The Axe Falls -Ch23- (Patreon)

Pulling on the reigns of Table, Nick eased the horse up to a stop in front of the count’s manor.

You know, I never stopped to consider if it’s rude or impolite to tether Table out front. Never even considered it.

“Well, I don’t honestly know. It would have been rude back in my time in the capital, but not out in the countryside like Dayton,” mused Lucian. “Though, I imagine the count would have said something if it bothered him. You did leave Table out front previous and he was aware of it.”

Good point.

Stepping out of the stirrup Nick dismounted with ease. He’d long grown accustomed to getting on and off Table. The horse was certainly big but it wasn’t farm-horse big or heavy cavalry big.

Patting the side of Table’s head, Nick pulled the reigns over it’s head and then let it hit the ground in front of the horse.

Placing his hand on Table’s head he left it there.

“Whoa, stay,” whispered Nick, stroking Table’s head. Then patted him just behind the jaw. “Good boy. Stay.”

Table was lacking in intellect but was well trained and took to training easily. Staring at Nick blankly, he just stood still as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ker trotted by Nick and Table and then went toward the manor. It was obvious to Nick that Ker had plans on getting treats from Claudia.

Following along behind, Nick found that there were two guards at the front door to the manor. Just out of sight and somewhat hidden by the decorations on the porch.

“Ah, Master Dal,” said one of the guards. “Have you come to call on the young Miss?”

“Yeap. Gonna talk to her for a bit,” Nick said, casually walking right by the two guards. On his shoulder his poleaxe felt more comfortable and part of his person. In fact he knew he felt wrong if it wasn’t resting where it was right now.

Walking into the count’s home Nick paused in the entryway. Looking one way, then the other, he listened. With any luck he could figure out where she was.

“She’s in the library, back of the house,” said one of the door guards from behind him.

“Thanks mate, appreciate it,” Nick said with a chuckle. “I’ll buy you a round some time.”

Heading into the home Nick listened intently as he went. Trying to pinpoint anything out of the ordinary as he walked.

Eventually, he heard a single sound then nothing more. He guessed it was the sound of a page turning or something adjusting the way they were seated in a chair.

Apparently Claudia wasn’t just in the library, but actually using it.

I… wish we had the time and luxury to read. Everything feels like a whirlwind. Like there’s never any time to just sit and breathe.

In fact… now that I think about it, if it wasn’t for the little bit of time with Julie, I hadn’t had a chance to just sit with my thoughts in quite a while.

“I think maybe we should address that, Sire. Because being a prisoner shouldn’t be your only chance to relax,” Lucian said in an apologetic tone. “Let’s see if we can’t get you some time to yourself soon.

“Even now after just finishing the home and hearth spell along with the cabin we’re back to work. We didn’t even take a day off. Neither one of us even considered it.”

Stepping through a doorway Nick found himself standing in a large room that indeed could be called a library. There were no guards in the room, though several of Claudia’s ladies in waiting were around.

“You may not have noticed it, but there were a number of guards at all the exterior windows and doors,” offered Lucian. “They’re taking her security seriously, just not… in the house. That could be due to her own orders, however.”

Cynthia and Claudia were sitting nearly side by side at a table. Both of them reading quietly.

Easing his poleaxe off his shoulder he slowly lowered the butt of it to the ground. He let it touch the ground with enough force to make a sound but not damage anything.

That small tap was more than enough for both women to turn and look towards him. The former smiling at him while the latter bounced out of her chair completely.

“Nick!” gushed Claudia as she rushed over to him.

Shit. It’s gonna get awfully hug-y in here isn’t it? Why doesn’t she—

Thoughts about anything came to a sudden halt when Claudia did indeed hug him. Pressing herself to his front and clinging to him in a way that was far more than “just friendly”.

He was no ignorant clueless fool who wasn’t aware of the world. If he had any doubts about Claudia’s feelings, this moment alone would dispel them.

Unable to do anything else, Nick hugged her awkwardly with one arm. Patting her shoulder gently and doing his best to accept what was being given to him. Claudia wasn’t expecting anything of him regardless of how he felt.

So long as it didn’t move past that, he could allow it to continue without speaking to it.

Looking over, he found Cynthia staring at the book in front of her. The smile was gone and she had a somewhat hurt look.

“It would seem Cynthia is aware of it all, yet Claudia has no clue about anything. How troubling,” muttered Lucian then sighed. “Though that’s the way of the heart. You know, my wife, I suppose your however many greats grandmother, was quite the dragon. It took me quite a while to convince her I was worthy of her.

“Except that the entire time I was courting her, her cousin was courting me. I saw no reason to turn her away since my wife hadn’t agreed to my overtures.

“It was quite the problem when she finally agreed to my courting only to find out I’d ended up getting her cousin a clutch of eggs. Thankfully by that point she was so protective of me that she was more angry with her cousin than I.”

Uh… what? Are you saying our family has a half cousin whatever times removed out there?

