by Ian Carter
"Prince Kai," Mason began. "Come over here. Stand next to me and gaze out over the city. Listen to it."
Kai moved beside Mason, and his eyes surveyed the capital city of Orilia and saw that bristled with liveliness. Muddled voices that radiated from stalls in the market, accompanied by sounds of carriages being pulled by horses over cobblestone, rose to his ears. The wooden structures of the city draped in the kingdom's colors of ebony, violet, and crimson stretched out near endlessly in every direction. Several groups of birds flew in different directions above the streets full of bodies, voices, and laughter. Kai closed his eyes to focus on the noises that entered his ears.
"Your Highness, do you believe the citizens you're observing down there all have the same favourite color?"
"What? No. That would be ridiculous to think," Kai answered.
"What about the foods they love? The value placed on their mother's love? The types of clothing they wear? Would they be the same?" Mason asked Kai again.
"No. Everyone likes different things. Even what you and I think about and like are vastly different."
"Exactly," Mason smiled. "A wise man can take that basic knowledge and apply it to other areas. You and I wear vastly different armor. It's because we have different fighting styles in addition to what clothing we would consider comfortable. Why do we pick our armor? Is it because it fits well, or does it give us the most protection it could give?" Mason turned from Kai and turned his attention back out over the city.
"We would probably rate those things vastly different. You can apply this thinking to most everything. What I, or Hayleigh for that matter, considers impossible to live without could be trivial to you. The closer you come to an understanding and accepting that, the closer you are to obtaining a much more enjoyable life. I find that, at least. That's the first thing.
"The second thing," Mason continued. "Women are beautiful, intelligent, and awfully complicated creatures. They can be caring, gentle, and dedicated when treated properly. They can also be spiteful, wrathful, and wicked to those who trouble them. It is how you treat them that affects which version, or combination, you get. If you give them no cause to misbehave towards you, they won't. The opposite is true, as well. I would always stay away from generalizations if you wish to be a fair and just king."
Kai took in Mason's words and allowed them to sink in. Kai wasn't an idiot. He already knew the general principles Mason was attempting to convey. He just didn't agree with being forced to wait because she forgot a silly hair clip. Kai applied the words to his earlier disagreement with Rhea. Perhaps he should have allowed her to finish her excuse rather than brush her away. The spoiled and awkward stereotype may be more accurate than he would like after all.
The men stood silently in their thoughts until a few moments later, Hayleigh appeared on the terrace.
"You're late," Kai shot at Hayleigh.
"Awe, but I'm so cute," Hayleigh joked and raised her eyebrows. "What's your problem?"
"My problem is that you made the kingdom's prince wait for over 10 minutes! Do you know how many Blades would kill to be part of my detail that would show up on time?"
"That's what you're complaining about?" Hayleigh shot back. "Every day you get to walk the city streets for three hours with one of the best Gold Blades in existence and the most beautiful Bladeswoman in the kingdom! Do you know how many men would kill to spend that much time with us?"
"Yeah, I do! Zero," Kai retorted. "Once they spend five minutes with you, they'd probably find any excuse they could to leave immediately."
"Excuse you!" Hayleigh growled and stepped closer to Kai. "How many chambermaids have you sent out of your room crying today? I know for a fact that number isn't zero Prince Charming."
Kai took a step towards Hayleigh, now only a few inches from her face.
"Who told you that?"
"Oh, Mason, you hear that? He doesn't even deny it!" Hayleigh cracked a wicked smile. "You're probably still a virgin despite being a prince, aren't you! I figured His Highness would have commanded someone to sleep with you by now."
"I don't see you married yet," Kai said, slyly turning his face to the side. "You're what? Twenty-eight? Twenty-nine? You'd better pray someone is dumb enough to marry you soon before you get too decrepit." As the two gritted their teeth at each other, Mason slightly bowed his head and tapped his foot on the ground, impatience written across his face.
"Shut your mouth, I'm only twenty-five! I also have a fiancé for your information." Hayleigh said triumphantly. "Which is more I can say for you, virgin."
"We'll just leave aside the fact that your fiancé was arranged by your parents then," Kai answered. Kai and Hayleigh's snarled faces were now an inch apart, twisted into scowls. A few tense seconds passed before the tension broke down into laughter. Mason raised his head and opened an eye to see Kai and Hayleigh doubled over, which caused him to shake his head.
"I'm glad you two are done. Let's go." Mason turned to head down the road leading down towards the city, and as Kai and Hayleigh got their breathing under control, they had to jog a bit to catch up. Mason turned his head to look at Kai.
"At least you managed to make a girl cry happy tears today."
As the three bounded down the road, Mason softly chucked, Hayleigh was reduced to tears once more, and Kai was left to complain about the injustice he had just incurred.
◆◆◆
The sounds of city life filled Kai's ears as he walked down the main avenue. Children laughed and hurriedly tugged their parents' sleeves in every direction, no matter where Kai looked. He gave smiles and waves to anyone he locked eyes with, as such was the life of a prince. Many of the citizens present dutifully moved to the side and bowed towards Kai's direction. Hayleigh was the first to pass these people, walking to the left and slightly ahead of Kai. Mason dutifully followed the prince, to his right and slightly behind.
