⌘ Chapter 13.

"Ugh, that didn't go aswell as I'd hoped it would." Ves muttered to herself as pushed the chamberpot aside. She'd just finished expelling what was left of last nights stupidity, but the sour taste of stomach fluid yet lingered in her mouth. It tasted horrible...

She strode across the small room in a daze and was about to exit when she remembered her clothes, or lack thereof.

With a sigh, she went back and dressed. Then it registered for real.

Mina was nowhere to be found!

Ves nearly sprinted to the door, but reminded herself that Mina was probably downstairs, maybe ordering breakfast for them. But how would she do that without speaking?

Her head pounded as she wobbled down the stairs to the common room. Thankfully, it was relatively quiet this time of day, otherwise she might just feel inclined to draw her blade and shout at them to shut their traps.

The innkeeper looked at her funny when she dragged her tired carcass of a body over near him.

"Breakfast, please." Ves said, her voice came out dry and raspy, but the man understood and she was quickly fed and rehydrated.

When she felt a little more human, Ves caught the mans eyes and cleared her throat.

"Did you see where my companion went? I'm a little worried for her, since she's usually not far from my side." Ves said, almost nodding to herself in congratulations for being able to speak normally, though her head was still muddled and throbbing with pain.

A little smile crept unto her lips as she remembered Jak and his strange ways of moving and being. He sometimes nodded to himself aswell. Ves felt a slight rush of blood to her cheeks as she thought of him.

Why... why was she thinking of him? Mina. She had to find her friend, not worry about a silly jokester like Jack.

The innkeeper had the audacity to chuckle to himself as he swept her plate away and replaced her drink of water with more of the same. "My lady, I'm afraid your friend is a lost cause. " The man said.

"You see, a demon stole her away in the early morn, isn't dat right lads?" The man shouted the last part, and the room responded with chuckles and burps and many a whispering of the smooth talking devil that had whisked her away.

A small, fat balding man with a huge red nose put down his mug of ale for a moment to throw a nearly toothless grin her way and say "That it be, that it be. I swear on me mam's tits that man was a incubus."

Ves frowned and crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm impressed you didn't hear anything last night, given how you two shared a room." The innkeeper said. "But then again, none of us heard anything either..." Then the man coughed and his face flushed with color.

"Alright, what the fuck is this?" Ves said, nearly shouting as she stood and gripped the hilt of her blade. "One of you better tell me where my friend is right now or I'll... I'll... gah!" Ves yelled, throwing an arm wide to indicate the entire room and how annoying and stupid everyone was being.

After a few bouts of throatclearing and ill concealed laughter, the innkeeper finally seemed to note the look in her eye.

Or perhaps he saw her whiteknuckled grip on the hilt of her blade, but in any case, the man finally looked a bit apologetic and wrung his hands like a slimy merchant might, which only served to further fuck with her mood.

Still, Ves scowled at the man and gave him a chance to speak.

"So, early morn when neary a man was awake, guess what?" the innkeeper asked.

Ves sighed and sat back down. "Mina emerged from our rooms, no doubt. Please get on with it, I''m still of half a mind to gut you." Ves said with a scowl, making the man shift nervously.

The snickering behind her had also quieted down as they realized who they were mocking.

While the plebs in this down did not know she was the Princess, they did know that she was an explorer and that she'd often been seen walking with Barnas, a B ranked explorer, aswell as several prominent C rank explorers.

Good. Perhaps imminent danger would loosen their damn tongues.

"Oh no, milady. It wasn't just mistress Mina who came down. There was a man with him, and a damn handsome lad if I says so meself. Not that I'm into lads, but haels bells." The innkeeper said.

A sharp anger flared through her body, nearly making her shake and spasm with rage. Ves gritted her teeth and asked.

"Who?" But in her mind, she already had a suspicion. She'd punch him so hard his head turned to mush. She'd.... she'd...

Wetness.

Her cheeks were wet.

No, no, no this wasn't happening. She wasn't crying, and definitely not over a mere man. It must be the hangover. Yeah, it was the alcohol. She would never drink fucking alcohol ever again.

Ves quickly swiped a sleeve across her eyes before she once more looked at the now very awkward innkeeper.

