and a half floors up from the stone floor of the hallway. The curtains of said window hung from the ceiling to the floor in one massive expanse of fabric, and Talia had been able to climb up them and hide herself within the folds to avoid detection. It had been three days since she had been released by her uncle, and all in all she thought this game of cat and mouse was going well.

He’s searching in all the wrong places, she thought to herself. Talia had initially made a run for it immediately upon release. Per Yago’s instructions, she was given a head start. Rather than try to close distance that she knew would be futile, she had instead used the time to create several false trails. She made sure to leave muddy footprints in the bog nearby, and ran through the shanty town at the edge of the property. After gathering some food and water, she made her way back into Yago’s palace stealthily.

Who would hide in the palace? Talia wondered if it had been attempted before by one of Yago’s other victims, but she hoped that she would do it better if so. During her captivity, she had focused on the activity of guards in the palace, silently memorizing their movements and timings. She had come up with a decent mapping of their shift schedules, and used that to hide in the area of the mansion that she was familiar with. She hadn’t been entirely accurate, but it was learned well enough to avoid being spotted by anyone. Eventually, she had been able to fill the gaps in her knowledge by observing where servants went from above when posted in the window. For the past five days, she was able to move between three different hiding spaces every six hours. The first was in the window, and the next was in the kitchens.

Talia had been particular about selecting one space in the kitchens so that she would have a way to secure food. She was careful to not eat too much to alert anyone of her presence, but the sustenance was more than Yago was giving her when she had been his prisoner. She also had a space in the latrine room, where mess buckets were usually taken and cleaned. The smell there kept most workers out of the room for too long, so Talia was able to feel the most relaxed when her spots shifted to there. It was the only station that she could ever sleep in, though her rest was never deep.

Her timing had to be perfect for both of these locations, as servants usually stayed active around these areas. Her visits would have to keep her out of sight, and she had been successful so far. Looking forward to her next visit to the waste station, Talia checked the position of the sun.

Ugh. Three more hours.

Once there, she was able to use the restroom and clean up. The cleaning materials that were used were also possible to use on the body, and Talia taken to wiping herself down with strong herbs so as to mask her scent. She didn’t think that Yago would really be able to track her by smell when consumed by his own version of demonhood, but she didn’t want to take any chances. He did say he could after all… and I’ve seen mother do some pretty strange things during her episodes. In her mind the fact that she hadn’t yet been caught while staying so close to Yago was proof that he had been exaggerating, but Talia would take no chances. She shuddered, dreading the idea of losing this game and being subjected to Yago’s punishment.

He’s not going to hurt me, she knew. Well, nothing more than light torture, but I think he probably inflicts that upon everyone. She knew that she had agreed to the terms of his game by running, even if she was entirely uncooperative. He’ll see it that way, at least. If he catches me, I’m going to become like him and Mother. That is, if it doesn’t kill me.

Yago had mentioned that the weak don’t survive, hadn’t he… maybe I don’t have the right constitution to handle the demon. What if I die? That prospect was bleak, though not because it involved her death. Talia was ready for death, and always would be. But death by madness? That sounds like an awful way to go. If I fall, I’d like to at least have my wits about me.

She leaned her head up against the stone with a sigh. In her left hand she brandished a knife, the same one that she had taken off of the guard when she had been released. Gripping it firmly, she did everything that she could to steel her resolve. Each time she thought of facing Yago again, anxiety built in the center of her chest to the point where she felt like it might burst. She occasionally struggled to breathe, only to remember her training at the Mullansburg academy and force all emotion out of her mind. This was how she stayed sane, and was able to look at the situation from a wider perspective.

I’m going to kill him, Talia thought. While held hostage, Talia observed that the floor to which her manacles had been anchored sported several ominous stains. She had imagined that there were others before her, and knew that they probably were subject to far worse treatment than she had received. If I can make sure that I’m the last one to sit there helpless, that will be enough.

She thought of her uncle holding her down with her wrists behind her back, paralyzing her with fear when she was too young and weak to fight back. She thought of her uncle teaching Alex how to be a man, hurting when he refused to humiliate and degrade his companions through violence as a pre-teen. Finally, she thought of her uncle’s relationship with her mother, who had been a victim of his her entire life. Probably his first victim. And he’s been tormenting her even through her adulthood – poisoning her without her knowledge. All of her demons are him.

Talia’s plan was to attack whenever she got the chance. Yago had been outside of the manse for a while, presumably hunting her. She knew that he would eventually return to search the house, and when he did she would be ready. Nobody deserves to go through this shit. I’m going to end him once and for all. I have to, for all of us.

