Broker - CH5 - (Patreon)

“Now, I wanted to make you another deal,” Alex said.

Riley shook her head, looking down and to the side, but she didn’t dismiss him.

“I’d like to offer you better food,” Alex said, pulling out the apple from the box. He’d tucked it away when he handed over the clothes. “I’ll feed you what the guards eat, and the price is to let me eat lunch with you if I choose to. I’ll bring my own lunch of course, and I may even share part of it with you.”

Riley’s head came back up, her brows pressing together.

“Thats all?”

“Thats all. I’d like to eat with you.”

“I agree then… will that start with breakfast?” she asked, hope evident in her voice.

Alex felt the deal slide in as if it was always there. He was getting used to feeling it, and wondered if he’d simply tune it out soon.

“I’m afraid they-actually, sure. Why not. I’ll speak to Douglas on my way out. They’ll be relighting your hearth as well,” Alex said.

He reached through the bars and held out the apple to her. “I doubt I’ll be able to join you for lunch today. I’ll be working with my other guest around that time I imagine.

“Until later this morning, when we discuss your charges. Oh, and One?”

“Yes, Master?” Riley sounded extremely cautious. She took the apple from his hand and immediately bit into it without a concern.

“You really are quite beautiful.”

Riley flushed a deep scarlet, her gaze locked to his.

Alex said nothing more, and left a second later, taking the box with him.

He hadn’t gotten halfway across Sylvia’s cell before there was a brief knock on the door, and then it opened.

Douglas stepped inside with an envelope clutched in his hand.

“Douglas?” Alex asked, mildly annoyed that the man was breaking the rules already.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I have a letter from the king. It has his seal and it appears authentic.”

Alex immediately dropped any annoyance he had and held his hand out for the envelope.

Taking it from Douglas he flipped it over and inspected the seal.

It really did look like the king’s.

Cracking the seal with his thumb he slipped his fingers into the envelope and pulled out a folded letter.

Opening it he began to read:

My loyal Count Alex,

Please come see me immediately with utmost haste. I have a matter most urgent to your station to discuss.

King Harold III

Alex snorted and flipped the letter over to check the back of it.

Blank.

“It would seem our dear king wishes to see me, and has specified little to no reason,” Alex said shaking his head. “I imagine this would be our dear envoy I chased out.”

“Ah, that’d be a good guess, my lord. You said you need to go see the king?”

“Indeed. For what, I don’t know. A shame. Go alert Walter and Max about all of this. I’m sure one or both will have a fit about it,” Alex said.

When the cell door shut behind Douglas, Alex turned to look at Sylvia. She’d been listening intently and seemed unsure of herself at this moment.

“I imagine you’re wondering what I’m going to do with you while I’m away,” Alex said. Walking up to the bars, he leaned up against them. “I was thinking I’d just have you relax and take it easy in your cell. No harm can befall you here, and the worst thing that’ll happen is your clothes will probably start showing some wear.”

Sylvia opened her mouth once, and then closed it.

She doesn’t want to stay here while I’m away, but there’s no way for her to suggest it, without putting herself in an unfavorable position.

She nodded her head sedately, sitting at her table as if nothing were the matter.

“Say… Sylvia. How would you like to go home while I’m traveling?”

“That would… be most agreeable,” she said, a smirk on her face.

Can’t fool her. She knows I know, hah.

“Let’s skip to the end. What do you want?” she asked.

“No fun at all, Sylvia. No fun at all. The price… well, let’s clarify this,” Alex said, tapping a bar with a knuckle. “To start with. You go home while I’m away, and must return within one day of my return. I’ll send a messenger to you personally the day I arrive of course, that way there isn’t any funny business.

“You swear an oath on your life and soul that you’ll return, and we return to your charges.”

“That… would actually be agreeable so far,” Sylvia said.

“Next, you are forbidden to destroy an evidence of your guilt, or have anyone do so on your behalf. If you do discover any evidence of your guilt, you’ll bring it back with you for me,” Alex said.

“That’s… a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?”

“Not really. It just means you have to stay away from everything that landed you here. Effectively making it so you can enjoy your freedom, but not deter justice.”

Sighing, Sylvia leaned back in her chair, smiling at him. “Fine. I agree and do so swear.

“It’s not very fair when you have me at your mercy like that.”

“Oh? I think you’ll come to enjoy being at my mercy. Let me go check on my other guest, and then I’ll arrange for your departure.”

Moving back to Riley’s cell, he opened the door and stepped in.

