I am much, much happier with this second chapter. Hope you all enjoy it!
Butch checked the alley to his left and couldn't help but click his tongue as he saw it was completely empty. Not even a trash can. Which could prove a problem as two city guards were slowly making their way down the street in his direction. Normally, he'd just waltz by without a care, they weren't guards he recognized and so they wouldn't recognize him, but there was a small problem.
They had a small little red hat symbol stitched on the breast pocket of their uniform. A sign to anyone, and everyone, in this part of the city of who exactly these guards worked for. And it was bad news.
Bad news because the Red Caps liked to think they were top dogs…and had no problem beating fae down if they thought there was a chance of that being threatened. Butch, who was easily 6 foot and clearly invested in his physique, was usually considered threatening to anyone half a head shorter than him. Especially with how his magic liked to flare to life in his eyes when he was getting…emotional.
Like now. Already he could feel stirrings in his eyes as his vision flickered from dull to blindingly light, sparks of magic altering his eyesight. The guards hadn't even seen him yet, but Butch had too many run ins with the Red Caps on his record to not get agitated. And at this rate it was only a matter of time before they spotted him anyways. And he had nowhere to hide. At all.
Cursing, Butch hunched over slightly in a very poor attempt to try and not appear as intimidating as he usually did. He knew it wasn't going to do any good really but something was better than nothing at this point. Trying every little thing he could think of, Butch also shuffled his way to the edge of the street. He considered still going for the alleyway but that would give the guards too much freedom, and him possibly more need to actually defend himself.
The guards continued along the street, smug smiles on their face as the passing civilians avoided looking in their direction. The guards didn't hesitate to make them more uncomfortable either, throwing a sneer at the occasional man and a loud cat call out at any woman who caught their eye. Butch couldn't help but feel his lip curl with the urge to fully snarl at them, but he bit his lip and turned his face away. Please, just let them pass without saying anything. Please.
"Hey, you! The tall one. We got a few questions for you."
Shit. Butch took a second, and a deep breath, before turning to face the guards. "Sirs. How can I help you today?"
The guards looked him up and down before sharing a look that Butch recognized all too easily. Mentally cursing, Butch mentally rallied himself and made sure he had a proper grip on his magic.
"We've heard talk on these streets lately of some…thugs in the area. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"
Butch pressed his lips together, tightly, to avoid the instinctual urge of snarling at the men. "No sirs. Haven't heard anything about that."
They shared another look before splitting slightly so that Butch was standing more between them both.
"That's strange. See, this man they've been tellin' us about? He's tall, dark hair, hulking figure. All that. Sound familiar yet?"
Damn jackasses. "No sirs. Doesn't ring any bells."
"Huh. That's real funny. See, I think he looks a little like a certain someone we just ran into."
Butch made sure to keep his eyes looking down at the ground. He knew that if they caught sight of the magic swirling there they'd not hesitate. While Butch felt confident he could easily take both of them, fighting with the guard would cause all sorts of issues. Especially right now with Brick on full information hunt mode. Dealing with the fall back of Butch tearing a guard or two apart would seriously piss the red head off, even if they were scum bags that deserved it.
"I'm sorry but I think there's a mistake…sir," Butch was barely able to manage not snarling out the last bit. He knew it needed to be said though.
"You think so? Something tells me there's no mistake though."
Damn it. Butch wasn't sure what to do. He could let them rough him up, it'd hurt a bit but most of the damage would likely just be to his pride. Normally, he might even let it happen. The problem was that Brick had told Butch to avoid trouble and getting roughed up because there was something he was needed for. If Butch was right in what he thought it was, an injury to the face would really put a kink in things.
"Sirs, maybe we can discuss this?"
The guards chuckled but before they could do anything there was a feminine yelp from the alleyway.
"Oh my, guards. Guards!" All three turned to see a pale fae woman, delicate iridescent wings spreading out from her back, standing there point to the far end of the alley. "I think someone on the other street stole my purse! It's gone."
Butch couldn't help but make a face at the absolute piss poor excuse the women gave. Luckily, the guards didn't notice though.
"What? Where abouts miss? We can't let a thief go loose in our glorious city."
Butch felt a shiver of disgust go down his spine at the tone in their voice and clenched his jaw to avoid saying anything.
"This way. Oh, please! I had something so very important in there."
Butch found it hard to believe that the guards were actually believing this whole thing but he supposed it didn't matter when one of the top whores in the city was begging you to follow them into an empty alleyway.
"Let's not waste any time then."
The idea of letting the two guards follow the fae woman into the alley made Butch sick to his stomach. He met the eyes of the woman though and knew she'd just end up pissed off if he did something. She didn't just offer herself up for him to go ruining it after all.
