Chapter Four- Fire Me, Thanks!

I stared at myself in the full-length mirror that hung on the inside of the Fourth Prince's wardrobe door, and debated whether or not I looked tough and wild.

I was dressed in my new uniform that Thea had delivered earlier- a short sleeved dark blue tunic over a long-sleeved black tunic, with black leather arm guards and belt, dark leggings and the black combat boots. I'd redone my long black hair in warrior braids and ended them with small metal rings, and then pulled all my hair up into a ponytail held by a thick metal ring. My lone silver earring in my ear I decided to leave alone, as it seemed to give me a more roguish look, and I'd donned my two short swords, crossed on my back.

Overall, in my dark blue and black outfit, accompanied with my weapons and black hair and eyes, I proudly decided that I had the look of a tough, weather-beaten outlaw or assassin.

Precisely what I want, I told myself. If there is any chance that I can scare away the Fourth Prince with my dark and threatening demeanor, then by all means- let's go for it! But judging by the weapons in his room, and the fact that he is on patrol at the moment, I'd say there is small chance I'll frighten him.

I sighed and closed the wardrobe door, trying to ignore my reflection in the glass wall as I watched the sun set over the forest and mountains. Sadly, he couldn't fire me for a hideous face. Disguised as a boy, I did look quite good.

Ambling across the now darkened room, I knelt by the fireplace and added another log, stoking the fire to keep it burning brightly. The room looked very welcoming and cozy, lived in and cheerful, now that Lindon and I had cleaned it up and organized everything. With the two of us working, it hadn't taken very long at all.

Everything was now in order, the candles in the green crystal leaf-shaped wall-sconces were lit, and the warm light of the fire danced on the walls and reflected off the glass wall.

I stood and went back to mine and Lindon's room, leaving the door between ours and the prince's room open. I sat down on my pallet bed, which was reasonably comfortable now that Lindon had brought my several blankets and a pillow. Looking at the pallet against the opposite wall, my mind drifted back to Lindon. It was a nice feeling to know that Prince Saeros' other servant was quiet, calm and hardworking. He would make my life so much easier. He was about twenty or so I guessed, and although he was on the quiet side, he was friendly. He had disappeared somewhere twenty minutes ago- I wasn't sure where- but I didn't mind. Someone who was as helpful and thoughtful as Lindon could take half the day off and I wouldn't give a damn.

I sat there in the height of my boredom, wishing I had someone to talk to. Lindon wasn't a very talkative person, but he was a good listener, and he would give his opinions when I wanted them. At the moment though, I would even settle to talking to an animal, such as Li'er, or a pet of some sort.

A pet!

I jumped up and ran back into Prince Saeros' room where the fish pond was. Koi weren't the most responsive animal to talk to, but a fish was better to talk to than nothing at all.

I sat down on the two foot-high stone wall of the raised pond, crossing my legs and putting my elbows on my knees where I could lean over and look at the fish. It always helped to see what one was talking to. The circular stone pond was about five feet across, but apparently it was big enough for Prince Saeros to keep some koi and a couple cool looking blue crabs.

"Hi there fishies."

There were four of them, nearly as long as my forearm- one was gold, one was red, one was black and the other one looked like someone had splattered it with black, red and gold paint.

"Do you guys have names?" I asked them. Of course there was no response, but one of the red fish swam out from under a lily pad and stayed there floating, staring at me with those red and black eyes.

"Okay," I said, deciding that the black and the spotted ones were males, and the red and gold ones were the females. "Then I'm gonna call you Demon, Spots, Coral and Sunny. Demon and Coral, Spots and Sunny."

I looked at the red one. "Do you like your name, Coral?" I pointed at the black fish that seemed like it was glaring at me. "That's your husband now- Demon."

The red fish seemed to know what I was saying, and darted back underneath the lily pad. I looked back at the black fish, and frowned at him. "I don't think she likes you, Demon."

The black fish glared at me for a few more seconds, and then turned tail and swam away.

I huffed at him. "Well okay then, if you're gonna be annoying. It's no wonder she doesn't like your sorry hide."

I turned my attention to the spotted and the gold fish. "I hope you're going to be nice, Spots." But it looked like he was floating very nicely alongside Sunny, so I smiled at the two of them. "So you are a nice fish after all. You know, you should give some lessons to that nasty friend of yours."

Before I could say anything more, I was startled by a voice behind me.