“Most definitely. I never got a chance to look into it as my wife chased her cousin off,” Lucian said with some regret. “That’s how it goes though. Dragon courtships are strange things. Often mating came before true courtship and quite a few eggs were laid from that. Though I only ever had the two clutches.”

“So, hows it going?” Nick asked aloud. He felt almost as awkward listening to Lucian talk about long dead relatives as he did Claudia hugging him.

Except he really should get Claudia to stop. Letting a hug linger was asking for misinterpretations.

“Oh, not too bad,” Claudia said, finally letting go of him. Taking a step away from him she looked up into his face with a grin. “Though a little uncomfortable. The guards already caught someone trying to break in. They weren’t sure if it was an assassin or just a thief. They didn’t survive the guards attempts to subdue them.”

“Probably an assassin then,” muttered Nick. Lucian said the same thing at the same time in agreement. “A thief would just let themselves get caught. That’s a minor penalty and punishment.

“If they actually had a murderer’s title though… no point in getting caught. It would be death or death. No way out.”

“Hmph. Pointless. Charles is completely stripped of everything. Father showed me the paperwork, had it sealed, and sent it off,” said Claudia. “It’s already done.”

“Well, he would never have told them to kill you to begin with. Charles, that is,” said Nick. “That’d just lead the crime back to him. He would have given them round-a-bout hints and passing remarks before it all went down. Chances are the ordered hits are coming from his hangers-on who may not know the whole situation.”

Claudia’s brow furrowed as she gazed up a thim.

“I see. Well. That’s rather depressing,” grumbled Claudia. “Being here just makes me a target then. I should go elsewhere.”

“Well, I have a suggestion about that,” said Nick. “Come with me to Ashcroft and enroll as an adventurer. This’ll be your last chance to do anything you want before you’re locked into your current route.

“The moment your father gets back from this war, you’ll need to start doing a lot more to become ready to take over as the countess when he steps down or… or dies. This’ll be that moment to live for yourself, even if for only a short period of time.”

Claudia was watching him intently, listening to every word as if they were being engraved in her mind. Then she simply nodded her head once.

“I had the very same thought,” she said and then looked to Cynthia. “Cynthia and I have been talking about this since we returned. I had planned on asking you to take me to Ashcroft and assist me in becoming an adventurer. It seems I’ll not need to convince you at all.”

Looking back to him with a wide smile, Claudia looked like she was excited and thrilled. Apparently she’d already out thought him in this regard.

“Indeed, Mistress,” Cynthia said and bobbed her head once. She hadn’t looked up from the book at all.

“It’s settled then,” said Claudia with a flippant wave of her hand. “My ladies in waiting will remain here and take turns as my body double, while you and I go off to Ashcroft. This will be exciting!”

Nick raised his eyebrows at that. He didn’t think for an instant that any of Claudia’s ladies could be her body double.

“Before you ask, I had a small enchantment made,” said Claudia with some excitement. “It’s just a simple enchantment on a hairclip I’ve worn for several years. Whoever wears it, will resemble me. So long as they remain in the manor, that is.

“By setting it to a location that I’m an inheritor of, the cost of the enchantment was so low that I could cover it with a few months of my allowance. Didn’t even have to touch the funds for county.

“Now! I’m already packed and I have a horse ready. Let’s go! We’ll need to shop first. I need to buy a number of… well… clothes that citizens would wear!”

Nick had meant to go shopping for clothes today as well. Nothing fit quite right on him at the moment. He wasn’t sure if he’d gained weight or lost it, but nothing felt as it should.

Claudia grabbed Nick around the forearm and began dragging him out of the library.

He got one last look at Cynthia, who still had not looked up from the book, before he was yanked from the room. It was obvious Cynthia had been interested in him to some degree, but was leaning away from those feelings.

Likely in favor of Claudia.

Damnit all.

This sucks.

“At least you had fun with Julie,” quipped Lucian.

True. At least I had that.

Because Claudia’s not going to let me get a chance with other women, and she’s off limits.

Sleeping with the count’s daughter, who’s in love with me, sounds like a decision only an idiot would make. Not to mention it’d ruin her future.

And mine.

Fuck that.

***

Riding toward Ahscroft, Nick felt rather odd. He hadn’t been here that long, but it felt a lot like returning somewhere comfortable.

Somewhere that he did have some ties to and could come back as he needed to.

Certainly more so than his original home.

Even if his father, uncle, and cousin still lived, it wouldn’t quite feel like home. No-one there had ever really been that friendly to him.

“Oh thank heavens,” whimpered Claudia at his side. She was riding very gingerly right now and looked like she wanted to wince with every single step of her horse.

It’d taken him threatening to take her back to Dayton to tell him what was wrong, but she’d finally answered him.

Apparently her lady bits were swollen and felt bruised from riding. She’d bought a new saddle, horse, and tack for this adventure. None of it had been broken in, and she hadn’t tested the fit of it.

“We’ll find a saddle-maker and have it adjusted,” promised Nick. The last thing he needed was her riding injured. While it was a delicate issue, it was one that would need to be adjusted.

He’d personally lucked out since Lucian had helped him adjust his own saddle. His experience with a woman’s issue when riding had also helped Nick identify what to do for Claudia.