***

Jared and Marion walked side by side silently, flanked by only a few guards. They were in the middle of the woods just south of Marion’s home, on a trail that both of them knew by heart. They were on the way to a meeting of the Hallowed Order, called to discuss recent updates in the situation at hand. Jared and Marion both wondered how the leadership would address this, but they held off on discussing anything of importance for the reason that their guards were not sanctioned members.

“We can take it from here,” Jared said to the men and women at his back. They would not go the next mile, and were not supposed to see where the chapter met.

“We’ll be fine,” said Marion with a reassuring smile to one of the guards who opened his mouth to protest. Her reassurance silenced him, though Jared noted that he did not look truly satisfied.

She has good guards, at least. When they made it to the cliffside fifteen minutes later, Marion began to speak. The pair traversed down the winding natural staircase in the stone, careful to lean in against the wall. A stumble there could be dangerous, but both of them had taken this path countless times.

“Looks like some of the other Ironians have made it,” Marion pointed out.

“Yeah,” Jared agreed, looking down into the woods from his vantage point. They could see a couple of other figures moving through the trees, slowly following hidden paths that would lead to the entrance of the order’s sanctuary. The entrance to the cave was at the very bottom of the cliff, but Jared knew it wouldn’t take long to get there now. “Do you think the other Ironians will be upset?”

“At what?”

“Either piece of news, I guess,” said Jared with a shrug. “That we’ve agreed to assist one of the Nabian factions, or the attack to the east.”

“It’s not really their business that we’ve backed Alexandre. The Order is supposed to be apolitical.”

“Not when politics are centered on their goals,” Jared countered.

“I think they lost track of their goals a while ago.”

“That’s cynical.”

“But true. They were originally formed to fight gods and monsters and all kinds of beasts that roam the lands – none of those things exist anymore. As a matter of fact, they probably never did. These meetings are all about status and making random people feel grander than they really are.”

“Maybe.” As other people got nearer, their conversation ended. The two were now near the bottom of the rock face, and approached the entrance to file in as several other parties had arrived. While they made their way through a maze of tunnels – some of which were booby trapped and intentionally designed to be confusing – Jared wondered if Marion was right.

There is a lot of pomp in the way that these meetings are conducted, Jared admitted to himself. In the order, social status and nationality was disregarded. Even though he was a prince, Jared was afforded no authority or rank that was greater than anyone else’s. Only the leadership team, which was made up of three common citizens that hailed from each of the continent’s nations, were given any status. They were in charge of all jurisprudence during the meeting, setting the agenda, and moderating speech. Their names were kept anonymous by custom, but every so often a public figure from one of the countries would rotate onto the team. Their identity couldn’t really be kept a secret in those cases, but the current three were all unknown to the masses.

A lot of them really do just want the chance to boss people around that they ordinarily couldn’t in real life. Jared had seen and been subjected to that, but he thought it was a good way to keep humble. As the group finally convened in the main cavern, the meeting was called to order.

“So begins the next meeting of our Hallowed Order,” said a brunette woman. Jared could tell that she was likely the representative from Tomacia.

“Our first matter of discussion,” said a balding, hook-nosed gentleman. “The recent attack on Laura Nandra’s harbor. All in all, this was a great victory for the order. Our very own Eric Chamberlin deserves a round of applause for this – please join me in thanking him.” The room broke out in half-hearted applause, and Jared noticed that only about half of the people there were celebrating. The other half kept their hands firmly at their sides or crossed their arms, and Jared joined them in staying silent. When the noise died down, awkward silence hung in the air.

“Doesn’t the order normally criticize this type of behavior?” asked someone from the crowd.

“Why were civilians attacked? This is a dangerous precedent to be setting!” shouted another voice. Murmurs began to pick up rapidly, until the room rumbled with anticipatory whispers.

“Silence,” said the man on the leadership team. “We did not call on you to speak. This was a move made in conjunction with authorities in the Tomacian throne and the order that was absolutely necessary.”

“This,” growled a low voice, “was an unacceptable move.” Jared turned to see who had spoken, and recognized the hulking form of a Nabian general immediately.

Oh shit, he thought. Giovanni Nandra. Jared knew he was in the order, and was glad to see that he was in attendance.

“My sister has always complied with the mandates of this group, and has made outstanding contributions towards ensuring the survival of our world and way of life. Now you dare to sit here and applaud her injury? This is borderline betrayal.”

He’s angry.

“It is… regrettable that Laura was injured in this exercise,” said the Nabian leader. Jared thought that the way he said it and his expression were entirely insincere. “That being said, we can assure you that it was of the utmost importance to carry out.”