"Well, well. What have we here?"

I jumped, barely glimpsing a handsome face and golden hair before I fell, yelling, frontwards into the pond, startling fish in every direction.

The water was as cold as river water in the winter and I came up spitting water and gravel, gasping for air. I pulled the cold slimy lily pad off my head and slapped it back into the water, brushing wet hair out of my eyes. A sudden searing pain gripped my hand, growing worse by the second, and I yelled louder than I'd ever yelled before. I jumped up, waving my hand around in a frenzy, trying to dislodge the crab that had latched one of its big, sharp claws into the soft skin between my thumb and forefinger.

A warm hand grabbed my wrist, and a moment later, the golden haired newcomer had removed the crab from my hand and placed it back in the pond.

"You almost killed my blue crab!"

"And that damn blue crab almost killed me!"

"Well you sat on it!"

"Because you startled me! Don't sneak up on me like that again! I might lose my life next time!"

"Hey, I wasn't sneaking up on you. I come to my room to change for dinner and there's some random dude sitting in my room talking to my fish like a moron."

"Don't call me names! And I'm not a random dude! I'm the bodyguard of Prince Saeros."

"He doesn't have a bodyguard."

"Does so."

"He does not."

"And how would you know, Mr. Know-it-all?!"

"Because I am Prince Saeros and my bodyguard left two months ago!"

"... uh…"

I stared at the Fourth Prince, berating myself when I realized that he looked just like the painting in the ancestry hall. I was at a loss for words for the first time in my life.

He crossed his arms and smirked at me. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Uh, well," I stuttered awkwardly and attempted a half smile. "Actually Miss Dalare hired me this morning to be your bodyguard."

"A bodyguard who talks to fish and screams like a girl?"

I flushed red and glared at him. "I do not scream like a girl!"

He didn't look like he believed anything I would say. "Well, go and change into something dry and then we'll see about this bodyguard business."

I glowered at him. "Yes, my lord," and stomped away, puddles trailing after me.

OoOoOo

When I returned to Saeros' room, wearing my spare uniform (which despite everything I found myself thanking Thea for), I found him inspecting his newly organized room. The door to my small room opened quietly behind me and Lindon came to stand beside me. He looked curiously at my dripping hair but had the wisdom not to comment. Unlike myself, he looked very put together and well mannered. I made room for him to stand beside me in the doorway, both of us at a loss of what we should be doing, and simply watched the prince.

"This place looks as good as I would after leaving reform school!" He laughed lightly. "It wasn't very neat before."

I struggled to contain my amusement. "You're right. It was a pigsty." I felt somewhat proud of myself when I heard Lindon's gasp of surprise beside me, yet still I found myself wondering if I'd been a little too sharp for a servant.

The prince stared in astonishment at me for my bluntness before smiling. "You know… I think we three are going to get along just fine."

I didn't know what to say to that. Lindon finally entered the room and opened the wardrobe, laying out clean clothes, and I bit my lip. "Uh… I'm not really sure exactly what my job will be… Perhaps you could tell me what to do for the first few days?"

He nodded as he removed his weapons and dropped them on the bed. "Sure. You can put away my sword and stuff. You probably know better where they go now that my room is clean and neat."

I grinned. "Ok." Gathering up the prince's sword, knives and dagger, I explained where I had determined to put them as I crossed the room to one of the shelves. "I thought you could keep all of your knives and daggers on this display stand that I found. It will make it easier for you to find what you like, and also prevent them from coming to harm. And it looks nice, as these knives are all quite beautiful and rare. As for your sword, I think the best place for it is the mount behind your desk with your bow and quiver, instead of laying around on the table or chairs or desk." When no answer came, I turned to find the prince smiling at me from his desk. "What?"

He chuckled. "You certainly are smart. I wonder if you are as skilled as a bodyguard as you are in persuasion. Where did Dalarë pick you up from?"

"Malthan sent me to Miss Dalarë. I'm from the mountains. Redback Ridge."

"Oh." There was a moment of weirdly awkward silence, and I scolded myself silently. He probably would have no idea where Redback Ridge was, and he probably wouldn't care.

"So tell me a little about yourselves," Saeros said, sitting down at his desk and propping his feet up on the dark polished wood.

Lindon motioned for me to go first, so I began hesitantly. I had to keep my story straight with everyone I lied to, otherwise I could end up in a mess.