Grinding his teeth as quietly as he could, Butch watched as the guards made their way into the alley. The woman spared him one last look before turning to lead them further in. After a few more moment, Butch turned knowing that the guards had truly forgotten about him. He was a moment too slow in properly getting his magic back under control as he began to walk away and he heard enough to know he truly owed the fae a large thanks. And an apology to her employer as she was going to be late thanks to him.
Butch realized he'd have to make a pit stop or two now before reaching his next destination. That'd be no trouble though. And he'd make sure to remember those two faces. He might not be able to pay back every debt that would be owed today, but there would be other days. And none of the owners of Hell Hound ever forgot a debt.
Boomer looked out at the street from where he sat in the rather cluttered alleyway, an elbow on his knee and his cheek resting on his fist. He was pretty well surrounded by goods from the vendors of the stalls not far away, all people Brick had offered protection to, but he still felt uncomfortable being this close to the street. It was noon though, so there'd been no good shadows for him to hide in on the roof tops. He needed to be here at this time of day leaving him no real choice.
There'd been talk of the guards being more forceful lately and it had Brick concerned, especially with the potential of this deal with those…women. Not that Boomer knew who they even were yet. Sure, he could take a guess at who they might be, but he knew his brother. There'd be no confirmation until the day of. Really, it didn't matter who they were either, it was an opportunity to get a foot in the castle that they couldn't pass up. Didn't mean Boomer liked it though, especially since it seemed to be increasing his workload now.
Annoyed, but not left with much choice, Boomer continued to scan the streets. He reached over and grabbed an apple from one of the crates next to him and took a loud, crunching bite out of it. The stall owner it belonged to looked back, and a brief look of annoyance crossed his face, before he quickly turned back to the customer he'd been talking to.
Boomer snorted at that. Haughty light fae, each and every one of them. Even though they'd been the ones to approach Boomer and his brothers for a deal for protection, and a fair one of course, they still treated them like gutter trash. And yet, when the guards started to overstep who did they all come running to? Despicable, each and every one of them.
Still, if something didn't happen soon, Boomer was going to call it. There were other streets that had come to them recently with complaints, most of them had actually, that he could scope out with better success at this point. The only reason he was here was because Brick had sent Boomer to this one. It was a decent distance from the nearest guardhouse but at the same time in a middle-class area of town. The crime here was moderate and the punishments that were handed out were usually not as extreme as those that were committed in higher class areas. All in all, it was a good place to scope out if there was an actual shift in guards' behavior.
With another bite, Boomer decided he'd give it until he finished the apple before heading out. If Brick had a problem with that later then he could come down here himself and check things out. Which would never happen and Boomer even just suggesting that to his brother was asking for a lecture but he was past caring at this point. There were people and they kept looking at him, it was bright out and noisy, and Boomer just didn't want to be there. Period.
Reaching the core after a bit, Boomer debated eating it or just tossing it. While he was staring at the thing, debating, a shout went out down the street. Finally. Boomer stood and made his way into the crowd and towards the direction of the shout. He didn't have to go far before a small creature covered in fur, with golden eyes, zoomed past him. Turning, Boomer realized it was a kid and he had something clutched close to his chest. A second later and the clanging of guards reached his ears as they shoved their way through the crowd.
Nodding, Boomer took a few steps back to the shade at the side of the street. There was no way he'd be able to keep up and not draw attention in the crowd. Time to take a different approach. He let his magic sweep over him, heating his veins in that familiar way, as he let the shadows surge forth and consume him. Not even a second later and he stepped out of them and onto the portion of a nearby roof shaded by a chimney. He'd have no problems keeping up from here, and everyone would be too busy observing the commotion in the street to look up.
Looking up the street, Boomer located the kid and took off at a calm trot to keep up. He watched as the kid swerved around people successfully, barely causing even a skirt to flutter as he did so. The kid was skilled, and any other time Boomer would consider sweeping down and rescuing him just to possibly recruit a new talent. Unfortunately, he needed to see how this would play out this time. And it wouldn't take much longer either. Further up the street was another set of guards, the commotion having drawn their attention as well. Already they were getting ready for dealing with whatever was running their way by demanding people clear the street ahead of them so they could see.
Like Boomer was expecting, the kid reached the clearing and the two additional guards immediately focused on him. There was a breath's worth of time that passed as they all stared at each other before the kid tried to make for an alley. The guards, both trained and with longer limbs, didn't need much time to cut him off though. The kid backpedaled to try and make for another direction but it was too late. The first set of guards had arrived and were standing there waiting.