“Lean back, you’re hunching again,” Nick reminded her.

Groaning, Claudia slowly leaned backward. He imagined she was in a lot of pain and while hunching was the automatic response, it probably would just make it worse for her later.

“And while we’re at it,” continued Nick as they rode onward to the gate. “You need to spend some time walking around the town in those fancy new boots of yours. There’s no way we’re going into the dungeon till those are broken in.”

“I thought I’d planned everything out,” complained Claudia. “I’m sorry for being a burden, Nick.”

While it was certainly annoying, Claudia had never once not done as he asked. She’d done her very best to live with the discomfort with minimal complaints.

She’d also apologized to him numerous times.

“It’s fine. This is part of living your own life, right? We learned that you’re a bit sensitive down there to riding a horse,” said Nick then he laughed and turned to look right at her. “Let’s hope your future husband doesn’t get too rough when he goes for a ride.”

In a flash Claudia’s face became as scarlet as a rose. Blushing right up all the way to her ears and down her neck.

Fortunately, this kind of talk was by her own request. She’d asked that he talk to her in a way other adventurers probably would.

That there was no reason for her to remain sheltered on this excursion.

“He’d know better,” she said in a partially choked voice. “Or he wouldn’t be ‘going for a ride’ ever again.”

Blinking several times Claudia turned her head toward him and met his gaze without looking away. The fact that she was still blushing ruined it a bit, but it wasn’t too bad.

Nick laughed at that and nodded his head.

“Nice. I like that,” said Nick as they eased up on the city gate guards. Then he cleared his throat and looked to the two at the gate. Reaching into his armor he pulled out the guild medallion and held it out. “Nickolas Dal, adventurer. I’ve got an apprentice with me who doesn’t have a guild card, but is a citizen of Dayton.”

The guard on the left side of the gate looked like he was about to ask a question when the one on the right sighed loudly. Shaking his head he just waved at the gate.

“Go the fuck in then already,” said the one on the right. Apparently he didn’t give a damn about the security of Ashcroft at the moment.

To be sure most of the good soldiers, or those that could hold a weapon without an issue, were likely sent with the army.

I wonder if the security of the city is lacking a bit.

Not waiting, Nick tucked the amulet back in and rode forward. Claudia quickly closed in next to him with her mount and was damn near riding with her foot in his stirrup.

“We’ll head over to Sandy’s and get rooms,” said Nick. He wasn’t going to stay anywhere else other than the Garrison. He’d liked staying there quite a bit and wasn’t about to go anywhere else.

“Uhm, okay,” muttered Claudia, her head swiveling one way and then the other. She was trying to watch everyone it seemed.

Thankfully she was dressed in padded-armor. It was fit for a Ranged class but a Caster could use it without any chance of failure. It just tended to restrict their movement more than a robe would.

Sandy’s Garrison was reached without incident. A young man came out from a side building and took their horses away without a word. Apparently stabling was quite normal for the Garrison.

Ker went with Table, deciding that where-ever the horses went was probably better for him.

Though Nick suspected Ker just wanted to hunt and eat the mice and rats that were probably where the horse shit went.

Opening the front door Nick held it open for Claudia, letting her enter first.

Once he entered he found Sandy standing behind the counter, looking at Claudia, then looking to him. Recognition was clear in her eyes.

“I came back,” Nick said with a grin.

Sandy snorted at that and then nodded her head once.

“Brought someone with ya, too,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to Claudia and back to Nick.

“Yeah. We’re going to start a party,” said Nick, wandering over to the front desk. “She’s going to start as a Caster and see how things go.”

Claudia was looking at Sandy in an odd way. As if she wanted to ask a question but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it.

“Well… we’ll need a room,” Nick said. Pulling his pack off his back he set it down at his feet and opened it up.

“Cut you a deal,” said Sandy, watching Nick as he bent down. “Two rooms for the price of one so long as you pay for three animals being stabled, meals for two people, and pay for a month in advance.”

“That’s… an odd deal. Did she notice Ker?” Lucian asked, his tone curious. “Good deal though.”

“Alright,” Nick said, pulling out his coin pouch. “Not sure what’s included and what wasn’t last time around so how much do I owe you?”

“Twelve liv,” Sandy said, still watching Nick. She seemed to be ignoring Claudia and was focusing entirely on Nick.

Errr, maybe I made an impression on someone who works here I shouldn’t have?

I thought we were nice to the girl we thought was her daughter.

“Maybe too nice? Unsure. We should be wary, but not suspicious,” advised Lucian.

Nick pulled out the indicated coin and put it down on the counter-top.

“We’ll go see Doc Palt tomorrow,” Nick said with a grin for Claudia. “Today is guild registration.”

Nodding her head rapidly Claudia looked excited. Her hands clenched into one another.

“Then we can go buy me a staff, right? Once I get my amulet I’m allowed to buy one?” she asked for perhaps the third time today.

“That’s right,” said Nick then looked back to Sandy. “So… what rooms are we in?”