"Was it him?" Ves growled, her world a haze. Her damn head still hurt from last night, and she still felt groggy and uncoordinated. But sands be damned if she would let him... what was he going to do though? And what if Mina wanted to...

The innkeeper nodded. "The lad with mistress Mina's definitely none other than the very same you drank with last night. That black haired devil."The innkeeper shuffled awkwardly before clearing his throat with a cough and continuing.

"I know you said to get him the strongest stuff, but even though my barmaids kept doing that it was as if he was immune to the damn booze." The innkeeper said.

It seemed he wanted to make sure he cleared his name, because if Ves expected foul play and betrayal she might just feel inclined to string him up by his balls. He wasn't wrong about that.

Ves cooled herself. If Mina was with Jack she would be fine. There was no need for Ves to get so fired up over this issue, but whenever it came to that man she couldn't help but feel like exploding with all kinds of weird, fucked up feelings.

Feelings she thought she'd buried deep after that time with Sebastian.

That time a young maiden with a naive heart and a soft mind, had been manipulated to believe she loved a man. Once the courtiers had revealed Sebastian for the two timing bastard he was, Ves nearly shattered. It took her months to piece herself together again, and even then she could never be the same innocent little girl ever again.

Ves knew that it had been the same for Mina. Although she started despising her, she eventually came to call Mina friend. The closest and best friend she'd ever had, for they had had more in common than mere superficial things like fashion sense or dessert choice.

Her friend was with Jack now. It was happening again. Wait, no. It wasn't. It definitely wasn't happening again. Ves clenched her fists so hard that her nails bit into her palms, and she sucked down a few deep gasps of air to calm herself.

Her stomach felt constricted, clenched like right after someone socked you in the gut.

Ves didn't know what this feeling was, but it was unpleasant and she didn't much care for it.

"I think I know of whom you speak." Ves said, straightening her back and calling upon her discipline to keep herself from screaming and exploding with various emotions.

"Just to be clear, they left together, yes?" Ves said sharply. The innkeep nodded. "Aye milady, that they did. If you be fearing for your friend, then don't worry. Although I don't know how good that man is in a fight, I know that a priestess of Rothinia won't be accosted by any in this town, even the lowest of scum wouldn't dare."

Ves stood, nodded at the man and left. She didn't trust herself to speak right now. She was boiling on the inside, and needed fresh air, so she took to wandering the streets aimlessly in a daze.

Eventually Ves found herself drifting towards the Explorers guild. Barnas would probably be there.

For a brief moment, she entertained the ridiculous idea of using Barnas as a pretend boyfriend in order to make Jack jealous.

She quickly dismissed the idea, and chuckled darkly at her own insanity. It was all his damn fault. She'd been fine until he showed up, and now she was a bloody mess. Her country was a mess too. Her family was a mess... everything was a mess. And it was up to her to fix it, somehow.

Everything except the explorers was a mess. They didn't change much and sometimes that was a bad thing. Right now though, she thought it was a nice thing to not change so much. To be steady like a rock.

She felt like she lacked a foundation, or rather, the flimsy foundation that she'd tried to build up after fleeing from her father had been broken, dispersed like mist before the fires of life.

Her so called foundation had been but a lie, an illusion. What she was hiding... a broken mind, a broken soul and a broken heart.

The kingdom was not the only thing that she needed to fix. She should probably start with herself, but she knew not how.

Would it have been different if she'd stayed? Could she have made a difference as a pampered Princess engaging in political maneuverings at the behest of the tyrannical Fatherlord?

Sure she'd been trained by Master Gideron, but that was easily forgotten when she was forced to wear fine frilly dresses and those annoying high heel shoes that made her feet throb with pain. Feet were not made to contort into such an unnatural shape.

Ves almost kicked open the door to the explorers guild with a boot but managed to restrain herself, instead opening the door normally, if slightly forcefully.

Once inside, she looked around at the few ruffians that hung about looking at job postings, planning or gambling in a corner. It was much like a tavern, yet seedier and a more rough and tumble sort of affair. Yet Ves liked it here.

Upon seeing Barnas standind before the Job posting board with a frown, she smiled and went over.