Realizing that it was a lost cause, Boomer watched the kid look to the crowd in a desperate plea for help but nobody met his eyes. The kid had a moment of painful clarity before slumping, his stolen prize slowly slipping from where he'd clutched it to his chest. It fell to the ground as the guards moved in and took the kid custody.
Boomer would have to follow them to see how they'd actually punish the kid but first, there was something he wanted to check. Slipping into a shadow again, he stepped back down to the street. The crowds were slowly starting to move again and people were making their way past the area of arrest as the guards moved on. It was still clear enough that it was a simple matter for Boomer to slip through to the area where the kid's goods had dropped.
Crouching down, Boomer moved the cloth it had been bundled in to reveal half a loaf of bread. It was smushed and now a corner of it had started to soak up the slosh from the puddle it had landed right next to. All around unappealing, but Boomer knew that didn't matter. It would have filled the kid's stomach, possibly for the first time in weeks.
Boomer picked the thing up and tossed it into the air before catching it again. He was surprised the guards hadn't taken it as evidence, he was pretty sure they were supposed to, but oh well. He'd see how it would all play out soon enough.
As he made his way back to the edge of the street, Boomer noticed the feel of eyes on him. Turning, he looked down an alley to see several colorful, bright, and small, eyes looking at him. Boomer hummed in thought before tossing the loaf at them.
"Don't eat it too fast," Boomer said as the kids surged forth to catch it. One of the older ones nodded at him but Boomer was already moving on. He had some guards to catch up to.
Buttercup glared at the rejected report. This had been her third time submitting it and she knew that it was more than sufficient but it still kept being sent back with 'suggested' corrections. All of it was complete bullshit. The report wasn't even on anything serious, just a run of the mill drunken bar brawl!
Growling under her breath, a wind stirred through the air and blew half the papers on her desk across the entire room, further agitating the princess. Closing her eyes and clenching her jaw, she took slow, deep breaths to try and calm down. Last thing she needed was to lose her temper and have her desk end up toppled over as well.
It was while she was trying to calm down that her largest annoyance came bursting through her door. Buttercup opened an eye slowly. With a very equine like face and coming up to only Buttercup's waist on a good day, the little fae would have been no problem back in the castle guard. He would have made an excellent look-out or spy, as Lutins typically did, but here? Here the little fae was being made to go out and deal with other fae on a daily basis and that, logically, would lead to eventual conflicts. Which is where her headaches began.
Everyone knew that the dwarven and little fae could be truly petty creatures.
"My lady, the guards have brought back a thief," he said as he stood there, at full attention. Which made Buttercup nervous. The only time anyone in this guardhouse gave her any sort of respect was when they'd done something they knew they'd get in trouble for.
"And the reason you're telling me this Léandre?"
Dealing with a thief was standard. Routine. Not something that would have needed to be brought to her.
The little Lutin hesitated before replying. "Because I really believe you'd like to oversee this particular case of theft, my lady."
Buttercup considered brushing it off, she had about five reports on top of the redo to complete before the end of the day, but couldn't bring herself to. Léandre, for all his little faults, typically tried not to bother her generally. She was sure it wasn't out of any sort of good will and more an attempt to minimize how often or much he got in trouble, but the point still stood. If he was bringing this to her, it might actually be worth seeing what was going on.
"Alright. Thank you. I'll go see now."
The little Lutin saluted to her before scurrying back through the door, all without waiting to be properly dismissed. She'd have to look into whatever trouble the little creature had caused later. Another task onto her ever-growing list of tasks. In the meantime, it wouldn't take long until the guards dealt with the thief so that became her first task to tackle.
With a sigh, one that shuffled more papers across her desk, Buttercup stood and left her office. She made her was quickly to the cells, where all criminals were placed, no matter how fast justice, or whatever they called it these days, was served.
Reaching the cells, Buttercup was saved from searching each one as four of her guards were bunched around what she guessed was the cell she was looking for. They hadn't noticed her and continued to joke and laugh about things she couldn't be bothered to listen to. Not announcing herself, she made her way over and looked past the oblivious guards at the prisoner in the cell. The sight had her quickly scowling.
Finally, this was when one of the men finally noticed her. He nudged the others and all four quickly turned to salute her.
"My lady!" They all yelled. Not that it was in any way sincere. Two of them had smug grins while the one was glancing around nervously and the last was giving her the basic show of respect by focusing on her. A wonderful representation of how the guard was split. Not that it mattered at the end of the day. Even those who showed her the basic respect would sooner side with their fellow guards over her.
"Report. What happened?" Buttercup managed to not growl out.
The only one showing any respect answered. "Theft my lady. We heard a shout go out and found the creature running away from a shop owner over on Alabaster Street. We gave chase and managed to catch him. We've brought him here to hand him his punishment."