Before he could even address her she had already pulled her tunic back over her head, the black choker all she was wearing.

“Master?” she asked, curious, and annoyed at the same time.

“Ah, forgive me One. I’m afraid I’ve been summoned by the king. I’ll be gone for a week or two. I’m going to ask the guard to add extra fruit to your meals while I’m gone.

“Also, a hairstylist will come in to start working with your hair, as well as a second set of clothes to match the first. Just in case they get dirty and you need to wash them.”

“I… ah… alright. Thank you, Master. Are… are you ok? Is the king mad at you? Because of me?” asked Riley.

“On the contrary. Nothing is the matter, and I’ll be back before you know it. We’ll catch up then, ok One?”

“Yes, Master. Thank you.”

That solved, Alex needed to go put all this into action, and get on the road.

I wonder what the king wants.

***

“This is certainly too fast. Most certainly, too fast,” Walter complained as the coach bumped along the king’s road.

Each and every crack, pothole, or uneven paving stone practically rattled the teeth out of their heads.

But they were making amazing time.

Alex didn’t want to spend another minute on the road that he didn’t have to.

They’d already been on the move for one day already. One day of traveling, sleeping some distance from the road, and having none of the comforts of home was enough for him.

If he had his way, they’d be arriving the day after tomorrow, and ensconced in the family manse in the capital.

“Oh let it be, Walter,” Alex said. “The sooner we get there the better. You did send a fast courier to have the house prepared, yes?”

“Yes, my lord. I did. All will be ready for our arrival. Though I pity the horses.”

“Hmph. A small price to pay. They’ll recover. No permanent harm. Just giving them a shakedown.”

“And the men, my lord?”

Alex glanced out the window to see one of the elite guards Walter had brought along. He was wearing chain mail and what looked like thick leather armor under neath that.

They were his personal house guard. Trained hard and given a priority when it came to equipment.

Walter’s paranoia had kicked into gear since Alex’s abduction. Having them along was only the most recent expression of that fear.

There was a sudden sharp thud, followed by the coach leaning heavily to one side.

Shouts and orders heard from all directions. So much so that Alex couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

It all sounded like noise. Noise that had the distinct sound of violence to it.

The coach lurched in the other direction and then started to slow down abruptly.

Far too quickly if the horses were let to run.

Something… happened, I guess?

Straining his ears, Alex could hear the sound of metal on metal, low grunts and shouts, and even some called insults.

Then everything went silent, except for some low moans, and what sounded like snoring.

Alex truly didn’t want to poke his head out the window to find out what had happened. Waiting inside wasn’t going to do him any favors either or fix the situation.

“I’ll look, my lord,” Walter said, immediately popping his head out the window.

Blasted loyal fool.

“Ah. Good work, good work,” Walter said. To who, Alex had no idea.

Though he would guess by the fact that Walter hadn’t pulled his head back in, or died, Alex assumed whatever happened was already over.

“Walter?” Alex asked.

“Ah, sorry my lord. Is it all clear?” Walter asked someone else outside.

“Yes, sir. We have no wounded, no dead. We killed four, two will probably never talk again, and we captured three who can talk,” said a voice outside the carriage. “By the look of them, they’re not what we’d call seasonal bandits. I’d say this is their profession of choice.”

Seasonal bandits? Is that even a thing? Or is that more of a curiosity of this world I wonder.

Seasonal banditry.

Men and women who take up weapons during a fallow, drought, or poor yielding season.

Often this creates more farmland available to be sold again when the previous tenants expire, or leave their land.

“Ah,” Alex said. “Open the door than Walter, let’s see if this was accidental or planned.

“We were just summoned after all.”

“What? The king…? No, never. He wouldn’t… he couldn’t… could he?” Walter asked. Opening the door to the carriage he stepped out into the king’s road.

“I truly don’t know. But I’d rather find out than never ask.”

Alex jumped down and found himself staring up into a rough face that had a number of small scars and a nose broken more than thrice.

“Rudolph,” Alex said, nodding at the man. He was a lieutenant in the house guard and by reputation a stalwart man. “Bring the survivors who can talk over.”

Looking to the side, he found the reason he could hear snoring. A woman with a split skull was face up in the roadway. Her chest was still until she took a gasping, snoring breath.

Pulling his gaze away from the corpse quickly, Alex looked to Rudolph.

“Put… put any who can’t talk to the sword. Banditry on the king’s road is a death sentence,” Alex said.