“You’d better have a damn good explanation as to why,” Giovanni replied.

“Unfortunately General, that information is not to be shared with the entire group.” The room grew loud again after that, with several members voicing their complaints. Jared couldn’t help but notice that these came mostly from the people that hadn’t applauded earlier, and agreed with the sentiments that floated around the room earlier.

Since when has the order not freely shared information? The leadership team is there to keep us all informed, not carry out covert attacks and keep us in the dark.

“Quiet,” shouted the Nabian representative. “We will have discipline in this meeting or it will be ended!” The crowed began to quiet down with grumbling resentment at that, and Jared thought it was absolutely ridiculous that the leadership would threaten something like that.

Giovanni pointed his finger at the hook-nosed man, holding it there as if he were aiming it directly between his eyes. After a few seconds he lowered it while still glaring. “This will not go unanswered.” He turned on his heels, and walked out of the room as his cloak billowed behind him dramatically. The man in Giovanni’s sights looked nervous at that, but he did not address the issue further. Once Giovanni and a couple of the people around him had left the meeting, they continued on.

“We understand that it is unlike the proceedings of the Order to execute clandestine operations; however, we can assure you all that it was done in the best interest of our world. We do not want people to panic about what we have uncovered.”

“Do you not trust us to keep calm? Keeping our people informed so that we can properly manage a situation is a key component of our membership,” said another member of the crowd.

“We believe that eradication of threats is more important than dissemination of information in this case,” said the Ironian representative. Jared recognized this person as a member of the Coyne family staff, who often oversaw the caretaking of his mother.

“Is it wise to provoke poor relations between the Tomacians and Nabians by doing such a thing though?” he asked aloud. “The Tomacian-Nabian alliance is something that I think we all agree would be a positive change on the overall world. We also just agreed to strike up a bargain between Ironia and – “

“Be quiet, boy,” snapped the Nabian leader. “Your political gains are not the concern of this establishment.”

“How dare you speak to him that way?” said Marion. Jared could tell that she was furious at the rude interruption, and clearly had wanted to ask the same question.

“This order does not follow your social conventions, Miss Monciet. You know that.” Marion opened her mouth to retort, but the leadership team continued on and did not give her the chance to speak. “We will not hear another word on this issue. Now that we have recognized successful progress in the way of our goals, the issue shall remain closed to any further comment. We acknowledge that many of you will feel left out in this matter, but can assure you that the attack was carried out to fulfill our Hallowed Order’s highest goals.”

“You can’t just – “ began another crowd member, before the leader from Nabius shouted loudly.

“Shut your mouth!” The room went silent after that, and Jared felt uncomfortable. Order meetings were not usually so strained, and Jared did not like the turn that this one had taken.

“Moving on,” continued the Tomacian woman. “An esteemed member of our order has made contact with the mainland, sent here under the guidance of law that this order was originally involved in producing. We felt that it was important that you all know that a new resource is here. To fulfill his obligations to the law and retain his power, Prince Adrian Fray of the Illjard has arrived in Nabius to find a spouse. We were not aware of his arrival some time back, but have confirmed that he is here now.”

That is interesting, thought Jared. He had written Adrian several times on the basis of trade, and had always found the man pleasant to deal with.

“We will be reaching out to him shortly to request more resources for assistance with our cause. The Illjard controls the most powerful navy around, which could prove a useful asset in our endeavors.”

Huh. That much is true. But why would a navy be helpful? Are they going to attack somewhere else along the Pike? What are they trying to accomplish here?

“Expect great things in the coming months,” concluded the Nabian. “Now that general announcements and recognitions are over, let us commence with the rest of the meeting. Food production is the first item on the agenda.”

Jared tugged on Marion’s arm, asking with his eyes if she wanted to go. If they’re going to limit discussion entirely, there’s no point in my being here. Marion got the cue, and nodded her assent. They began to walk out of the meeting preferring not to waste any more time. As they made their way through the caves to the outside, they saw Giovanni Nandra exiting up ahead.

“General,” Marion called after him. Her voice echoed down the walls of the long straight stretch of tunnel that made up the entrance to the sanctuary. The general turned to see them approaching and waited. When Jared and Marion were finally outside of the caves, Marion spoke up. “May I have a word with you? In private,” she added with a look towards Jared.

Wow. I guess nobody wants to share information these days.

“Of course, Princess,” General Nandra responded. Jared noted his use of her current title, indicating that he recognized her sovereignty. When the general and Marion waited before speaking, Jared got the hint. He headed off towards the head of the path that would lead back towards Marion’s castle.

“I’ll wait for you at the top of the cliff,” he said.

“Sounds good,” replied Marion.