Buttercup's teeth were grinding. "Where is this shop owner? Is he pressing charges?"
The guard shrugged. "It's the middle of the day. He couldn't leave his stall. Said he agreed to with the charges though and wanted justice served."
Justice. Ha. Buttercup nearly laughed out loud at that. Nothing in this shit stain of a station was just, least of all this. She looked through the bars at the kid huddled inside. Even from her distance and with all the little one's fur she could tell the kid was seriously malnourished. She didn't even bother asking what was stolen. Only thing a kid like that would bother to steal was pretty obvious. It was reckless all the same though. To be branded at that age as a thief in this kingdom…they might as well just hang the kid now with how much this kingdom seemed to care about simple appearances. Great Dragons, forbid any of them actually try to understand why the kid would bear the mark of a thief at such a young age. No, that would be asking too much.
"Did you bring the item in question? Where is the evidence?"
The guards all shuffled and shared a look at that nervously. "The thief dropped it my lady. We have a whole street of people who saw the thief running from us though. There's no lack of witnesses."
Buttercup couldn't help but snort at that. Right. Witnesses. All they would've likely witnessed was the kid running away. They wouldn't be able to attest to any actual theft. Buttercup opened her mouth to say as much but froze. The guards were standing there, looking at her in a way that was quickly becoming all too familiar. Quiet, closed off, and ready to catch every little detail. Waiting to see what she'd say, who's side she'd take, how closely she followed the law. Snaping her mouth shut, Buttercup struggled not to gnash her teeth together in frustration. As much as she'd like to spare the young fae…she couldn't.
"The punishment that you believe to be most fit?" Buttercup carefully asked the guards. They again shared a look but she watched as they relaxed slightly.
"He's young. We were thinking of just the one this time."
Buttercup wondered if they'd truly been thinking that. She doubted it, especially as one of the two guards that had been grinning earlier cut a look at the one who had replied. Chances were that her willingness to allow the punishment had earned the child the lightest sentence possible.
"Fine, but I shall be the one to do it myself. You shall return to complete your patrols. I will also be adding an additional hour of training that I expect completed before you all turn in. Clearly if it takes four full grown fae to bring in a mere child then I have been much too lax. Should any of the others inquire as to why I will suddenly be increasing training routines starting next week, I shall direct them to you all."
The guards shared an unhappy look but all had enough sense to not lash back at her. They gave her a stiff salute and left the second she dismissed them all with a stiff nod of her head. That made her feel better. It wasn't much, and it wouldn't prevent what she would have to do, but it was better than nothing. She waited impatiently, the wind stirring in agitation around her, for the four to leave and watched as the door shut behind them.
Once they were gone, Buttercup turned to face the child in the cell in front of her. He seemed resigned and she couldn't help but feel her shoulders droop at that. Such a young age and yet already he knew that they were both stuck. There was no way she could let him go. The guards would want to see the finger when they got back as proof no doubt, and if Buttercup didn't give it then she knew they would take it to the castle. Damn them.
Still, it was better that Buttercup handle this instead of the guards who had left. At least she would only take until the first knuckle, as law dictated. She would also make sure to clean and bandage the wound to prevent infection. The guards would have shown none of that mercy.
With a shiver, Buttercup turned away from the golden eyes that stared at her. It didn't help. The entire trip to the knives and back, she felt eyes watching her carefully, even after the child turned, hand held out, unable to watch as she carried out what she needed to.
The road was unevenly paved, pot holes and rough patches giving way to the dirt below which mixed with all manner of run off from the street that was churned and trekked up and away, turning the whole thing into a muddy mess. The buildings lining it were more often than not packed together so closely that there was no space. Some even leaned so that, somehow, there appeared to be not only no space, but that the buildings were near stacked on top of one another. Adding in the long over-hangs of the buildings and the street had Butch tugging at his shirt as he took a few deep breaths. He hated coming down this way but, unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of street they could send a pretty face like Boomer. Up and down the street, eyeing him up, were all manner of fae. Each less dressed than the next. The whores weren't the only ones looking either.
At least all it took was a curl of the lips and most of them stopped staring at him. Boomer would be a different story, no matter how scary he was once truly angered.
Hurrying along, while avoiding the worst of the mess on the street, it didn't take Butch long to get where he needed to. A small building, well lit unlike most of the street and clearly in better shape, he didn't even stop to look before all but bursting through the door. Several of the fae inside turned immediately to see what had happened, a few even reaching for their magic, but they all calmed down once they saw him. He let the door swing shut behind him and within half a second felt like he was able to breathe again. He grinned at the women still paying him attention.
