The Almost King

by Lucy Saxon

  ‘Aleks!’ Raina’s cry could be heard over the noise, and he stumbled back into the door as she appeared out of nowhere, throwing her arms around his neck. ‘You’re home! You’re home!’ she exclaimed into his coat lapel, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, kissing the top of her head.

  ‘I’m home,’ he agreed, chuckling. ‘And people are staring.’ He tried to ease Raina towards the bar, where Ksenia and Bodan were also staring at him, gobsmacked.

  ‘You brute, we were so worried about you!’ Raina declared fiercely, pulling away to smack his shoulder. ‘Let me look at you.’ She grasped his shoulders in her hands, keeping him at arm’s length as she studied him. ‘What happened to your face?’

  ‘Sunburn,’ he said with a wry smile. ‘It’s a lot better now. You should have seen what I looked like on the first day – it was awful.’

  ‘How on Tellus did you get sunburn?’ she asked incredulously. He winked at her.

  ‘I’ll tell you later. It’s good to see you, brat.’

  He allowed Ksenia to smother him in a hug, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her. ‘You missed me, then?’ That earned him a gentle swat to the back of his head, and the woman kissed his cheek before releasing him.

  ‘Of course we missed you! Oh, storms, you did get burned, didn’t you?’ she said with a frown, running gentle fingers over his forehead and cheeks. She glanced over his shoulder, seeing Drazan standing awkwardly in front of the door. ‘Who’s your friend?’

  ‘That’s Drazan,’ Aleks said. ‘My, uh, crewmate. He was wondering if he could stay here for the night.’

  ‘Didn’t you say there were three of you out there?’ Ksenia asked. ‘You and two brothers.’

  Aleks winced. ‘There were,’ he confirmed. The look on his face clearly said it all, and Ksenia gasped, hand going to her mouth.

  ‘Gods,’ she breathed. ‘The poor lad. Of course he can stay, as long as he likes. The least we can do for a man who kept you safe while you were away.’ Aleks turned and gave Drazan a thumbs up. Drazan smiled at the confirmation, relaxing somewhat. ‘Go and sit down. I’ll get you both some dinner, as I’m sure you’ve not eaten yet.’ Aleks admitted he hadn’t, and Ksenia disappeared into the kitchen. Aleks glanced over at Bodan, who was pouring cider. The bearded man looked up, offering a gruff smile.

  ‘Good to have you back, lad,’ he declared, reaching out to clap Aleks firmly on the shoulder.

  ‘Good to be back.’ Beckoning Drazan over, he walked up to the other end of the bar, perching on his usual stool. He tugged off his gloves and shed his coat, dropping it neatly on top of his satchel by his feet. Raina leaned over the bar, giving him a pointed look.

  ‘How long have you been home?’ she asked. He pulled out his pocket watch, checking the time.

  ‘About two hours. I would’ve been here sooner but we had to check in with Luka first,’ he replied, scratching at his flaky forehead and making her grimace.

  ‘Other than the sunburn, are you hurt?’

  ‘I’m perfectly fine.’

  ‘Did you find anything?’ The stern expression on her face gave way to eager curiosity, and he grinned, leaning forward to tug at her ponytail.

  ‘Wait until we’re all locked up and I’ll tell you everything,’ he promised, bringing a grin to her lips. She was shooed away to get back to work when Ksenia emerged from the kitchen with two hot slices of pie and vegetables and two equally large tankards of hot cider. Aleks’s mouth watered as she set it in front of him and Drazan. ‘Oh, gods, I’ve missed your cooking,’ he declared, making her smile. ‘I said I’d tell Raina everything once the pub empties for the night – you’re welcome to join us,’ he told her.

  ‘I’ll take you up on that,’ she agreed, getting back to work.

  Every bite of Aleks’s meal tasted like heaven in his mouth, and he couldn’t help but notice that the three of them – Raina in particular – kept glancing over at him every few minutes, like they couldn’t quite believe he was back. He felt a pang of guilt, sipping at his cider. He wouldn’t be going away again any time soon if he could help it.

