CHAPTER V #2
I shift in my seat.
Do I tell him it’s because his Prince likes testing my waters just as I do his? That he enjoys goading me in a challenge to experience his court?
Or do I tell him that after knowing said Prince for only a few days, my body and the core of my being wants to respond to that challenge and meet it above all else, regardless if he’s only interested in me to learn more about his father’s aims.
Or I could tell him that I genuinely enjoy drinking no matter who the company is with, and that if an everyday stranger challenged me instead of the Prince, I would have accepted the call all the same.
Liar.
I quickly shake his voice out of my head.
“I’m not sure what you’ve been told of our court, Lord…?”
I hope I get his title correct. Only the strongest of Warriors would be sitting so closely to the Prince.
“Daniel,” he smiles in greeting.
Daniel.
The Discerni flinging boulders across the training field, one of the strongest of the Court.
“Lord Daniel,” I continue, my grin going wide at the thought of him in the fields, “but most likely everything you’ve heard about it is all nonsense. The truth is that our ladies can and do drink, heavily. We always enjoy a good whiskey or ale no matter whose company we share it with.”
Lord Daniel smiles back at me, “then I think I mimic Sir Casey’s sentiment and agree that we all owe a trip to Bardot in the near future.”
“Bardot and Brierman,” I nod, “I would recommend stopping in the ale town as well for a few nights.”
Lord Daniel lifts his toddy in salute before taking a drink.
I grin in response just as an arm reaches along the back of my chair, his fingers gently grazing against my exposed shoulder.
I turn around with a frown and spot Keane leaning back in his own chair again as he talks to the serving boy behind us, his hand resting at my back in nonchalance as if he does this all the time.
“His Highness announced you as a guest of the King,” Lord Daniel continues.
I nod in reply just as a different serving boy drops off a plate of food. The scent of black pepper is strong so I make sure to ask him for water.
“How are you familiar with him?” he asks, just as the Prince pushes two toddies our way. Keane leaves his arm on the back of my chair as Lord Daniel grabs one of the glasses, his look still maintaining its curiosity.
“I am under His Grace’s employment,” I reply vaguely.
“Aren’t we all,” he laughs.
“Alexis…”
I slowly turn to the Prince and narrow my gaze. Keane’s eyes dance across my face in amusement, noting my disdain. He lifts his hand with a toddy and glances down at the other on the table.
I roll my eyes and take the second glass, saluting him before we both down the amber.
“Do you mind if I ask what sort of employment His Grace subscribes you under?” Lord Daniel pursues, his voice casual as we resume our dinner.
“And please don’t be off-put by my question, Lady Alexis,” he smiles when I consider my answer, “the King is a good friend of mine, so I am naturally curious.”
My fork stops before my mouth as I’m hit with a thought.
A good friend of King Zander and yet he has never visited Bardot?
What a pretty lie, his voice echoes in my mind, this time directed at Lord Daniel.
Oh Ancients.
I drop my fork and reach for my napkin, using it to hide my scowl.
Clever.
The Prince is fucking clever.
Pry me with alcohol and sit me next to a man who reminds me of Cal, hoping that the familiar resemblance makes me comfortable enough to talk.
Bastard.
I smile sweetly at Lord Daniel and lean back against the Prince’s arm, feeling him stiffen in surprise before he quickly relaxes and runs his fingers over my shoulder.
“I guess I would consider the employment to fall under an exploration of sorts,” I shrug, looking back down at my plate.
Both Keane and Daniel lean into their own dinners as well, nodding for me to continue.
“So you travel then?” the Lord asks, “for what reason?”
“Hmm,” I shake my head, “it’s best if I don’t say.”
“I understand if you don’t want to share, Lady Alexis,” he replies casually, “I’m merely a curious fellow.”
I eye the Lord as if I’m sizing his worth, my glance adding a small level of suspicion that he tries to resolve with a smile.
“You said you’re friends with the King?” I ask.
“I am.”
“Then I guess he won’t mind me telling you…”
Lord Daniel nods me forward just as Keane’s fingers flick to a serving boy behind us.
Right on cue.
“It’s hard to explain, but my group travels for an exploration and study of the mind,” I reply quietly, “and sometimes the body…”
“The body?” Lord Daniel coughs, both men trying to hide their astonishment as they look at me in shock.