"Well hellloooo ladies. Have you missed me? Never mind, dumb question. Obviously you have! So, who's first?" Those few fae that had still been paying attention to him quickly rolled their eyes before finally returning to what they were doing.
"Come on now ladies, I know I've been a bit lax but this is a bit much don't ya think?"
One woman, on the small side with translucent and glittering butterfly wings behind her, and a dress that dipped more than low enough to allow her to show them off, sighed as she turned from the game she had been playing with the other ladies. She looked at him, her iridescent eyes stating blank with a type of un-amusement that had Butch nearly wincing.
"Butch. Welcome. How can we assist you today?"
Butch's grin returned. "Latiai! I knew I could count on you. I'll just have my usually if you know what I mean."
He waggled his eyebrows at the woman only to have her sigh and turn back to the game. "The madame is upstairs. Please go let her deal with you."
Butch snorted. "You ladies today. Who went and ruined your moods?"
"I don't suppose your brother owns a mirror? If he does, I suggest you take a good, long look into it."
Butch clicked his tongue before continuing into the brothel. "Latiai, Latiai, Latiai. Come on sweetheart, I admitted it didn't I? Cut a bloke some slack. Please?"
Latiai ignored him but Butch didn't let it bother him too much. The ladies in here weren't on the clock right now. He couldn't really expect them to entertain him off hours. Well, he didn't expect them to entertain him on hours either. That would be a waste of their time.
While he made his was over to Latiai's table, whisps of smoke slowly seeped into the room, trickling down the walls and stairs. Butch snorted. Someone was impatient. He clapped a hand on Latiai's shoulder all the same.
"Send one of the guys out to the alley on Ivory. Beyza needs a pick-up. And anything she needs? You bill me."
Latiai, who had been about to shrug off his hand, turned with narrowed eyes. He could see she wanted to snarl, she took the safety of the girls under her seriously, but she wisely held back. With a sharp nod, she was up and off.
Unpleasant task number one taken care of; Butch turned to the stairs. The smoke was moving much quicker now, with an urgency that bordered on agitated. Or angry. Probably angry. With a deep breath, Butch made for the stairs. Time for unpleasant task number two.
In. Out. In.
Three loitering nobles.
Bubble hummed lightly under her breath as she slowly swung one foot in front of the other as she drifted along the path. The lilies were in full bloom here and she was happy with the arrangement of colors. The gardener had done a good job in selecting seeds for her.
Out. Out. In. Out
Four clearly not busy maids.
The bluebells that she'd asked for also did an excellent job of accenting them. With them, she really felt like the pinks and purples from the lilies were popping so nicely. Still, they weren't very tall. Maybe next she's think of planting a flowering shrub of some kind. Hibiscus flowers could come in some truly magnificent colors. Still, tropical flowers with the rest of these? Well, it was a thought.
In. Out. In. IN. Out. Out.
Six guards with way too much time on their hands.
Further down the path and it began to open up as the dirt gave way to soft grass. Wildflowers dotted the entire hill in front of Bubbles in a spiraling pattern that lead towards a towering weeping willow. A source of pride to her, since she'd planted it herself oh so many years ago. It had been her first plant and she remembered the day she'd spent with her father, their hands both covered in dirt that also somehow had managed to streak across their cheeks. She felt like that might have been part of a game of some sorts, or some sort of silly antics at least, but the concrete details were lost to her now. Her father might remember but…
A rustle of fabric, ever so soft.
Her favorite of the lot. At least one assassin, likely there to protect her but it didn't really matter if that wasn't the case. One would have to be truly suicidal to try and attack her in not only the middle of the castle, but the middle of her own garden as well. Blossom was well versed in protective charms and she'd covered the garden in them as she perfected them. Bubble had long lost count of how many were in here at this point.
OUT. IN. SQUEAK.
And then there was the worst of the lot.
Bubbles made her way up the hill to the blanket that was always there for her. As she reached her spot among the willow tree's hanging branches, she turned and plopped down. Standing at a 'reasonable', 'respectable', and 'protective' distance was her guard of the month so far. A fae chosen by Great Dragon only knew but that drove Bubbles insane all the same. His breathing was always so, sooo loud! And the squeak! She'd told him to get himself checked out and he'd nodded as if he understood but never took the time off to do so! And so it was still there. Still there!
Bubbles sighed through a thin smile as she looked as the fae guard. "I think that the lilies are looking a bit droopy. What do you think?"
The guard looked at her but didn't respond, as was the default. Bubbles was no idiot, she could guess what they were told when a guard was sent to 'protect' her. Watch carefully. Keep her safe. Report back everything. Do not engage directly with the princess.