  ‘You’re lucky, you know,’ Drazan said, startling him. Aleks raised a querying eyebrow. ‘You’ve got your family out West, and you’ve got these people here. They obviously care about you like one of their own.’ He sounded wistful, and Aleks reached over to clasp his forearm.

  ‘There’s always room for one more, you know. Don’t think I’m letting you just bugger off to the flight school and that’s that.’ Drazan’s hollow eyes creased at the corners as he smiled gently.

  The pub cleared out soon after they had finished eating. Aleks grabbed a damp rag from the kitchen without prompting, going to help Raina wipe down tables. ‘Get talking, then,’ the girl urged, and Ksenia clucked her tongue.

  ‘Raina, don’t be rude,’ she scolded.

  ‘Aleks, won’t you please tell me the tale of your intrepid adventures?’ Raina asked with exaggerated sweetness, making him laugh.

  ‘Oh, I suppose I could.’ Talking as he wiped down the tables was almost therapeutic, and Raina proved to be a brilliant audience. He knew Ksenia and Bodan were listening in too, but they were silent, getting on with their work as he talked. Raina, on the other hand, ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed, listening intently and sporadically interrupting with a question. Occasionally, Drazan chimed in from his seat at the bar, getting more involved as the story went on.

  Aleks didn’t tell her everything, of course, and glossed over some of the more dangerous parts of the journey, exaggerating others that he thought might amuse or interest her. Raina seemed captivated by his description of the forest and its wildlife.

  ‘It sounds incredible,’ she breathed, her eyes round with wonder. ‘And it’s yours?’

  ‘Technically, yes,’ he lied, ‘as in, it doesn’t belong to anyone else.’ That was the story he was stuck with, he supposed. ‘But we’re not going back. That place isn’t meant for people – if the Stormlands aren’t warning enough, the heat is overwhelming and most of the sky is a dead zone.’

  ‘Good,’ Raina said firmly. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed. ‘It all sounds so pretty. People never appreciate pretty things unless they made them themselves. Colonising would be the worst thing to happen to it.’

  ‘That’s what we thought,’ Aleks replied, making her smile. ‘Anyway, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m absolutely exhausted, but . . . it’s really, really good to be back,’ he said honestly, meeting each of their gazes in turn. Bodan’s lips twitched in a smile behind his beard, and he reached up to the board of room keys behind the bar, tossing Aleks a familiar key.

  ‘Everything’s just as you left it. Well, a bit cleaner than you left it; the missus went round with the duster,’ he added. He took a second key off the board, placing it on the bar in front of Drazan. ‘You can have room four, it’s just below Aleks’s. If you need anything at all, just give us a shout, or pester Aleks. He’s been here long enough by now to know where we keep most things.’ Drazan’s smile was genuine, and he offered the man a short bow.

  ‘Thank you for your hospitality at such short notice, sir,’ he said, only to be waved off.

  ‘It’s the least I can do, lad. Any friend of Aleks’s is welcome here, and it sounds like you could use a good night’s sleep,’ Bodan added. Aleks smiled to himself, hugging Raina goodnight. It was good to be home.

  37

  The light of the sun through his window woke Aleks the next morning, and he lay in bed for several minutes, just basking in the pale daylight. Eventually, however, he heard movement from the rest of the inn’s inhabitants and sluggishly got out of bed, gathering some clothes and heading over to the bathroom. They were the nicest work clothes he had, and he left them in a pile on the bench while he showered.

  Drazan was already awake when Aleks went downstairs, a mug of tea in his hands and dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, but he managed a small smile of greeting. Raina was behind the bar stacking glasses, and he tapped her on the sh
oulder. ‘Morning, bratling,’ he greeted fondly, offering her a smile.

  ‘Morning, you. Breakfast?’

  ‘Please,’ he responded, sliding into a seat beside Drazan.