"Hey there oaf. See anything interesting?" Ves called. Already, her spirit was lifting just being here. She was much more suited to being an explorer rather than a frail princess, she decided.

Barnas looked up at her, his scowl immediately softening. "A boy came in here earlier to post a rather well paying job, though he didn't look that well off to me."

Ves crossed her arms. "And you suspect he can't pay? Or that he'll pay with stolen money perhaps?"

Barnas shook his head. "That doesn't matter. It's the nature of the job. The little prick thinks we are an assassins guild."

At that, Ves' amused smile vanished and she frowned, then she moved up next to Barnas and snatched the posting from his meaty hand.

"Let me have a look at this."

As her eyes scanned the page, she felt more and more intrigued. A kid named Alexander wanted someone killed and he would tell them when they accepted the job. The pay was pretty decent too, though nothing too extreme so it wasn't some braindead noble, probably.

"Uhm, not sure what to make of this really. You said he was a kid?" Barnas nodded. "Definitely a kid, though he tried to hide in a big cloak when he came in here to post it."

"I think the city guard will throw him in the dungeons if they find out." Ves commented.

Barnas grunted in agreement, then turned to her. She didn't much care for that glint in his eye. He was up to something.

"What?" Ves asked flatly.

"You wouldn't happen to be free now, would you?" Barnas said, and Ves shrugged.

"Wanna go take a look at this then? Find out whats up with this kid. Isn't this the kind of mysterious plotline you like?" Barnas asked, pocketing the posting as if the answer was obvious.

And perhaps it was.

She needed to take her mind off of Jack and Mina or she might go insane and hack him to pieces with her sword. That wouldn't do.

"That was almost a year ago. Don't remind me of it please." Ves said as they both turned and walked towards the exit.

"I remember that that particular novel was about two boys doing all sorts of interesting things to---"

"No! You be silent you cur! Ves snapped, slapping him on the arm. Barnas chuckled along with a few explorers that were playing cards nearby.

Exiting the explorers guild with a slightly red face, Ves followed Barnas down the cobbled streets.

"Why don't you wipe that smug grin off your face oaf, you look like an oaf." Ves said, her face still flush with embarrassment. Why did this bastard remember that book...

Barnas coughed and turned to look at her innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said with a shrug.

"Oh I think you do. I found it curious that you remembered that particular book so well, but now I know why." Ves smiled up at Barnas. "I didn't know you preferred boys, but I guess that explains why you never found a wife." Barnas sputtered and spun on her, his moustache rippling as his face contorted.

He looked funny, and Ves resisted the urge to cackle loudly in the middle of the street. It would make her look decidedly unhinged, but then again maybe she was. She didn't care anymore though.

"That's why you were so interested in this job, right? If the little boy couldn't pay up, you would extract payment another way." Ves said, and Barnas looked like he might faint.

"Absolutely not!" He shouted, his face so close to hers that his moustache tickled her nose. Ves grimaced and pulled back, wiping his spittle from her face then scratching at her nose.

"Gosh that caterpillar on your face is itchy as fuck. I don't know how you can bare having that thing attached to you." Ves said. Then she leaned in and whispered "And don't you know it's impolite to spit on a princess?"

After a brief moment of silence, the two of them looked at each other before bursting out laughing and patting each other on the back.

On her way to the destination given for the job, Ves picked up a candy apple and munched on it contentedly as she walked behind Barnas.

She almost felt like a little girl out with her friendly uncle. She couldn't escape the fact that she looked like a child, if not for her leather combat gear and blade one might mistake her for one. Even though her boots increased her height by nearly 2 inches, she was still so short...

If she wore a dress and put her hair up in pigtails, she could pass for a kid. That might throw Jack for a loop.

Though that was probably not a good idea. The man seemed to prefer voluptuous women, so she should---

A low growl escaped from her throat, and she threw the remnants of the candyapple to the side of the road. "No, no. I refuse to think of him." She mumbled to herself. "He can go fuck himself for all I care. Hmpf."

Thankfully, Barnas didn't say anything and they reached the designated house near the outer wall without further incident.

"Well, cozy little shack for someone that wants to employ us as assassins." Ves said as she went up to knock on the door. "You just stand there in the background or you'll scare the boy away with those dubious tendencies of yours."