I smile at Lord Daniel and give him a nod, then point my knife to Cal farther along the table.
“Do you see that big man a few seats down, auburn hair and beard?”
The Discerni Lord nods again.
“Him and the Discerni twins next to him travel with me… the four of us…”
I drag out my words as the expected call of my name comes from my right. The Prince hands me another toddy and keeps one for himself, the two of us downing them together.
“The four of you?” Daniel prompts.
“Oh yes…” I look at my plate and feign a blush, “well, it’s a bit indecent.”
I feel Keane’s arm tighten on the chair behind me, his eyes glancing straight to my cheeks.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of here, Lady Alexis,” Lord Daniel replies softly.
Dear Ancients, these men.
Do they really think I’m this dumb? Or do they think the toddy is taking over and leaving me with loose lips? Obviously neither of them paid attention when I told them that the women of our Court drink heavily.
“You’re right,” I look out to the room in front of us, “if there’s any place I should feel comfortable telling you this, its here.”
Both men nod their heads a bit too quickly.
“Do you see Cal, the big one?” I continue, reminding the Lord by pointing with my knife again.
Lord Daniel smiles patiently and nods me forward.
“Well, we travel mostly for him. He visits the various cities and indulges in their smoke and mushrooms. We all do.”
Keane stills and gives me a look of visible disbelief.
“I swear it’s for the mind,” I turn and tell the Prince, “King Zander is studying the effects that the mushrooms have on both humans and Discerni. But sometimes things turn physical…”
Lord Daniel awkwardly shifts in his seat, the full of him so uncomfortable by the situation that he decides to down the rest of his own toddy. I laugh out loud at the sight and look back at Keane, the Prince still staring at me in disbelief and at a genuine loss for words.
“Oh!” I double over in laughter, unable to get over the looks on their faces, “Ancients, you’re both too easy! Mushrooms? Really?”
Lord Daniel gives me a look of bewilderment before he starts to catch on. He smiles at me in surprise while Keane…
Ancients.
If I ever thought the Prince’s eyes couldn’t alight with more playfulness, I was completely wrong. His whole demeanor shifts from awkward disbelief to wild mischief in a brief moment, his gaze landing on my laughing lips as he begins to understand the full of the conversation that just took place.
“A valiant effort, truly, Your Highness,” I nod in amusement, “but I think I know exactly what kind of game I’m playing.”
Keane’s hearty laugh startles the full of the court, the sound echoing off the walls and pulling every head in the room in our direction. He leans into my chair with a look that tells me he wants to kiss me senseless, as if he’s finally appreciating the truth of the moment.
“Trouble,” he grins near my ear, “you’re pure trouble, Alexis.”
I spend the early evening with Cal, Holis and Mana, the four of us sitting at the corner of the head table and watching the court unfold.
Cal quickly found his hands on a pipe the moment dinner ended and has been smoking ever since, while Mana has been engaging in a quiet conversation with a Warrior Discerni about his kedge.
Holis sits at my side and contently watches over the crowd, while Golem is somewhere behind us hiding against the wall, his presence felt but rarely seen.
After the multiple toddies I had taken with the Prince I ended up settling on water for a bit.
Yes, I was a great drinker and could hold my own, but I also knew my limits and when I had reached a point when I needed to slow down.
Keane’s taunt about lasting through the night was on repeat in my mind, and I had the distinct feeling that even though we were creeping towards the midnight apex, the night had only just begun.
The court was already different from anything in Knowledge I had ever experienced, and I wanted to be sober enough and in my right mind to experience it all.
Whenever the King and Queen held court in Bardot, it was an enjoyable evening that always stopped short of getting rowdy.
The large receiving room that was used just off the side of the Great Oak was serene, the full of it set up with round tables that hosted smaller groupings, their tops adorned with beautiful white roses that were curtesy of the Queen and her garden.
Dinner always kicked off with a single downing of whiskey, then the King and Queen would lead us all out to the largest veranda for more drinks after we filled our stomachs.
We’d stay under the stars until the room had been cleared and then move back inside to a series of simple dances, and if you weren’t dancing then you were enjoying the night in conversation, gossiping and talking about the lands and its politics over even more drinks and smoke.
They were beautiful nights that were enjoyed by all, but they were a far cry from what I was experiencing at this Warrior court.