Soldier in Blood Splattered Uniform

Chapter 6

Pub, pub, pub, pub, pub... Ben scoured the streets for any building that would sell even the slightest drop of an alcoholic beverage. His eyes stumbled upon a run down building that looked like a tavern. At closer inspection, Ben could see a familiar girl sat in the corner by herself, reading what appeared to be a few scraggly pieces of paper. He entered the pub and sat opposite her.

"Didn't expect to see you in here," Ben said, his notorious smirk spreading over his face.

"Just because I'm a princess, doesn't mean I can't go in taverns like normal folk," Skye replied, not looking up from the paper.

"What are you reading, anyway?" Ben asked, trying to get a glimpse of what had her full attention.

She lifted her head and grinned, pushing the paper nearer Ben so he could see. A small giggle escaped from Skye's mouth as Ben's smile faltered.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Here, there and everywhere. But mainly pubs and taverns." Skye replied, putting 'The Life and Adventures of Benjamin Finn' in her backpack.

"I'd wondered where I left them. I'm sure you found my brave and brilliant exploits absolutely riveting, I'll be sure to enjoy your feedback when you're finished," Ben chuckled. "I can't count the amount of times people have been wooed by tales of my perilous escapades."

Uh-oh. This was beginning to go in a direction she wasn't prepared for.

She hastily changed the subject. "So, did you meet Page?"

"Yeah, it didn't go too great, if I'm honest. She said she doesn't like soldiers, but I'm working on her," Ben winked. So Page didn't warm to him either, at least they we're in the same boat when it came to that. But why did she care? If Page was Ben's latest conquest then that was fine by her.

"Well I didn't get the most amiable welcome either, but Walter thinks she can help us."

"Walter's a smart man, he knows what he's doing," Ben said.

Skye frowned. "What, and I don't?"

"No-no, I didn't mean that-"

She hastily collected her things and bolted for the door, leaving Ben speechless (for once).

Ben sighed. He was still staring at the door she'd exited through, five minutes after she left. Why did he even try? She would bite his head off at the most random times. Yet he was still trying to be nice to her. And that's all it was, being nice. She was the princess for Avo's sake! She didn't act like a princess, maybe that's why he liked her so much. But, she was still royalty - he couldn't do anything with her, King Logan would have his head on a spike (which is not how he envisioned his good looks and roguish smirk to be forever displayed). He sighed again. The princess was going to get him in a lot of trouble, he could just see it.

Trying to push Skye out of his mind, he ordered a pint of ale, but wasn't really in the mood for drinking anymore. He downed it all in one go, and turned to stare out of the window.

"Do you want another one, love?" The barmaid asked, taking Ben's mug and wiping it with a ragged old dishcloth.

He wasn't listening, his attention was suddenly captured by a familiar looking, raven-haired boy, entering the tavern.

Ben watched the boy, who was of a similar age, order a pint of ale, and slowly sip it. He looked lost in thought.

Ben knew the boy, he was sure of it. He just couldn't put his finger on who it was.

As racked his brain and pondered who this person might be, Walter and Swift entered. They ordered whiskey, and sat next to him.

"Ben, we were just talking about you," Swift said, nudging him in the ribs.

"What about?"

Major Swift chuckled. "About you and the princess, and how you were looking forward to seeing her."

"B-because I'd never met a princess before," Ben lied, but he didn't want to explain why he really wanted to see the princess. To be fair, he didn't know himself. Plus, he felt embarrassed with Walter sat there.

But Walter wasn't listening. He was too preoccupied with the boy at the bar.

"Walter, do you know who that is?" Ben asked.

"I can't quite-..." Walter trailed off. "It looks like..."

The boy lifted his head.

Walter gasped. "No, it can't be."

Ben snapped his head towards the boy. "Who?"

"Toby!" Walter exclaimed, standing up.

A wide grin appeared on the boy's face.

Toby?

He came closer to their table. "Walter!"

Walter's face abruptly turned. "What are you doing here? You're not going back to the castle are you?"

Going back to the castle? What?

Toby looked solemn. "I heard some things about how Logan's been treating the kingdom. Terrible things, Walter, terrible things." Walter still looked disapproving. "No, I'm not going back to the castle."

Ben's addled brain could not make sense of the situation. "What's going on?"

Walter snapped out of his stern frowning. "Toby, this is Captain Be-"

"Ben Finn!" Toby cried, pulling him into a giant hug, "it's been a long time."

Toby had been Ben's childhood best friend. Playing together in the streets of Gunk, the pair were inseparable. Helping each other learn to shoot and fight, their laughter carried through the dingy streets. Then Toby left suddenly one day, just after the death of the King, and said it was an 'urgent matter'. They had never seen each other since. Ben had missed Toby greatly, it seemed they had shared everything together; however, the more Ben thought, he never knew where Toby had come from, he'd always just appeared. Ben had just assumed Toby came from a common family in Brightwall because he never spoke of them. Not once. So Ben never asked.

Ben was bewildered. "Toby?"

"It's good to see you old pal!"

Ben didn't find it quite as easy to return the familiarity. "Where have you been all this time?!"

Toby tensed. "Oh. Just here, there and everywhere."

"You're going to have to give me more than that Toby."

Walter's look on confusion was clear on his face. "You both know each other?"

"We knew each other from when we were kids," Toby said, continuing to avoid Ben's questioning.

"That's fantastic!" Walter exclaimed, sipping his drink while he chuckled. "How come Skye never told me?"

Ben started to become frustrated. "What? Why would she?" Why was no one telling him what was going on?

Toby seemed to draw in on himself, the pull of difficult unanswered questions seeming to weigh him down. "Err-"

"Speaking of Skye, have you spoken to her yet?" Walter said, remaining oblivious.

Toby's eyes darted from Ben to Walter. "No, actually. I-"

Ben slammed his tankard down on the table; his temper was boiling up inside him. "Can somebody PLEASE tell me what is happening here."

"Alright Ben," Major Swift, who had said nothing this whole time, clasped hold of his shoulders. "I think that might be some dodgy ale you've got there."

Ben forced a laugh. "I'm just incredibly confused."

"We're just wondering when Toby is going to see Skye," Walter said.

Ben stared at Toby. "You know each other?"

Toby avoided his eyes. He stayed silent.

"Know each other!" Walter snorted, chugging his drink again. "Of course they do! He's only her brother."

He's her brother. This was news to Ben.

"You're siblings?" Ben whispered. "You're the prince." His tone was accusing.

Toby's focus point remained on Ben's feet. "Ben-"

"Why didn't I know this?"

Toby finally looked up. "I-I..." he trailed off.

Before anyone could say anything else, Ben had crossed the length of the pub and stalked through the door, making a dramatic exit as Skye had done before.