Blegh. Like she wanted to engage with any of them directly. Scum, each and every one of them that were sent to her lately. She wondered if they knew how much she knew. She doubted it. Everyone seemed to forget just how little escaped her, how little she didn't hear. It was stomach churning to be honest. Especially when she was stuck listening to the nobles on the other side of the castle that wanted to influence who was chosen as her guard.
It was a good thing Buttercup hadn't been the one born with this gift. If she heard even half of it, the castle would have been blasted apart at this point. Not that that would be a huge issue at this point either. It might even help Bubbles keep sane.
Not only was she stuck listening to gossiping nobles and guards with obvious breathing problems, she was also stuck listening to the incessant chirping and cacophony of sounds that came from the magically chained birds that flew overhead. And when she's asked why they needed to have birds magically chained to the castle? The castle that, while imbued with magic was not confirmed to have an unlimited source of it? Bubbles couldn't help but near snarl at the memory of the answer.
Because it fit with the ambiance of the Castle of Light.
Disgusting. Each and every single one of those useless louts that somehow were blessed enough to call this magical place home. And it was blessed. She loved this castle. It just clearly was in desperate need of a deep clean.
Not that she could do anything about that. At least, not then. And the guard was still staring blankly at her.
"You're right. This would be a better question for the gardener. I suppose it's time for someone to go fetch him."
A downward twitch of the lips before a salute and the guard turned to leave. Well, at least the fae wasn't completely incompetent.
Blossom tapped against the table, the only outward sign of agitation she'd let show, as she listened to the nobles discus. She'd made several suggestions at this point, solid and reasonable ones, only for them to reject them with a plethora of reasons as to why she was clearly just an idiot. It made it all the more clear as to who the actual idiots were. Not that that helped solve her current predicament.
"Like I stated earlier, it's clear that the best course of action is to redirect the river through this area here! To do anything else would be a complete and utter-"
"Redirecting it through there will have significant impacts on the floral fae. They use this field here every spring to maintain not only their numbers but their very life energy. Which I've stated several times tonight already! Clearly you haven't been listening."
"I have to agree with Duchess Terese here. We cannot redirect the river there."
"Then maybe instead of sitting there, critiquing everything, you have a suggestion Marques Hilthorn? Or some other helpful way to contribute to the discussion?"
Blossom tapped her finger a little too hard against the table and a crack of frost appeared in it. She quickly glanced around the table as she covered the mark with her hand but thankfully no one seemed to notice. The table was also made of the same stone as the castle was so it would thankfully only be a few moments before it would be repaired and look like new again. For her to make a slip like this in front of all the most active nobles of the court…clearly it was time for a break.
"Enough." Blossom's voice cut through the arguments and everyone fell silent to look at her. "I believe it is clear that we will not be coming to an agreement tonight. I suggest we take the evening to think over what has been said by all and meet again tomorrow to finish this discussion with clearer heads."
Several of the nobles exchanged looks and Blossom prepared for the arguments but, blessedly, she wasn't the only one done with the discussion for the night.
"I second that," Duchess Terese said. The nobles who were about to argue shrunk back, annoyingly. No one voiced any complaints, not that Blossom expected them to now that the Duchess had spoken up.
"Then it is settled. Until the morrow," Blossom said, dismissing them all. The nobles, blessedly, didn't hesitate to disappear from her presence, with the exception of one. Blossom turned to look at Duchess Terese who simply smiled gently back at her.
Duchess Terese was a fae that Blossom couldn't help but respect, even though she wasn't sure that she should. Larger than most of the other fae that had been present, Duchess Terese had a delicate face carved of wood with long twisting flora vines for hair. One of the oldest Magnolia tree fae alive. As was common for the fae, age allowed for wisdom and, more importantly, tact and guile.
"I believe you brought up some excellent points Duchess. Was there more you wished to discuss with me before I, too, retire?"
The Duchess gave a soft laugh. "I believe you know exactly what I'd like to say my Princess."
"I believe I do. I do not understand why it was not said during the meeting though."
The Duchess let off another tinkering laugh. "Oh my dear Princess, you know exactly why it was not. I thought though, that perhaps you'd prefer to discuss ways I can assist you in saying them at our next meeting."
Blossom watched the Duchess unblinkingly until even the older fae couldn't help but shift ever so slightly. "Are you concerned that the Earl may have new support tomorrow?"
"I have concerns about that, yes."
The Duchess had close ties with the nature fae, most of them considered her to be their voice here in court, and she was a personal advocate for the floral fae. If the Earl got his way, many would be upset and it would hugely impact the floral fae. That in turn could have a large affect on the Duchess' standing. Many of the nature fae were protective of the floral fae, though Blossom could never fathom why. They were vicious things all said and done.
"They are not your main concerns though."
