Aris had just come off duty and was sitting in the barracks eating a late supper. Eddis and her entourage had been in Attolia four days now and everyday life had yet to settle. With all the cut backs to the guard that the king was making, everybody was working overtime.
Aris was to the point where he was so tired that he didn't want to move. Even lifting food to his mouth seemed too much at this point. Instead he sat with his head propped in one hand, listlessly drawing patterns into his food. His mother would have given his knuckles a smart rap if she could see him now.
When he felt something scurrying over his boots, he jerked back, almost tipping over the entire bench. Periodically throughout the year, the barracks would have trouble with rats. Rats that seemed to outweigh small dogs. He would, however, deny to his dying day that he let out a shriek that rivaled a hawks piercing cry, no matter what the other squad leaders might say.
Even though they managed to keep the bench upright Aris still ended up on the floor. He was startled to see that instead of a rat, it was a pair of small children who didn't look old enough to be out of the nursery. They were crouched on their haunches underneath the table staring at him, each with a hand covering their mouths to keep their giggling silent. Their eyes were dancing with mirth.
Aris snarled and grabbled at the children. They gave a small yelp and tried to dodge but he managed to snatch their collars and drag them out of their hiding place. In the light he could tell that it was a boy and a girl, about the same age. Something about their faces nagged at the back of his mind.
"Looks like you caught some spies," joked Phokis, a fellow squad leader.
"Maybe you should throw those fishies back until they get a little bigger," shouted another guard.
The two captives growled and thrashed about. The boy was scratching and kicking at him while the girl sunk her teeth into his arm. If he had known that getting something to eat was going to be so dangerous, he would have kept his armor on.
Aris gave the two a teeth-rattling shake. He still didn't know what to do with them. Suddenly, the girl went limp. Aris missed the glance that the two shared. Then the girl let out an ear-piercing wail.
Aris let them drop in favor of clapping his hands over his ears. Instead of running away, the two huddled closer together and doubled their efforts. Tears started falling like rain.
The door of the barracks slammed open and a short Eddisian woman came striding purposefully in. She paused for a moment taking the scene in, then went straight to the children.
"Alithea. Prokopios. I have been looking all over for you! Are you all right? Did these barbarians hurt you?" During the last sentence, the woman scooped up the children and whirled around to give a molten glare at the men in the barracks.
"Auntie Litsa, they said that they were going to treat us like spies and whip us and cut off our fingers and toes," said the girl. She gave a sly glance to Aris, even sticking out her tongue at him.
"And then they were going to feed us to the fish," the boy joined in.
"Who are you to tell four year olds that!" She set down the children so that she could advance on Aris, holding a knife that appeared out of nowhere.
Things descended into chaos from there. The woman kept yelling at Aris and Aris kept trying to explain that he wouldn't have harmed the children. In fact, it was just a misunderstanding. They were so preoccupied that they missed a slightly older girl sneaking in and dragging the younger two children out by their ears.
Safe in the garden, five Eddisian siblings met up.
"That's minus twenty points to both Alithea and Prokopios. They were caught not only by an Attolian guard," here she sneered, "but also by Aunt Litsa."
The twins hung their heads in disappointment.
Kyros spoke up, "I think I should get an extra ten points. I had to haul around Alekos today and he's awful at hiding. I had to work twice as hard to sneak off with the cherry tarts."
Four heads turned to look at the two and a half year old sitting calmly in Kyros' lap. He had cherry jam smeared around his face and hands.
"Agreed."
"So, who won tonight?" The voice came from thin air. The children gave a jump, the oldest ones reaching for hidden knives.
The king of Attolia faded into view. The children relaxed, seeing as it was only their uncle.
"I did. I get to pick the story tonight," Illiana stated. The other children nodded grudgingly in agreement. Her prank had been divinely inspired.
"I've been stuck in court all day. Before I tell you a story, why don't you tell me about your winning prank?"
Illiana gave her uncle a delightfully gleeful smile. "Well, it all started when I saw Aunt Litsa flirting with her guard…"