Chapter 11

The smile on Freya's face was a mile wide as she walked into her tower, with quite a number of plants in tow between her and Stahl. "These ought to help you out a lot, I'm sorry I can't stop and help plant them though."

"No it's alright, I know you have to go." The squire who had brought word that Frederick needed Stahl had seemed quite rushed, and Freya was just grateful that he'd been able to help her carry everything in. It would have been far too much for her to do it by herself. Through the opening in the ceiling where the ladder dropped down, Freya could see her friend. She called up, loud enough that her voice would carry clearly, "Evert can help me plant everything, can't you Evert?"

Evert stopped chopping the plants in front of him for a second, just long enough to call down. "Yeah I can help. See you tomorrow, Stahl." His older brother smiled and said something in the affirmative before walking off and leaving the two young apothecaries by themselves. Freya frowned, Evert's tone seemed off, while he wasn't always the happy go lucky person his brother was, it was rare for him to sound so… disgruntled.

She peered up through the opening, hoping to see his face, though only rewarded with an unhelpful view of his ankle. "What's wrong?"

Evert was many things at once. The younger brother. The next in line to run an apothecary. A bit on the petty side. Most of all though, he was like his brother. "How was hanging out with Stahl?"

Freya rolled her eyes, of course he was changing the subject. "We had fun, there was a lot of plants that we needed, I think it'll help out a lot. Can you help me take them up and repot them please?" Maybe he'd start talking once some work got done. It was easier to let him come around on his own than try to force a conversation.

"I'm glad, you're missing a lot." most of the plants on the third floor were half dead—it seemed that the stress of being overturned in the search for evidence had been too much for some of them, and not being watered hurt the rest. Evert was down the ladder in no time flat, quick to sling a sack over his shoulder. "Have you two been hanging out a lot?" part of him regretted coming up to the palace. The insecure little twelve year old that wanted to scream out that he was just as good as his brother, and that was a part of himself that he had tried very hard to silence.

He wasn't a kid anymore though, and he didn't have to listen to the nervousness burning in his chest. Freya hiked a sack over her shoulder and led the way up the ladder to the third floor. Resisting the urge to snap at her friend for the passive aggressiveness he was showing at the moment, Freya let out a sigh and continued on in the conversation, "Not much, he's been very kind though, showing me around the castle and helping me out. He's making this a lot easier."

When he got onto the third landing he dropped the sack down on the floor without grace, scowling as Freya let out a noise of protest. Evert always liked to think of himself as the more sophisticated sibling. The one who could take things in a dignified manner and discuss them with poise. Right now though, all he could think about was the fact that if Freya and Stahl got together, it would put him in an awkward position. "You like him don't you?"

There it was. "Yeah, a little bit. Is that why you're acting pissy?" she leant over to pick up the plant he'd unceremoniously dropped onto the ground, "Please be more gentle with the plants, I don't want to go back down the river today."

"I'm not being pissy!" he made his way down the ladder as Freya began to transplant the herbs, leaving her behind on the third floor to start the work they said they'd do together. He ignored her comment about the plants, call it whatever you wanted, but he couldn't help but think that the damned plants weren't terribly important at the moment.

Thank goodness he couldn't see the disbelief and annoyance etched onto her face. "If you're not being pissy I'd hate to see what pissy is like."

"I don't like you two together. It's weird! You grew up together. You're like siblings." That wasn't really what bothered him, but he'd be damned if he was going to dive right into the heart of the matter straight away. He took quick stock of the plants that were left on the first floor and picked up two of the lightest before heading back up, a bit slower this time.

If he'd been in the same room as her, Freya would have tossed a handful of dirt his way. "We aren't like siblings! That's you and me, I didn't live with Stahl growing up. What's the real reason you're freaked out?"

He carried up two more sacks, setting them down a bit more gently this time. "I don't mean weird for you, I mean weird for me!"

"Oh, well at least you've got a good reason." The sarcasm in Freya's voice was about as obvious as she could manage to make it. She tossed the trowel into the plant bed and sat atop the rim. "C'mon, talk to me. Stahl and I aren't even dating, it's just a little crush! You've never gotten freaked out by me liking someone before."

"You're supposed to be my friend!"

"I am your friend!" She scowled at him, and motioned for him to sit down as well. Was this some insecure little brother thing? Freya was fairly certain he'd come up because he'd been jealous Freya had "left" him for Stahl, and she wouldn't have been surprised if this was something in the same vein. What she would love was for Evert to just come out and say what was bothering him for once. He sat down, though he didn't seem much more calm for it, if anything Evert only looked more anxious and upset.

Evert tapped his foot on the floor, finding himself full of nervous energy. It was hard to put into words why he didn't' like this situation, and that certainly made talking about it much more complicated. "I just don't like it, okay?" Freya let out a groan as she began to massage her temples. Evert was very aware of the fact he wasn't being helpful at the moment, though he couldn't bring himself to really try and fix that.