"My name is Ari- Arion. I'm eighteen. I have no family, but I've lived in the mountains all my life. I don't read or write, but I'm a martial artist and I enjoy extreme physical challenges. I trained my horse to work with my skills as a warrior, and she has been like family to me for many years. I'm proud to be working here for you, and I hope to prove to you that I am an able-bodied warrior, skilled enough to guard you with my life."

Lindon looked mildly impressed with my speech, but the prince's face showed no emotion. He then looked at Lindon, who smiled hesitantly and then began.

"My name is Tasarin Lindonwë of the House of Selethwë. My nickname has always varied between Arin and Lindon, so whichever you prefer is fine with me. I am nineteen this past May. I grew up in the capital of Dol Amroth with my parents, brother and two sisters. My father is a nobleman and a wealthy merchant. Two years ago, my mother fell sick and died, and I came to Mirkwood because I believe she once was a handmaiden here in the palace. I can fight fairly well, and I can read and write when I have the need. My greatest skill is with music and healing, both of which I learned from my mother."

The prince looked more impressed with Lindon's life story, and that somehow annoyed me. "You are the son of a nobleman?"

Lindon nodded. "Yes my lord. I've chosen to start from the bottom in a foreign country as a way to prove to my brother that success and wealth and happiness does not come only from nobility."

"That is impressive, to be honest," the prince said. "To do that for your brother only makes it more impressive."

Lindon bowed his head in accordance. He looked at me awkwardly, and I could only shrug back. I couldn't tell what either of them were thinking.

The prince removed his feet from the top of his desk. He pulled a piece of blank paper from one of the drawers and after a moment of consideration, he began to write with a quill pen from the jar on the desk.

I noticed that Lindon had just finished laying out fresh clean clothes for the prince. He then went into the bathroom, and after a moment, I heard a sound of water.

Wonderful. So Lindon is being really helpful, and I'm just standing here like a dummy, I thought.

I watched in silence for a while, wondering what he was writing. After a moment, I cautiously approached the desk.

"What are you doing?"

He glanced up. "Patrol report. Each time a captain takes his warriors out for any reason, we must write out a report stating where we've been, how long we were gone, any casualties, if we left off duty- why, ect. The report is due the day after our return, and we turn it in to the king's Minister of War. He will read it, and if we did nothing wrong, nothing will happen. If we made a mistake or did something stupid, then the report will be sent to the king who will then decide how we will be punished. That's all," he explained.

That's all! I thought in astonishment. You can get killed for making a mistake!? I wonder if he will take me with him on patrol next time, I wondered, deciding that I'd like to go on patrol anyway. What are my chances of convincing him it's a good idea? Perhaps if we go to the training grounds tomorrow, and I prove to him that I am fit to be a warrior, I may have a good chance of going. But first, I have to make him trust me.

Lindon rejoined us in the bedroom. "Your bath is ready, my lord."

"Alright." Saeros finished writing the last of his report and folded it up.

Suddenly an idea struck me. "I have an errand to run. I'll be right back," I stated, almost as if I was the prince and he the servant.

The prince looked up in slight surprise as he laid down his quill pen. "Would you run this to the king's office then? Just leave it on the secretary's desk in the outer room." He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a jade pendant. It was a beautiful azure blue medallion with a gold silk string to attach it to one's belt, and a matching gold tassel hung from the bottom. The Fourth Prince's insignia, a soaring eagle silhouetted by a crescent moon, was engraved on the front of the pendant. "This will get you wherever you need to go if someone were to stop you. Just show them this pendant, and they will know that you are my bodyguard."

I took the letter and carefully fastened the pendant on the left front side of my belt. "My lord." I tucked the report into my belt and left through my and Lindon's room.

It was getting close to curfew, I decided, as I hurried quickly down the hallway, and decided it would be in my best interest to complete my errand as soon as possible. I had a somewhat difficult time finding my way through the maze of the palace to the king's office. Even using the small map Dalare had given me was a nightmare as I had no idea how to read. Finally I figured out where I was and eventually found the king's office. There were four guards posted outside the door, and they stopped me the moment I approached.

"Who are you?" one of the guards demanded. His red-brown hair was fastened back from his face in braids, and hung loosely over his shoulders. Dark serious eyes flashed and I instantly decided I didn't like him.

Still, I couldn't help scowling at him for his harsh words. "I'm delivering a paper for my lord."

