Chapter 15

"Are you sure there is a town near here?" I yelled over the crashing thunder and the loud pattering of pouring rain.

We had traveled for hours through the woods, following the wild men. Perceval had impressed me with her skill and knowledge of tracking. Several times she would stop and point to footprints that I would have never noticed. That pricked my ego and impressed me at the same time. A very strange feeling.

After a couple hours my rising spirit had been dampened when the sudden burst of rain had washed over the ground and me. Destroying all the tracks and ruined most of the hope I had. Now I was soaked to the skin and deeper. There wasn't a dry inch on my body and I getting ready to start shivering as night set in.

"No," said Perceval, her voice barely heard. "I'm not sure of anything, Lance."

Great. That helped a lot. I hoped she was just being humble.

Suddenly I spotted a tiny light flickering through the darkness and sheets of rain. I immediately nudged Ares and began trotting towards it, trying hard not to loose sight of it as the rain hit my face.

Oh, please let be a town, I thought fervishly.

Ok, a cottage would be good too, but it was a town I was pressing for. The inhabits of a cottage might turn us away or give us a floor and a crust. But a tavern would surely give us food and real beds. Food.

Dang it. My eyes glanced back to the wet donkey that was following us and the dark lumps on its back. I hoped all that food wasn't spoiled. I would simply die if I had to travel without food.

My hopes soared when another light flickered. We had a town.

There was a hitching post in front of the local tavern, but I led Ares round to the stables. As soon as I led him in he shook, sending a spray of smelly horse rain all over me.

"Hey!" I squawked. "Is that what I get for putting you in a stall? What do I have to do to gain your respect?"

He replied with a snort and a shake of his head which obviously said,"Be careful where you stand next time, duh."

Despite his giving me a hose down, I brushed him carefully and lay a blanket on him before going round to the front. I couldn't stay mad him for long. Heck, I couldn't even get really mad at him.

Before I went inside, I fetchedseveral gold coins from my saddle bag and stuck themin my pocket. I didn't want to walk into a tavern with a large bag of gold hanging at my side. Perceval was shivering at the enterance while waiting for me. But whenshe saw me she stopped and stood a little straighter.

Poor girl, trying to act brave.

I stepped up to her and murmured casually while opening the door, "You know, teenage boys shiver, too."

I'm sure she clenched her teeth, but I was too busy strolling up to the counter to pay anymore attention to her.

The keeper looked over me with a hard suspicious glance and asked gruffly what I wanted. I guess he didn't like strange young men staying his tavern. Keeping a straight face that was hopefully clear of any mischief, I asked for a meal for me and...I looked around for Perceval.

"That kid over there, my brother...er cousin."

Perceval had told me she had enough being the brother of Robina, so I turned her into my cousin instead. Besides, I didn't like having a little brother either. They are annoying. My little brother Jesse is officially the most annoying kid in the castle in, if not in all the land. I had even dubbed him 'Sir Annoyance' and he relished his title and lived up to it better than anyone I have ever seen.

I heard the keeper mumble something about 'double trouble' and took my money. Hey, he was my cousin not my brother. We wouldn't get into trouble...

"Hey, kid, watch the heck where you're goin'!"

Right?

I turned and saw Perceval standing against the wall before a big fat guy. His face was red from drinking too much and he looked like he could crush the girl's skull in two.

Oh, great, I thought, she's worse than a little brother, Jesse never made me stand up to big fat guys. Of course there were no fat guys in the castle...

"Hey, Percy," I called.

Her eyes darted to me but she didn't make a move. The keeper plopped a couple of drinks in front of me.

"Come on over, coz, I've got you a drink."

Perceval nodded vaugely and after muttering something to fat guy began walking to the counter. But the fat guy wasn't finished. He grabbed her arm and said in a slurred voice that was sickening, "You ain't goin' anywhere until you properly apologize."

Then he turned to me.

Me? Hey, I didn't do anything! I'm innocent, I swear! Ok, so maybe I'm 'related' to the kid, but...

"You this brat's cousin?" he bellowed.

I gulped and slid of the chair. Sauntering carelessly over I said brightly, "Yeah, that's me. I'm Jesse."

Why did I just name myself after an annoying brother?

I stuck my hand out and said, "Pleased to meet you, mister. Hey, sorry about Percy here, he's kinda clumsey, and... ya know..." I leaned forward as if telling a big secret.

"Slow in the head."

Perceval was glaring at me and the fat guy was still staring blankly at my hand. I casually removed his hand from Perceval's arm and said, "I've got a few extra coins, mister, I can buy you a drink. Maybe that would be a 'proper' apology, eh?"

I hoped he was drunk enough to agree.

He was.

As he sat down at the counter with Perceval and I (I made sure I was in the middle of the two), he became the very overly friendly type of guy. I guess he was glad he found someone to get him more wine.