Ves knocked a few times, and Barnas grumbled to himself that he was definitely not gay. And that he liked women and not little boys.

"Stop muttering those things or he'll think you're a crazed buggerer of men in denial!" Ves said, turning to grin at Barnas.

Then the door swung open to reveal a blonde haired boy standing to the side of the doorway. Immediately Ves drew her sword and stepped to the side. Barnas too, reacted quickly and dove to the side.

"What's the meaning of this, boy?" He shouted. The blonde boys eyes were wide with fear as Ves spoke to him from beside the door.

"You better put that away if you don't want us to get the guards." Ves said. For a moment, it looked as though the boy would refuse, but then he gave a defeated sigh and slumped back.

"Sorry, can't be too careful." He said. Then he carefully placed the crossbow on the floor so they could see it.

"What do you want?" He asked. Ves sheathed her blade and stepped into the doorway so he couldn't pick the crossbow back up. "We came for the job you posted. Why are you so damn jittery kid?" Ves asked.

"Ah-alex." he said and Ves raised her eyebrows. "My name is Alex. Not kid or boy."

"So you are the one, after all." Ves said. "We're explorers from the guild. Lucky we saw this first and came straight here. Posting something like that can get you into trouble with the law, you know that? We aren't an assassins guild."

When Ves said that, Alex took a step back and stammered. "P-please hear me out! It's my da. The bastards did this to him, and... and I'm pretty sure they are plotting against the king too!"

"Calm down Alex." Ves said, making a placating gesture with one of her hands.

"May we come in and discuss this job with you then? We can't promise anything though, given the nature of the job."

Although she said that, she wasn't about to murder someone for money. If she ever let herself go that far down the muckhole, then she knew there was no crawling back out.

She still needed to find out what this plot was about though. Even if it amounted to nothing, it would serve to distract her from other, more uncomfortable thoughts.

Once inside, Alex led them to a small and dim living room, stray rays of sunlight flickering through the broken window shades.

"Please sit. I don't have much, but I can put a kettle on for some tea. I already got the stove burning." The boy, alex said. Ves thought he was an unusual kid.

Given how the boy had acted thus far, and the nature of the task in which he was involved, she decided to think of him as more like a young adult than a child.

Ves nodded, accepting the boys hospitality. When he returned with three cups of tea and sat down, she cleared her throat. "So you want us to kill someone, why?" Ves asked.

"Does it matter? A jobs a job, right?" Alex said. Although the boy tried to affect a neutral expression, his shaky digits betrayed his true feelings. He was nervous but hiding it well.

The slight perspiration on his brow aswell. He was feeling the pressure and no wonder, since Barnas was glaring at him.

"It does matter. We are not an assassins guild, and if you don't have a good reason for this, we might be forced to report you to the law." Ves continued, and Alexanders face blanched.

"Bu-but the money... should be sufficient?" He asked, his voice tapering off into a near whisper.

Ves crossed her arms. "And you came by this money honestly? Given the state of the house I am dubious."

"Well... funny story actually..." Alex said hesitantly.

"What? Out with it. We're not here to waste our time." Barnas said with a grunt and Ves sighed. "Stop that, you're scaring the boy and we don't need that." Ves said.

When her eyes returned to the boy, she found him glaring at her. "You don't scare me. I met someone truly scary, you're nothing compared to him." Alex said.

"Uhuh, sure you did. Now do tell us whether these are ill-gotten gains or not." Ves pressed, though Alexanders hesitation condemned him. The way his fingers clenched the teacup nervously merely served to add certainty to her assumption.

"So... I'm not sure actually. I did try to rob him with the crossbow, but then... but then... uhh... he just gave me the money, smiled and turned his back on me like he didn't care about the crossbow, like he didn't think it was a threat." Alex said, taking a sip of tea before continuing.

What a strange boy, Ves thought. His blonde locks and pretty face reminded her of a few nobles at court. If she had a little brother he would perhaps not look dissimilar to this Alexander fellow.

"That should've been the end of it, and I... I made off with my ill-gotten gains, as you put it." Alex said, his face flushing red as he looked down, clearly embarrassed.