“Yes, my lord,” Rudolph said, then gestured to his men who were spread out around them.

A man walked out from the side of Alex’s view. He was carrying a large one handed steel mace.

Ah… no bladed weapons on the king’s road or the capital. That’s going to make my order a bit-

There was a disgusting crunch to his left, and Alex made sure to keep his eyes forward.

He could imagine his guard had just smashed the woman’s head open with his mace.

A youth barely old enough to probably drink, a man, and a young woman were pushed down to their knees in front of Alex.

They all had wounds on their bodies, but seemed to be coherent. All were in various states of fear or panic.

Except the woman, who seemed more angry than anything.

“You,” Alex said, pointing at the man-child. “Why the hell are you out here?”

“I… my uncle, brought me,” said the scared teenager.

“And where’s he?”

“Dead. Over there,” the youth said, nodding his head towards a direction Alex refused to look.

“But why?”

“Farm went barren. Uncle said he knew a group that were always looking for new blood… we were just waiting for anyone to come along. Haven’t seen anyone for days come down the road.”

So they weren’t here for me. Just an lucky coincidence for them. Poor kid, I’ll have Rudolph take care of him before we pack it up.

Sighing, Alex looked to the older man.

“You?”

“Fuck you,” said the man, spitting at Alex.

Thankfully he missed, but Alex was nonplussed all the same.

“Uh huh, Rudolph?” Alex asked, looking over to the man.

“Sir?”

“See if you can find out where their hideout is so we can… recover.. their ill-gotten gains. If he cooperates, dispatch him efficiently and without pain.

“If he doesn’t… get creative. Then dump the body to the side of the road.”

“With pleasure, sir.”

A guard leaned over the older man and jammed the handle of his mace up against the man’s throat and dragged him off to one side.

“And what about me, huh?” the woman said, glaring at him. “Tell them to do the same to me? Instead of getting creative, tell them to rape me to death?

“I’ll fucking kill you. I’ve never been a victim and I won’t be one now. I’ll piss on anyone who even gets between my legs and shit on them to boot.”

Raising his eyebrows at the violence in her tone and words, Alex gave her a quick once over.

Short cropped black hair no longer than an inch or two, and light brown eyes.

Her features weren’t delicate or fine, but she wasn’t poorly put together.

She wasn’t pretty, like Riley, or beautiful like Sylvia, but she wasn’t unattractive either.

There was a thin white scar that ran from her cheekbone down to her jaw. Otherwise her face smeared with dirt and a thin trickle of blood coming down from her temple.

He’d call her cute if he had to compare her to the others.

“You’re certainly feisty,” Alex said neutrally.

“Keep your distance, my lord,” one of the guards said. “She doesn’t look it, but she was actually difficult to put down.”

“Oh?” Alex asked curiously.

“Yes, sir. I’m not sure I could best her in a straight fight. I’m betting she has a price on her head with that kind of ability. We should take it with us.”

Making a snap decision, he decided it might be worth trying to subvert her to his whims.

He imagined she responded with rage up front to what she perceived as an indignities, before she even knew if they were or weren’t.

A neutral tone would be the best route for now.

Giving her nothing to build off of would put her off balance.

Squatting down in front of her, Alex put himself eyelevel with her.

“Curious. You’re interesting… actually, I haven’t caught your name yet?” Alex asked.

The woman’s brows were pressed together, her mouth a thin line. She glared at him for all that she was worth.

“Walter, do me a favor? Step aside for a bit? Rudolph, come a bit closer so he doesn’t pitch a fit.”

“My lord, I-”

“Walter? Do it.”

There was the shuffling of steps behind him, and the clunk of boot shod feet coming to stand beside him.

“Rudolph, you’re under an oath of secrecy as well as loyalty, yes?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Wonderful.”

Alex tilted his head to one side, looking at the woman.

Threats wouldn’t work here. Nor would appealing to anything.

What about praise and a treat? In simple terms with nothing attached.

We can work on her as we go.

“How about we just start with a name? My name is Alex Brit. Count of Brit,” Alex said, watching her.

She blinked once, then shook her head.

“Carla,” she said finally, her tone and volume having come down considerably. Her head slowly went to the left, then back in the other direction.

“Alright. Carla, you’re rather impressive. I think having you at my side would probably help me survive a bit longer.

“What would you say to a job offer?”

“I’d say you’re fucking cracked.”

“Oh most certainly. But I haven’t even told you the best part of the offer.”