"They are not."
Blossom pondered that as she looked at the map of the valley they'd been discussing. A few weeks earlier the river spirits had sent a message alerting them to a pressing issue. If they left the river that split the valley alone, then come the rainy season the valley below the river would flood, and so too would the town located there. Adding in that the town had certain historical significance and, more importantly, strong wards that prevented a majority of spells and they had a situation that was tricky at best to handle. That was concern enough on its own, but as expected, there was of course more going on than what simply met the eye.
The part of the forest that they'd been considering re-directing the river through was just east of the village, it was also not far from the river's natural path. It wouldn't be a huge labor load to re-direct it, there would just the consequence of the affecting several parts of the forest. Blossom could see the fields that the proposed path would cut through and understood that was an issue, but now she wondered what else there was. Looking at the map, she couldn't tell.
That wasn't surprising though. Although they had maps that covered a lot of what existed in the kingdom, fae were private by nature. There was always more than what simply showed on the maps. Frustratingly, she wouldn't be able to tell unless she herself visited the area. Or the Duchess decided to share her other concerns.
"My suggestion would cost the treasury a large sum, and a good number of fae would be busy for the entire season. Additionally, it would only be a solution for this one season. It is not a permanent solution," Blossom said. Her suggestion had been to have send troops to control the flooding itself. There would be several ways to do that without permanently affecting the surrounding areas that could also be potentially helpful in other ways. One of her thoughts had been draining the water and packaging it to send to the Summer Court. They tended to have water shortages during this time of the year, but never had a shortage on jewels and gems to use for trade.
It would help to re-coup the cost after everything was said and done but…the upfront cost had to come from somewhere first.
"It would, but not so large that a particular set of jewels could not cover it."
Blossom felt a piece of the puzzle fall into place. She didn't even need to hear the name of the set of jewels. There was only one set that the Duchess would even bother talking about. Only one set that the Duchess would be willing to sell off almost her entire current fortune to get her hands on. Understandably so too.
The Jewels of Saldokla. A set of jewels gifted to the late Queen by the dwarves far south of their borders as thanks for sending aid to them when no one else would, effectively saving them from a blight that could have also eradicated much more if the dwarves hadn't been forced into a magical isolation by surrounding nations. While they couldn't overturn or argue the forced isolation, the King and the late Queen hadn't wanted to see the dwarves perish. They sent a constant stream of necessary supplies at their own cost. Other nobles from other nations also followed suit once they saw a way to help. Once the blight had passed, the first thing the dwarven Monarch had done was present the Queen with the Jewels of Saldokla.
There were many things the jewels were thought to be capable of such as clarity of thought, increased intelligence, the ability to block mind control, and so many more. There were few that knew the actual truth. The jewels did none of that, in fact, most were just pretty jewels. The exception was the piece that the rest of the set was designed around, a bracelet so old that even the earliest dwarven records had accounts of it. And there was no race with older records than the dwarves. As for what the bracelet did, it was hard to say.
Blossom had seen her mother put the bracelet on only once and it had been when she was so young that she barely had any recollection of it. What she could remember though…needless to say, it wasn't a set she could carelessly hand out. And she wasn't sure of the Duchesses true intentions either.
"I see. How intriguing. I will have to keep this in mind."
Blossom didn't give the Duchess a chance to respond before standing and leaving, not that the Duchess would or did dare to try and stop her. She couldn't trust it but she'd talk to her sisters and get their thoughts. If they agreed with her then not all was lost.
After all, between the three of them they did have a large number of other very valuable pieces of jewelry that they could part with much easier.
Brick sighed as he looked down at the newspaper he had spread on his desk. The center article had a picture that he'd been analyzing for the past few nights in an attempt to gain even the slightest bit of information. He'd already read every article he could find but they had only contained drops of information. Uncomfortable territory for Brick, especially as he was nearly officially out of time.
This latest article was a basic fluff piece that featured the castle, the royalty it housed, and the generosity they continued to show the people as it all but advertised an auction of royal jewels to save some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Oddly, there had again been no appearance made by the King, who was known to dote on his daughters and never passed up a chance to sing their praises. It had led to a flurry of rumors about the current situation concerning the crown. He'd heard rumors of curses only to then hear rumors of peaceful upcoming celebrations and nothing seemed to line up. It was frustrating to say the least.
Brick couldn't help but glare at the picture. The three princesses were sitting primly and properly as they faced the camera. The center one was the eldest. Her Royal Highness and Heir to the Throne, Princess Blossom. With long flowing and shimmering red hair and jewel pink eyes, she caught the attention of everyone at first glance. Add in the obviously couture white feathered and form fitting dress and it was clear she knew exactly what her place in the world was. She had a small smile in the photo that Brick couldn't help but sneer at. She was the epitome of grace and serenity. It was disgusting.