"But then, you see... He was there in my room when I returned. Like a bloody ghost! It scared the shit out of me!" Alex said, then he coughed. "Pardon." He added into the silence.

Ves frowned. This was very strange.

"Let me get this straight. You robbed someone with your crossbow, then he followed you back and managed to slip into your room?" Ves asked, her face darkening. Her hand slipped to the hilt of her sword under the table.

"So you killed the intruder?" Ves asked, her voice and expression both rather dark.

"What? No no no, I would never!" Alex said, jumping to his feet as his teacup clattered to the floor and shattered. Ves stood out of reflex, and so did Barnas, which resulted in the table catapulting itself into the air before landing on Alexander with a thud.

Ves winced. "Elegant as always, I see." She said flatly, glaring at Barnas. Atleast the big brute had the gall to look perturbed.

Barnas pulled the table off the Alex boy. "Now look what you're done." Ves said as she knelt down and ran a hand over his face and through his hair.

The boy was unconscious and bleeding from a small gash on his head. He'd probably been knocked out by the table, or maybe he'd hit his head on the ground when he fell. Hard to tell.

He was breathing and should be fine.

But now he was bloody unconscious. How was she supposed to find out about the job? Ves was just about to shout at Barnas when she remembered that she had a pouch of medicinal herbs with her, courtesy of Mina no less.

She didn't much care for it and hung it on her belt to be a decoy for her real money pouch. Would be thieves would get a pouch with a few cheap herbs and curse their luck, and she would get to keep her coin.

"A moment. Barnas go fetch some cold water." Ves said, waving a hand absentmindedly at him. He complied with a grunt, and she pulled a small cloth-wrapped packet from the pouch. Ves didn't know what they were called, but Mina made them.

She carried them around as part of being a healer, because it was sometimes easier to wake people up with the packs than with sigils or a bucket of water.

This way she didn't have to rely on her healing magic quite so much, and part of being a healer did consist of knowing herblore, after all.

The Alex kid would probably have a thumpin' headache when he woke up, but she needed to know what this was about. He had mentioned a secret treasonous plot of some kind, and as the princess of Dorwine she had an interest in this sort of thing.

Ves crushed the pack in her fist and shook it like Mina had said to do, then she put it under Alex' nose and waited. The reaction was nearly immediate, and the boys face contorted as if he'd just smelled something very nasty. Then he proceeded to open his eyes wide and cough.

"Good, come here with the water already." Ves said, and Barnas brought it. With slightly shaky hands, Alex lifted the cup to his lips with both hands and sipped pitifully.

"My head hurts...." He said, his voice a little dry. "What happened?"

"The table fell on you." Barnas said. Alexander held his head in his hands and whimpered.

"My head hurts..." he repeated. Ves forced him to down some more water while Barnas put the table and chairs back to their original upright positions.

After nursing him for what felt like forever, Ves finally decided that enough was enough.

"Please continue your story." Ves said, and Alex looked confused. "The mysterious guy you robbed. He was in your room."

"Oh, right. He was... he scared me. Then... then we talked, and he let me keep the money. I don't really know when he left because I fell asleep." Alex said, his face once more reddening.

"Gods above if you get any redder I'm gonna have to call you a girl from now on Alex." Ves said. "But what do you mean you fell asleep? A stranger was in your fricking room, how can you just..." Ves said.

Alex shrugged, but still looked very embarrassed. "I kind of cried. Then he hugged me and rocked me and sang in a strange language. Then I woke up the next morning... at first I thought it was a dream but the money was just sitting there. He hadn't taken it."

Ves made a sound in her throat. This was so annoying, almost like dealing with Jack.

"Okay, so they aren't ill-gotten gains. Now can you tell us about the job?" Ves said. Perhaps her impatience was shining through, because Alex cringed back and squinted his eyes in pain.

"My---"

"Yeah I know, your head hurts. It should, Barnas threw a table on your face. It should hurt." Ves said.

Barnas scowled. "You make it sound like I did it on purpose!"

Ves shrugged. "Same difference. It's tabula faca either way." Ves chuckled.

It was amusing to see Alexanders confused gaze flickering between them.

"Never you mind. So?"