“Hngh.” Carla watched him.

Oh? That looks like interest. She isn’t yelling.

I doubt I need to remind her that her alternative is having her head bashed in but… have to follow the rules.

“The best part, is your employment would start with an oath to me. Of secrecy, loyalty, and that all future pacts between us would build off that one.

“An oath that if broken would forfeit your life and soul.

“You can of course say no, I’ll not force you into this.”

“Hah, you’ll just kill me instead,” she said, some heat rising in her voice.

“That’s the unfortunate reality, yes. But you still have a choice,” Alex said as neutrally as he could manage.

“You can say no, or you can agree. On the name of Leah,” Alex said, keeping his tone cool. Emotionless.

Carla wrinkled her nose, but didn’t seem put off.

“I agree, and swear your oath on Leah,” Carla said

“I also do so swear. Now, the actual bargain I’d like to strike with you.

“You keep your life, but you turn it over to me. You will be in my service, but you’ll serve at my side, at all times.”

“Want yourself a bandit whore, huh?” Carla growled.

“Not at all.

“You’ll never be able to quit, change positions, or leave. But you’d have your life.”

Carla didn’t respond. Instead she turned her head one way, then the other.

I wonder if that helps her think? Second time she’s done that.

“In addition, you’d have to swear yourself to celibacy unless I provide you with permission. Can’t have someone trying to use you against me,” Alex said smoothly. As if it were nothing at all.

Hopefully, having never experienced a loyalty oath, she wouldn’t understand that that concern was already handled.

“And that’s it?” she asked. Her tone was cautious.

Wary.

“Yes. That’d be it. Moving from a life of banditry, to a life of guard duty. You’ll make sure no harm comes to me at any time.

“You’ll do what I order you to do, providing it falls within the boundary of good guardsman-ship, and I’ll give you what I believe you should have.”

Carla licked her lips, her anger long cooled, replaced with what looked like a shred of hope to Alex.

“Then… I agree, and do swear it.”

“I accept, and swear in return. Collect some extra gear from the house guard, and get into the carriage. We’re on our way to the capital.”

“Uh…” Carla said eloquently.

“Hm?”

Alex stood up, stretching his back as he did so.

Carla got to her feet as well, throwing a cautious glance at the guards around her.

Damn, she’s taller than me?

Alex looked up at the ex-bandit who had him beat by an inch or two.

“How much do I get paid?” Carla asked.

Alex grinned widely at her.

Good question. It’s a shame you didn’t ask that before you agreed. You’re already well in the trap… Two.

“Absolutely nothing. Why, do you need pocket money?” Alex asked, keeping his face blank.

“What?!” Carla asked, her face immediately going red.

“What need do you have for money? I’ll provide you with what I want you to have.”

“I… I didn’t… no!” Carla growled out, her hands settling on his shoulders.

“Yes, Carla?”

“I need… coin.”

“I see, and for what, exactly?”

“You don’t need to know!”

“Alright… and how much coin do you need?”

“Nnngh. Ten gold… a year,” Carla said, her fingers tightening in his clothes, but causing him no harm.

She physically couldn’t.

“That’s it? I can easily pay you that amount. Would you like your years salary up front? Now?”

“Yes! Yes, before we reach the capital.”

“Great. We can do that. I do have a price in exchange. Since this wasn’t part of the deal, it’d be an added bit to it.”

“What?!”

“I’m sorry, Carla. You can’t expect me to make such a salary without getting something in return. It’s far and above what a house guard makes.

“No, my price is simple.

“Your name will become… Two. You will respond to that name, take it as your own, and expect to be called that,” Alex said with a neutral and blank look on his face. “That’s what I want from you. So, is it Two, or Carla?”

Carla’s eye twitched, her lips peeling back in a snarl.

“You can always say no. There’s no reason to say yes if you don’t want to. This is completely voluntary,” Alex said.

“Gods damn you!” she screamed in his face.

Something must be driving her. I wonder what it i-

“Fine, yes. I agree. Fine. Damn you. Give me the damn coin. I’ll need to take a day to take care of my things when we reach the capital.”

Perfect. This is almost too easy.

“First, I accept the deal for your gold.

“As to your day off, sure, Two. Not a problem. I can definitely let you do that.

“Let’s discuss the price for a day off,” Alex said, and finally smiled at her. “I’m sure we can come to some type of agreement.

“First, ah, how flexible are you?”

Carla’s eyes widened and her face nearly went purple as rage overcame her.