"Who's your lord?" An elf with dark chestnut hair standing near the red-haired one asked.

"The Fourth Prince."

"Where's your proof?" The dark-haired one asked, distinctly more friendly than the arrogant red-haired one.

I shook my head and touched the blue jade pendant hanging at my side. "Here's my proof."

The dark-haired elf's eyes moved from the pendant to my face and he smiled. "I hope you'll forgive me," he said. "We are required to check any unfamiliar people before they can enter the king's office."

"I understand. You're just doing your duty. No need for an apology." I quickly passed the guards by and stepped into the secretary's office. No one was present, but from behind the closed door on the opposite side of the room, I could hear several unintelligible voices. I put the prince's report in the center of the secretary's painfully neat desk and left the room. The dark-haired elf looked up as I exited the king's secretary's office. I flashed him a bright grin and abruptly stretched out my hand. He seemed like a friendly person, and I was sure I would not regret meeting such a person. "I'm Ari. Bodyguard of Prince Saeros." As soon as he looked up, I recognized him. "Hey! You're the elf I met in the streets this morning!"

He blinked at me in surprise as recognition dawned on his face. "Oh yes! You're the one who got into a fight with my cousin!"

I nodded my head vigorously, suddenly excited.

"Erolith. Royal Guard." He shook my hand warmly. "Welcome to the palace, Ari."

"Thanks." I smirked at him. "And how's your benevolent cousin?"

"Anthelon. Well, he's still smarting about the 'violation of his honor', but he'll live, I'm sure. He had his servant go out and order a new pair of boots." Erolith grinned in apparent amusement. "I'm just getting off duty. Are you doing anything right now?"

"Not really."

Erolith grinned, evidently pleased. "Let's go get something to eat from the kitchens. I know one of the cooks."

I chuckled. Apparently, not all the Royal Guards are as stiff and serious as I expected. Eroltih seems to be pretty interesting and easy-going. "I'd love to." I followed him down the hallway after he was replaced by an overly tall, gruff-looking elf. Neither he nor the red-haired one seemed pleased to see each other, but they looked like they deserved each other.

"Back home, my older brother and I always raided my mom's pastry stash. She kept all of her cookies in a high up cupboard behind the spices… but it was never too high or too hard to get to. But now my brother is a warrior stationed here in the capital, and he doesn't have time for such stuff anymore when he comes home."

Erolith chuckled. "Sounds just like me and my five cousins growing up. I was the youngest of the bunch, but I never had any trouble coming up with ways to steal food from the kitchen. But now like your brother, my cousins don't have time for such childish activities, as they call it."

"Childish activities! That's just what they think." I clapped the other elf's arm. "We don't have to worry about them. Let them live as boring old grown ups if that's what they want. But if all your cousins are like what I've seen of Anthelon this morning, well then I'm not really surprised that they consider it childish."

Erolith blinked at me and smiled at my audacity. "You certainly are bold enough, I'll give you that. Not many people would dare to stand up to Anthelon, let alone speak of him behind his back."

We turned the corner into a wider hallway, lined with doors.

"Well I can't say as I'm afraid of him or anything. He has nothing on me," I shrugged.

A sweet, aromatic smell of fruit boiling into sauces reached my nose and my eyes widened. "That smells amazing! Are you sure we can have some?"

Erolith winked at me just as we entered the palace kitchens. "Just watch," he whispered.

The kitchen was large, even larger than what I would have expected for the Royal Palace, but it had a cozy, warm, welcoming atmosphere to it, crowned by the stimulating aromas of fruits, jams and glazed pastries. A large counter ran down the wall in line with the door, where several trays of fruit tarts sat cooling. A fire still burned in the large fireplace, heating a black cauldron of something fruity that smelled awfully good to my nose, and I suddenly remembered I'd not yet had dinner. The ovens were open now, also cooling from the day's work. Being late, now almost nine, only three cooks were left in the kitchen. I leaned in the doorway, my shoulder on the door frame, crossed my arms, and watched Erolith head to the counter where the nearest woman stood ladling cooled fruit sauce into jars for winter's use. I was curious what Erolith's approach would be, and how he would get some fruit tarts out of the cook as a result.

"Mariwen!"

The older woman looked up in surprise, nearing dropping her jam spatula in shock. "By the Valar! Erolith Telpëlassë! Are you trying to send me to an early grave? Then you would have no one else to put food in that forever empty stomach of yours."