Alexander cleared his throat. "Someone murdered my dad last night." Alex said, his face falling, his mood becoming even more somber than before.

"I'm sorry." Ves said, placing a hand on the boys shoulder. "You want us to go after the killer, but do you know who it is? If you do, why haven't you gone to the guards. Why put out a bounty like this?" Ves asked, trying to make her words as gentle as possible.

"Because it was one of the guards." Alex nearly whispered the words.

"The city guard?" Ves asked. "No... my da used to be the captain of the guard for the Mayor, but he was replaced after getting injured on a mission."

"And you suspect that the guard who replaced your father is responsible?" Ves asked. She was curious now.

Alex nodded demurely.

"I saw him, but he didn't see me, you know? But the crossbow wasn't loaded and I was too scared to move." Alex said. His voice sounded flat to her ears. Perhaps he had retreated into a shell as a defensive mechanism to deal with the loss of his parent. Ves knew how that worked all too well.

"So you want to hire explorers to go kill one of the Mayors guards? What a mess." Ves said, shaking her head. Alex was about to say something, but she continued. "If you tell me who he is, I will try to get to the bottom of this. Now, why do you think it's got something to do with treason?"

"My da... my da was very loyal to the king. He often annoyed the Mayor with his loyalty. In the end, I think the Mayor had him killed because the Mayor doesn't like the king."

Ves frowned. "You think Farnsworth is capable of ordering someone murdered? The man is a shrewd merchant, but hardly a butcher."

"What do you know? Everyone knows the Mayor doesn't like the king. He keeps saying he serves the kingdom, not those who rule it. It's practically treason. Maybe he's even allied with the Empire?" Alex said, his breathing heavy as he panted.

"I've always liked Farnsworth and I don't think the man capable of such machinations. Nevertheless I promise you that I'll look into it. No murdering though, not right now atleast." Ves said, her shoulders tense.

She was going to get involved in the Kingdom again. After over a year, she was returning to the stage. Her chest contracted and clenched.

She told herself she didn't have stagefright. That she was capable of standing straight and proud and command with wisdom beyond her years.

She told herself she was definitely a better leader than the fatherlord. But a kernel of doubt nagged at her, and a nervous energy sizzled through her body.

"There are plenty of reasons to dislike the king. Farnsworth cannot be blamed for holding such an opinion." Ves said quietly, but Alexander heard and stood, his small hands clenched into fists as they shook.

Through gritted teeth he said. "You're a traitor aswell then." Ves couldn't help but chuckle, which seemed to throw him off.

"That's quite an interesting idea. Me being a traitor and all that. Anyway I think I shall pop over to Farnsworths abode and try to sort this mess out." Ves said, standing aswell.

"Barnas." Ves said with a commanding tone. "Yes, Milady."

"Look after Alex so he doesn't get in trouble. I'll go and see if I can't get to the bottom of this mystery." Ves said, turning to go but then she remembered something.

"Oh, and Barnas. Do not give in to the dark side. I know it's tempting, but you better not start down that path." Ves said. Barnas cursed loudly, which made Alex jump

Ves just laughed.

"Before I go please give me a brief description of the guard. I'm not ridiculing your theory, but the guard could be working for someone else too, you know? Spies are everywhere, trust me on that." Ves said, feeling the disgust welling in her throat.

There were very few things that Ves disliked more than spies. Court spies, enemy spies, even friendly spies. It was all the same sneaky game and she did not care for that shit in the least.

She'd hated it when her father had her observed. Her whole life she'd been watched over by shadowy men, and occasionally some rather ordinary looking courtier would be exposed as an enemy spy.

She hated, hated spies.

Alex took a step back, looking up at her with wide, fear filled eyes.

"Sorry bout that. I just thought of something unpleasant." Ves said. Alex nodded and quickly described the aforementioned guards appearance. Ves nodded. "Alright I'll keep an eye out. See ya." She waved a hand behind her as she left.

It was time to get to the bottom of this mess. Like a ball of tangled yarn, she would sort it out. Either by elegantly unravelling the threads, or with brute force. No matter what, she would find out what the hell was going on down here in what should be a peaceful, trade and production oriented southern region of Dorwine .