He stood up abruptly, not sure what to do as the walls seemed to crowd around him. Evert rubbed his sternum through his shirt with the heel of his palm to try and ease the tightness in his chest. "I'm going to get some air."

"Evert—" he was already making his way down the ladders before she could react, and while Freya climbed down as fast as she could she still was unable to catch up with him. He was out of the tower as quick as a rabbit and just as jumpy.

Freya rested her hands on her hips, a frown on her face, unsure of what could have gone differently in that conversation and what she could do to help. A glance out the window showed he was out of sight and Freya could only hope that when he said he needed air, he also meant that he wanted some space to himself.

The younger Kerner was halfway across the gardens at that point, not quite sure where he was going. He could make his way into the main section of the palace surely, but going inside to a place where he didn't think he would fit in didn't sound appealing. The gardens proved to be quite beautiful at least, and the cool air provided some relief for the heat in his chest.

Maybe he'd rushed too much into this, he'd seen more of Stahl in the past week than he had in the last three years. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was hard to play second fiddle to Freya for once. He was happy for his friend, of course, but the little jealous boy inside of him wouldn't shut up and let him be more supportive.

The gardens had some sort of maze or labyrinth and after one false turn, before Evert knew it, he'd found himself quite lost in the shrubbery. "Hell's bells…."

This was not what he needed at the moment. In fact, it was probably the least helpful thing that could have happened in this situation. Weaving through the maze didn't seem to be helpful, and Evert couldn't tell if he was getting closer to the exit or if he was getting farther and farther away.

"Oh!" another voice let out an exclamation and a loud oath as Evert slammed right into another man in his haste to escape the hedges. "I am so sorry—" whoever he bumped into had impeccable manners, especially if he was going to apologize for something that was Evert's fault. "Are you okay?"

"No—well, yes, I'm fine. I mean no please don't apologize." This was probably what Evert got for running out of an argument and into some damn maze. The man before him seemed familiar, dark hair, shorter, though Evert couldn't place where he'd seen him before. Unsure of what to do in this situation, Evert extended his hand to shake the other man's "I'm sorry, my name is Evert. Have we met?"

The stranger quirked his head just a bit to the side, trying to place the man before him. He seemed a bit familiar, though he wasn't sure. "I think we have, I'm Marc. I deliver foods from the kitchen, so we've probably run into each other before." Evert could hear the Plegian twinge in Marc's accent, and tried to quell immediate bad impression that came to his mind. The war was years ago, and if a Plegian had been hired by the kitchens, he had to be trusted by the palace.

"It's nice to meet you Marc." He'd probably seen him delivering food the tower. That had to be it, Evert couldn't think of any other possibility. Glancing around at their surroundings, cornered on all four sides by what appeared to be ten foot tall shrubbery, Evert focused his attention back on his new acquaintance, "Could you please help me get out of here? I got lost…"

Marc laughed, and clapped Evert on the back, "Of course I can. It's easy to get lost in here. It happened to me all the time when I first got here." He made a come hither gesture towards Evert and began to lead the way out of the maze. "So where are you from Evert? What brings you to the palace?" If Evert was a servant, Marc would have heard about him joining, which meant he was either a visitor or a contracted worker. Either way he probably slept somewhere in the servant's quarters, the only difference between servants and contracted workers was the latter got paid more and got larger apartments.

"Ah—I'm from a village just south of here, have you heard of Liepsung? It's about a half day's ride." Instinct told him to look for distinctive markers in his surroundings so if he made his way into the maze again he could get out, but all he saw was a wall of indistinguishable green. "I came to help out my friend, she's the new apothecary."

That was where Marc had met him. The night when he'd tried to poison the Princess. He'd run in past him with some sort of kit. Marc felt his throat tighten at the idea he might get caught before he shook off the idea. He'd been cleared by the investigators so far, and it wasn't like anyone had caught onto what he'd been doing in the mean time. Though, no one would find out about that for at least another week or so.

"So you're Sir Kerner's brother? I met him." The resemblance was uncanny actually, Marc was surprised he hadn't placed it before. It was probably because of how long and lean this new brother was.

Evert nodded, even though Marc couldn't see it. "I am, yes." There was the same feeling of anxiety as before, a little spark in his chest that wouldn't go away. It would be great if for once someone didn't recognize him as Stahl's brother.

Marc quirked a brow, that certainly didn't sound like a very happy yes. It wasn't his business, but as someone who had no family, Marc couldn't help but think he'd be overjoyed at the idea of having a sibling. Then again, not everyone had the same upbringing and life he did. "This is the last turn out of the maze." All of the sudden the pair were out in the open, and in the garden once more. The palace was visible again, towering over them like a brilliant golden mountain.

"Thank you for the help." Evert felt as if he could finally breathe now that he was out in the open, and was happy to fill his lungs with the cool air once more.