The streets were lined with booths to buy everything someone could need. Everything from food to clothing was for sale, but the busiest stalls were the ones that sold Stones, the kingdom's pride and joy. Many people approached the stalls, looking to see if a newly released Stone could help their loved ones in their Bladesmen duties. Stones of all colors lined the cases on display in windows. Kai always found himself looking at them, even though they all would fall below the quality of Stones he could obtain from the Five Stone Houses directly.
Though each of the Houses maintained their standard brick and mortar stores to peddle their Stones, they also contributed to the creation of caravans. They would travel to other cities across the kingdom to ensure that Blades who never came to the Capital, where all the Five Stone Houses were based, could still buy their wares. Each of the houses allowed smaller merchants the opportunity to purchase older models or lower quality Stones the Houses no longer wished to sell in their shops.
As they strolled the avenues and roads, Mason's handsome and somewhat bored looking face drew the stares of the women. Meanwhile, the men tended to follow Hayleigh's cheerful smile with their gaze. Once every so often, brave men would attempt to approach Hayleigh with tokens of appreciation, such as flowers or baked goods. Their offering would always result in Mason drawing his Gold Blade and reassuring the mistaken lad that around the prince, none would be allowed to approach them. Hayleigh would often berate Mason for this and leave the prince's side to accept the token of generosity; Her ego would swell ever so slightly with each attempt. Kai naturally pouted in secret that no-one paid attention to him in a similar manner.
"Another boring, uneventful patrol, hey Mason?" Hayleigh said sleepily as she yawned and sent her arms skyward. "It wouldn't hurt anyone to try to steal something, would it?"
"Everyone behaves when Kai is around, we can't help it," Mason answered, clearly bored by the lack of excitement. The group passed a pair of mangy looking dogs fighting over a bone, but upon seeing the patrol, they dropped the bone and ran off down the alley and around the corner. Mason sighed.
"No-one wants to
act up around a royal, even the damn dogs. A lifetime in jail for doing anything around Prince Kai is a good deterrent."
"Maybe next time we should patrol in some plain armor and try to disguise who we are," Hayleigh suggested. "My combat skills are going to go downhill if I don't have anyone besides our esteemed prince here to fight."
"Hey!" Kai sparked to life. "Rude."
"Hayleigh, you can act however you want in private. In public, be respectful towards His Highness," Mason interjected. Kai gave Hayleigh a quick smirk, which resulted in a brief flash of Hayleigh's outstretched tongue. "If you need someone else to fight, I could always put you in your place a little."
"Okay, Mason, I'll take you up on that. Also, I'm sorry, Your Maj..." Hayleigh began her sarcastic response but was cut off by a loud crash down the road that stopped her in her tracks. A murmur of voices broke the tranquil environment. Suddenly, a woman broke through the crowd, headed towards the general direction of their patrol.
"Someone stop her!" A man's voice rang out. "Stop that thief!" However, the citizens stopped and stared in bewilderment of the woman as she ran down the street. Mason and Hayleigh drew their Blades as Mason moved into the girl's path as he held his left hand in front of himself. Hayleigh took up her position behind Kai to protect his rear.
"I order you in the name of the king to stop!" Mason barked. The woman looked up and, with wide eyes, ran straight towards Mason as tears rolled down her face. Her change in trajectory caused him to grip his Blade tightly, ready to strike.
"Please, help me!" The girl choked out from behind her tears. "I didn't do anything! Please don't make me go back!" Mason hesitated as the girl ran straight into Mason's chest and then moved behind him, keeping Mason between herself and her pursuer as she clutched at his back. Shortly after, the man in pursuit emerged from the bewildered crowd and stood before them. His gaze found Kai, which caused the man's eyes to widen before he dropped to one knee.
"Your Highness, I cannot thank you enough for stopping that thief in her tracks," the man began. "My name is Nico. It is a great honor to meet you."
Nico was a larger man, particularly in his shoulders. His dropped head revealed his thinning hair brushed over the bald spot on the top of his head. His black robes were quite high quality, and if Kai were to guess, Nico might have even been of noble birth. As Nico raised his head, Kai noticed his yellowing teeth and chubby cheeks. The notion that he was of noble birth quickly became a hard sell.
"What did this girl steal exactly, Nico?" Mason quizzed.
"She didn't steal in the traditional sense," Nico replied as he raised himself from the road and brushed the dirt off his knee. "I guess you could say she stole herself, ha!"
"What exactly does that mean?" Kai questioned. It was then that Hayleigh made a disapproving noise with her mouth as she continued to look away from the situation.
"Your Highness, he's saying she is a whore at his establishment," Hayleigh answered. "She is running away from it."
"Ha! You hit the nail on the head, Miss," Nico replied. "She is one of my finest girls. Quite popular. She signed a contract to work at my place of business, and as such, she is my product." A dumb grin spread across his face, once again exposing his yellow teeth. "Which means she is mine."