To her right was the middle princess, Her Royal Highness, Princess Buttercup. She was about as different from her older sister as it could get. Glowing green eyes and hair black as night, she was frowning at the camera and clearly didn't look sorry about it in the least. Unlike the other two, she was dressed in a simply dress shirt and pants. At her side, easily within reach, was a slim sword. Brick wasn't able to make out what kind in the picture, he was also no expert, but it was clearly not there for decoration. For one, there wasn't a single gem or jewel to be seen on it. He imagined that it was given to her for it to be used for its intended purpose. Not surprising for the 'peacekeeper' of the royal line.
Lastly, to the left of the photo, sat Her Royal Highness, Princess Bubbles. She suited her name. Her blues eyes sparked with life and the blond hair glittered in the light. The city's 'angel' indeed. Even the light blue dress she wore was cute and energetic. Brick couldn't help but chuckle at that. It was no wonder that she was the favorite in the city. He wondered how much of it was an act.
Surprisingly, it hadn't taken long to figure out which sister had been which from that night prior. Princess Buttercup was known on the streets already, even though she'd only been in charge of the city guard for a few months now. The people knew that if you wanted even half a chance of at least a lighter sentence, she was the one to go to. Boomer had been able to confirm that too, and the fact that she seemed to be unhappy with the guards' current method of things. Her magic was always flowing through the streets when she passed too, making it easy to learn what she wielded.
It was also clear that the one who had been in the center was the eldest, Princess Blossom. As the heir to the throne, it was hard to not have whispers in the street about her magic. It was why he'd begun to suspect who they were even before they were gone. A magic that could drop a room's temperature, ice magic, was typically more associated with the Winter Court and as a result, people couldn't help but gossip. Why they'd even care, he'd never understand.
Lastly had been the room silencing Princess Bubbles. This one actually did stump him. Brick knew which she'd been only by process of elimination. The castle had excellent security and it seemed they had it in droves when it came to the youngest princess. Although, from meeting her, he knew her magic was related to sound, he had no idea how it related to it. Did she silence it? Move it? Control it? To what extent?
Well, that last question Brick admittedly had for all three of them. Knowing how much magic a fae had and the degree of control over it they had was the first key piece in understanding how to approach anyone. Although it was clear that all three were likely high fae, meaning higher amounts of magic, he couldn't take that at face value. He'd overestimated, and underestimated, one too many a fae simply based on their initial appearance. It wasn't a mistake he'd make again. And even if they were high fae, that didn't tell him much beyond that they had more magic than an average citizen. Although, as the princesses of this damned court, he doubted they had anything less than large magic reserves.
The door opened startling Brick from his thoughts. He turned to see Butch walk into the room. His brother was wearing the nicest outfit he owned, which sadly still wasn't saying much. A pair of leather pants, a clean button up white shirt, and a green leather vest. He gave the image more of a warrior than anything else. Brick supposed it would have to do though.
"Hey, we're good to go. You almost done staring at documents?" Butch asked as he let the door close behind him.
"I will be in a moment. Where's Boomer?" Brick asked as he stepped forward and looked at himself in the dark tinted and black spotted mirror he had at the front of the room.
Brick was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a simple white shirt. His hair was brushed and pulled back into a neat, low ponytail with a small black ribbon. Simple yet professional. It wasn't as nice as he'd like but, as with Butch, it would have to do. They weren't exactly rich enough to be buying proper suits after all.
"Right here. There was a scuffle downstairs that I had to stop. Sorry," Boomer said as he stepped into the room next to Butch.
Brick quickly turned to look at Boomer at that but sighed in relief when he saw his youngest brother not looking like a mess. He was dressed similarly to Brick, but with a blue shirt instead of white. His hair was left to curl around his face in its typical boyish style.
Brick frowned at that. Maybe he should have had Boomer cut his hair.
"I see. As long as it wasn't anything serious," Brick said as he made his way towards them.
Boomer shook his head. "Nothing a snarl couldn't fix. You know how they're all terrified of us."
Butch snorted. "Can you blame them? We gave them good reason to be after all."
Brick chuckled. "That we did. Enough of that for now though. We have somewhere very special to be."
And Brick would not be late. Not today. Not for this.
I can't promise regular updates yet but I can promise that there is still more to come. Like I said, not giving up on this one and I have some more drafted for this one. Just have to finish polishing it up before I can post and now that I'm starting to get a better grasp of the pace I want for this story I think I'll be able to properly finish reviewing some of these chapters. Until next time (it won't be soon, sorry!) ciao!