The Plegian paused, and looked over the man next to him. He couldn't quite put it into words, but he felt as if Evert wasn't feeling quite right. "Have you gotten a proper tour of the palace grounds yet?"

"A tour?" that caught him off guard, he'd mostly been thinking about how nice it was to be out of that damned maze. Stahl hadn't shown him around yet, the only time he'd walked through the palace was when the Princess had been poisoned. Freya had shown him the way to the kitchens and to the gardens, but other than that he hadn't the slightest idea of where anything was. "No, I haven't. Not yet."

Marc nodded, and motioned for Evert to follow him. "Come with me, I'll show you around."

Freya frowned, as she looked up through the greenhouse roof. The stars were bright in the sky above her, the moon hung low, and Evert still hadn't come back. She'd been able to plant everything by herself, although it hadn't been easy.

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, she wasn't as nervous a person as Evert was, but she'd be damned if having her best friend out this late after an argument didn't make her feel uneasy. Maybe she could track down Stahl and ask him to help look for Evert? The feeling in her stomach had replaced hunger, and after thinking about it for a few seconds longer Freya strode towards the door, intent on tugging on her boots and going out searching for Evert.

Right on cue, the door swung inwards with a bang. Freya leapt back, feeling both shocked and relieved to see a happy looking Evert stride into her tower. "Hells bells Evert! You damn near made my heart stop—" she wasn't sure how to act, he'd left looking near tears and come back looking like all was wonderful. Hand on her chest, she could feel her heart pounding underneath her sternum, "Are you alright? You've been gone for a while, I was about to go out looking for you."

"You were?" that was surprising, until he really thought about how long he'd been gone. From a little before noon to past ten at night according to Freya's water clock, it made sense she'd been concerned. A bit of guilt tugged at his heart, and he let out a sigh as he bent over to unlace his boots. "I'm sorry for scaring you and making you worry. I needed to get out to calm down, ended up meeting a nice servant who showed me around the palace and the palace grounds." Evert set his boots neatly down next to Freya's boots at the door and gave her a small smile. While what had happened earlier still weighed on his mind, he couldn't help feel a bit more at ease.

He'd made a friend? That was good, she supposed, though she would have loved some sort of heads up that he'd be out so late. Freya shrugged off the thought, he came back in one piece, and he seemed more relaxed than before. It wasn't her place to worry. "Are you feeling better? You seemed upset." She walked towards the kitchen and poured each of them a mug of ale from the pitcher set atop the counter. It was too weak to get them tipsy, but strong enough to help relax them. Just the right balance.

Evert took a mug and raised it up with a simple "Cheers." With a sip, he sat atop the table in the kitchen and shrugged. "Not completely better…." He looked back up at Freya with a frown, "I know you and Stahl aren't together. I know you just like him. I know that doesn't impact our friendship. It just bothers me."

Freya opened her mouth to speak, and was silenced as Evert raised his hand, his pointer finger up in the air, "But that's my problem. I'll deal with it."

"Thank you." She took a large swig of her ale, it had been a rather stressful day and she couldn't help but think that this was quite needed. "A lot of this is premature I think, It's just a little crush, nothing more. I don't have any plans at least." Freya smiled to herself, noting that Evert still didn't seem entirely comfortable with this line of talk. Baby steps were in order, it would seem. "I hope tomorrow helps you two, I think spending time together will be good."

Evert scowled, the nervousness was starting to well up in his chest again. Freya was right though, he couldn't rightly continue on this path. It wouldn't do him or Stahl any good. He resisted the urge to chug his drink and took a slow sip instead. "You're probably right." he tapped his foot on the floor, and focused on taking deep breaths. "Will you be able to get along without me tomorrow?"

She managed fine today, but Freya wasn't going to say that. "Yeah, I think I'll be alright." Freya motioned to the ceiling, up towards the second floor where Evert slept, "I had the servants replace the bedding in your cot and have your clothes cleaned, so you should be all squared away for tomorrow."

Typical of Freya, Evert thought, doing small favors after a fight to try and cool things down. One more deep breath, and he finished off his ale. He'd thought a lot in the past few days about how his relationship with his brother was flawed, but Evert was starting to see that every relationship was flawed. Even the one he had with Freya.

Still, he knew she was trying her best, and that it would serve no good to start pointing out faults or flaws. If she could still manage to be worried about him after he'd been petty and jealous, then he could handle the fact she was terrible with conflicts and rushed to conclude them.

"Thank you." Evert flashed her a smile. He'd never been one for hugs or flowery words, so it left him in a bit of a pickle in times like this, where showing you and another person were alright would be as simple as an embrace. Thankfully, Freya knew this, and didn't expect him to do anything of the sort. Instead, Evert gave her a quick pat on the shoulder, resolved to water and care for the plants for Freya in the morning, and simply said "Good night."