"You say I signed?" The girl shrieked. "I didn't have a choice! When my parents died, I was alone on the streets, and he said he could give me meals and a place to sleep. He brought me to his brothel and forced me to sign. He said he would kill me if I didn't."
"Ha! You tell a wild story, Mari." Nico let out a huge belly laugh. "All the contracts that are signed by my product are all willingly signed. Your Highness, I give them board, meals, clothing, and everything else they could ever need. I am a kind man who runs an honest business. Those things I provide for her and the other girls under my employ aren't free. It is a fair trade, to which all of the girls that I employ willingly agreed."
"How would one ever leave your establishment, then?" Kai asked. "Is there an end date on these contracts?"
"The contract states that I may end the contract whenever I wish," Nico acknowledged.
"What about your workers?" Kai inquired.
"No clause like that exists for them. They are mine until they're no longer profitable for my establishment. After that, they are free to do as they wish. My contracts are all above board and legitimate, Your Highness."
Kai turned his head and evaluated Mari. With a better look, he saw that she must not have been older than twelve. Her brown dress looked beautiful, if not a bit weathered as you would expect hand me downs to be. Her dirty raven hair fell well below her quivering shoulders. Mari looked like she was at least eating enough, though she still looked off somehow.
He shifted his gaze to Hayleigh, who had finally turned around, to find she wore a look that would scare a devil. He then turned to Mason, who wore a stoic expression aimed directly at Nico. Kai sighed.
"Mari, can you provide me with any proof that he made you sign that contract against your will?"
Mari's grip tightened on the back of Mason's armor before she dropped to her knees and began to sob more intensely. Her wails were near deafening as her tears began to stain the ground at Mason's feet. Nico shook his head and began to walk towards Mason.
"I'm sorry you had to be troubled with this, Your Highness," Nico apologized. "I'll ensure that she has better manners instilled into her if you ever come across her again. Come along, Ma ..." Nico halted at the sight and sound of Mason whirling his Gold Blade through the air, resting in front of Nico's surprised face.
"You will not approach His Highness without his express permission," Mason coldly stated. His expression did not change.
"Your Highness, I ..." Nico began.
"I see Mason. I trust your judgment." He looked back to the sobbing girl in front of him.
"Mari, I have one final question for you. If I were to see the skin covered by your dress, would there be bruises or cuts?" Kai questioned.
"Yes. Both, Your Highness," She answered between gasps of breath.
"How did you obtain those? Can you tell me?"
"Those were from my patrons, Your Highness!" Nico interjected. "I have dutifully admonished the customers in question, and they know they cannot do the same to her again."
"Just to her, or the other girls at your establishment?" Kai asked. Nico had no reply as he looked to the ground.
Kai took a moment to evaluate the scene. The contract signed by Mari would more than likely be legally binding according to the kingdom's rules. As much as he didn't like the situation, it was not a prince's duty to interfere in legally operating businesses.
As Kai moved his eyes around the street, a ghostly white character peered at him from behind the bodies of some surrounding spectators. The figure gave a small laugh before it slowly faded backward behind more spectators before entirely disappearing into thin air. Kai felt a cold shiver down his spine and again looked to Mari. An idea popped into his head.
"Hayleigh, you lost one of your chambermaids recently due to illness, did you not?" Kai asked.
"Yes, Your Highness," Hayleigh answered with a smile. "I have recently been searching for a new girl to take over for her."
"Well, it looks like your search is over," Kai stated. "Nico, as a reputable businessman, I can assume you keep detailed records of your expenses and income?"
"Wha ... yes, of course, Your Highness, but ...," Nico stammered.
"Perfect," Kai cut him off. "By order of royal decree, I, Kai Orilia, appoint young Mari to the post of Chambermaid supporting one Hayleigh Jean Knowles." Mari hiccupped and turned towards Kai and stared in shock.
"Now, I am not unfair, Nico. Mason, the gentleman to my front, will accompany you back to your place of business," Kai continued, eyes still locked on Nico. "You will immediately deliver directly to his hands under threat of penalty records of all expenses you have incurred. The material will include records of housing, feeding, clothing, and miscellaneous expenses
, as you have claimed. The kingdom will reimburse you in full for all such costs that you incurred to ensure that you are not penalized unfairly by my decree.
"Also, as an honest businessman, I will assume that you hold a record of how much... profit Mari has brought to your establishment. You will provide all records of such profit to Mason as well. Upon review, the kingdom will award you one year's legitimate profit that Marie would have afforded your business as additional compensation. These are the terms presented to you, and you will accept them by royal order." Kai slowly moved toward Mari and bent down to bring his face level with Mari's. He reached out and wiped a tear away from her face.
"I will not cause another girl to cry today."
Mari burst into tears again and threw herself into Kai's arms and painted his armor with dark spots.
"It looks like I failed," Kai laughed to himself before looking up. "Mason, if Nico is unable to produce the records outlined, you are to close his establishment and bring any available documents to the castle to be audited. We will ensure it is being run properly under the law, and if it is not, we will ensure it is brought up to code. If it cannot be, then it will shudder permanently."