"Youngsters these days are always like that," he grumped. "Just like Percy here, eh Percy?" He guffawed as Perceval turned away and I had to force out a few friendly laughs.

"Don't have brains anymore, and all their feet have turned into thumbs...er...their fingers have turned into thumbs and their feet just cross eachother like a waddling duck."

Here he hooted again. "Have you ever seen a waddling duck, boy!" he roared as if he had said the funniest joke on earth and slapped me on my back.

Ouch that hurt. Obviously the giant's medicine didn't heal it completely, I mean it was still fresh. Though it's more likely this guy had a very heavy hand.

I was begining to see my mistake.

Never, I mean never befriend a drunk guy. Especially if they are fat, because when they laugh...

Ugh.

I think when I'm king I'm going to restrict the laws on wine. It just isn't good for people. Besides it would lower the many drunken brawls the town police have to put up with.

After twenty minutes of pure torture, and after the fat guy had consumed three bottles, I was released from my burden when the keeper kicked him and several other drunk men out.

Suddenly one of the men at the tables raised his glass and yelled, "A toast to his highness, King Augustine!"

I had noticed he and his two comrades had been arguing over politics while passing around a bottle. It had been emptied ten minutes ago, but the men still loved to make a show of emphatically putting it to their mouths, gulping loudly, setting it down with a long sigh, wiping their dry mouth and passing it on to the next man.

I raised my untouched glass and rolled my eyes while everyone else eagerly raised his bottle. I had thought I would drink mine, but I after what I saw what it had done to my fat 'friend' I didn't drink it.

"And to his missing son, Lance!" yelled the man again.

This time everyone frowned and someone said, "We can't praise him when he's gone."

"It's not happy news that's he's missing," added another.

"Darn boy couldn't stand up to a woman," snorted a man with an ugly scar down his face. "I have three wives and they don't scare me!"

Wait a minute, since when was polygamy allowed? I would have to change that when I was king.

"That's because your ugly face scares them," guffawed his comrade.

"What makes you say he ran off because of the princess?" challenged a young farmer boy about my age, maybe younger. He was sitting next to me and was in the process of gulfing down his food, so his words were rather garbled

"Why else would he do it?"

He shrugged. "What if he was kidnapped? Maybe the stable boy helped in the kidnapping. After all, Princess Anastasia is kidnapped, so why not him?"

That nearly made me start to my feet. He was kidding.

The princess was kidnapped?

The scarred face man snorted again, "Dummy, she isn't kidnapped. She returned to her own home remember?"

I had to stop myself from breathing in relief.

Relief! I did not just think that! I meant to think, dang it she's still around!

"Obviously you haven't hear the latest news," said the young man defiently, "I've just come from the city and they say that Princess Anastasia is missing."

Er...yes! she's kidnapped. Yay, now I can go home and beg my father to find my own wife. But that wasn't how I really felt.

No, do not even think I have gone soft and am sorry she was kidnapped. I was only sorry because that meant I had to go home, back to the castle back to normal life.

Hey! I didn't say that either. Had I forgotten Conrad? Of course not.

Then suddenly in unision with my thoughts, the continuing conversation in the tavern came back to my ears with a force when the young man next to me said, "Well, adieu, men. I've got to get up early tomorrow, so I can get a head start in tracking down those wild men."

This time I really started from my seat.

"Wild men?" I said.

He glanced me up and down and when he saw I was a stranger said, "Yeah, there's a large group of wild men running around in these woods. They are religious fanatics and every year they carry off someone to be killed on their alter. They never do though, they always end up having to kill a goat or a cow, if they're lucky."

"What do you mean?"

He laughed, and I decided then and there that he was cool. "It's a tradition for me and my brothers to follow them every year and release their captive. They are rather dense so it's pretty fun, and we tie a goat in place of the prisoner."

I grinned and said eagerly, "That is way cool. My best friend is actually the captive so I'd like to go with you tomorrow on your hunt."

"You and your cousin?" he asked, glancing behind me with an almost doubtful look.

Cousin? Oh, yeah, I had nearly forgotten about Perceval. I turned and gestured to Perceval who was listening to the low tones of the the tavern keeper, who looked almost excited, or disgusted, or evil, I wasn't sure which.

Huh! I guess young Percy made friends with the suspicious tavern man.

"Yeah, my cousin. Percy here could actually help you a little."

Perceval turned to look the young man slowly up and down. He gave a little wave and introduced himself, "Hey, by the way I'm Theo. I know you two are Percy and Jesse."

She looked a little coldly at me as if she wanted to say, My real name is Perceval but this dope had to put an 'ee' at the end.

Hey, I thought. I put and 'ee' at the end of my name, too!

"All righty then," I said cheerfully. "We'll be up bright and early and meet you..."

"Just at the front door," Theo finished with a smile, standing to his feet. He tipped his hat to both of us and said, "Good night, Jesse, good night, Percy. I will see you in the morning."