He grinned at her and settled himself into a chair across the counter. "Now, now. I am a growing boy. Surely you want me to become a strong warrior? Why else would I want to eat your cooking? That would be asking for death."

"Erolith."

"Fine." He smiled sweetly at her. "Hey, where your baking is concerned, no one can compare to you. Your fruit tarts are the best! Do you have any leftovers by any chance?"

Mariwen chuckled and rolled her eyes, and stopped with her jam preserves. "I am warning you," she said, waving her spatula under Erolith's nose. "Yes you- you impudent scoundrel. Be glad that I have a grandson of my own or I might not put up with you."

Erolith maintained his innocent puppy-eyes face without wavering and finally the older elleth gave in. "Alright, alright. You know I can't stand looking at those big sad brown eyes of yours. Take your tarts, and some for your friend in the doorway- yes, I saw him. Go on, and leave a poor old lady in peace."

"Thanks, Mariwen!" Erolith grinned, grabbing two handfuls of tarts, and dashed across the kitchen, as if afraid she would stop him. "Night!"

We fled the kitchens with our prize and continued our slow journey through the hallways of the palace.

"Here." Erolith handed me several fruit tarts.

'What kind are they?' I asked, taking a bite out of one. The tangy, sweet taste of strawberries filled my mouth, and I crammed the rest of the tart in. "It's so good! No wonder you like the kitchen here!'

Erolith laughed at that. 'Of course! Mariwen is a fabulous cook! I've been eating her tarts since I was a kid.'

'You were in the palace when you were a kid?'

'No. But Mariwen and her husband own a stable directly across the street from my uncle's stable. They are competitors in business, but neither Mariwen nor I have ever gotten mixed up in it. I would often sneak over there to play with her grandson, and she'd give us all kinds of tasty things to eat. That's how I got to know her. And then later when I joined the Royal Palace Defense Guard, I found out that she actually works in the palace kitchen. So I go there every evening when my shift ends for a free snack.'

'Ah!' I smirked at him. 'Now that's the way to go. And what happened to her grandson?'

'Oh he still lives over at the stable. He helps his grandfather with the business. We used to be really good friends, but in the past few years, we've sort of grown distant. I hardly see him anymore, and we haven't spoken in several years. My other cousin, Tathvir, is not a friendly guy.'

I side-eyed Erolith. He appeared sad for a moment thinking of his friend. Somehow I had the feeling that this was all because of his cousin, Tathvir. I frowned. So far, of the two of Erolith's cousins that I'd heard of so far, things were looking pretty dark. Neither Anthelon nor Tathvir struck me as the nicest person in the city. 'Maybe you could approach your friend like you did when you were a kid,' I offered. 'I'm sure you two could be friends again if you set your mind to it.'

Erolith sighed and said nothing. I shrugged and looked around, noticing for the first time that we were in a very dark, very silent, very eerie-looking corridor. Vaguely, I recalled that we had gone down some stairs… a good deal of stairs, if I remembered correctly. The only source of light were a couple of torches scattered down the stone walls into the darkness. 'Where are we… exactly?' I asked him, stepping a little closer to his side.

Erolith blinked out of his daze and looked around, his face pale in the dim flickering light. 'Oh! It looks like we sort of ended up in the wine cellars.' A sudden mischievous grin formed on his face. "There's a special cellar for the warriors..."

'Wine. Yes.'

'Race you.'

'You'll lose.'

'Wanna bet?'

'5 coppers.'

'Deal.'

…

'5 coppers, Ari.'

'Cheater.'

'You're drunk.'

'So are you…'

…

'Lindon!'

'My lord?'

'What ever happened to Ari?'

'…'

'It's been an hour.'

'Yes… ah, should I go find him?'

'Please do.'

…

'Goodness! Ari! Here you are! He drank so much!'

'I told Ari to stop.'

'Ari! Why did you drink so much?'

'...Erolith made me.'

'Erolith! You-!'

'I did not!!! '

…

'Your Majesty?'

'Yes?'

'Prince Saeros has a new bodyguard.'

'Very good.'

'Well… you might not think it's so good, Your Majesty.'

'Why not?'

'The bodyguard ran off with a palace guard last night, robbed the kitchen, broke into your private wine cellar thinking it was the warriors' stash, stole the Dorwinian, got drunk, and somehow or another Prince Aranwë's roses that the Queen gave him were trampled…'

'What?'