  ‘Any plans for the day, boys?’ she asked, and Aleks bit his lip. There was one thing he wanted to do . . . but he didn’t know how well it would go down.

  ‘We need to be at Luka’s before noon,’ Drazan piped up. His voice was hoarse, and Aleks wondered if he’d been crying in the night. ‘To talk things over.’

  ‘I might go for a walk before then. Clear my head a bit. Maybe . . . maybe swing by the courtyard,’ Aleks said, watching as Raina’s hand faltered in plating up scrambled eggs.

  ‘You’re still going to see her? After what she did to you?’ she asked, voice icy. Aleks shrugged.

  ‘We need to talk. She needs to know I’m not in jail, and . . . I still love her, Raina. Even after everything, I still love her. I still want to marry her,’ he admitted, thinking of the engagement ring.

  ‘She nearly got you arrested,’ Raina pointed out. ‘That doesn’t exactly seem like the basis of a happy relationship.’

  ‘She only did that because I lied to her about the journal,’ Aleks argued. ‘She thought I’d stolen military property.’

  ‘What journal?’ Raina asked, perplexed. Aleks shook his head.

  ‘It doesn’t matter any more. I need to talk to her, Raina. I can’t just leave it like this.’ He’d come too close to death to let Saria go without a fight. Sure, they had issues to work out, and he didn’t exactly trust her just yet, but he still loved her.

  ‘You’re a grown man – it’s your decision,’ Raina said with a shrug. ‘Just don’t expect the conversation to go well.’

  Aleks laughed ruefully. ‘Oh, trust me, I’m not.’ He was well aware that it would probably be a train wreck. But that wasn’t going to stop him from trying.

  Finishing his breakfast, Aleks bid goodbye to his two companions, promising to meet Drazan at Luka’s at noon.

  The walk to the courtyard went by in a flash, his mind occupied by thoughts of his upcoming conversation. Aleks tried to plan it out in his head, imagining any number of reactions she might have, but all it did was make him more anxious.

  It was strange, being in the city again after a week of no one but Drazan and Zhora for company. Everything was much louder than he remembered, but after the vibrance of the land beyond the Stormlands he felt like he was watching everything through a terrible video recorder, like the colours had all bled out and faded. That was Siberene, he supposed.

  When he reached the courtyard, his eyes immediately zeroed in on the familiar table set up near the fountain, a blonde-haired figure wrapped in a heavy navy coat standing behind it. Saria was smiling at a pair of girls buying bracelets, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked paler than usual, and as if she hadn’t been sleeping well.

  He watched for a few minutes, stomach curling with nerves, until he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to talk to her. Hood pulled up over his head, Saria didn’t recognise him until he was right in front of her table, a tentative smile on his face. ‘Hi.’

  She gasped, hazel eyes widening. ‘Aleks,’ she breathed. ‘But . . . the lieutenant . . .’

  ‘Nearly got me. I’ve been . . . out of the country for a while, keeping my head down. Look, Saria, can we talk? Privately?’

  Saria bit her lip, glancing down at her table of wares. ‘I suppose. Let me just pack up.’

  Soon she had everything boxed up and her table folded, and Aleks watched as she quickly ran them back to her father’s shop. They both agreed it was best if Evgeny didn’t see Aleks.

  When she emerged again, she nodded to him, following his lead to a quiet courtyard a few streets away. Last time they’d been there it was to sneak some time alone, and Aleks’s heart clenched unexpectedly at the memory. That felt like aeons ago now. ‘I’m sorry,’ Saria blurted out as soon as they were alone. ‘I’m so sorry, Aleks, gods! I shouldn’t have done it, I shouldn’t have gone to the kingsguard. I was just so hurt, so angry. I started to think maybe that lieutenant was right, perhaps you had done something wrong. Surely there had to be a reason he was so determined to get you?’

  ‘You believed that bastard over me?’ Aleks asked incredulously.

  ‘What was I supposed to think?’ Saria retorted. ‘You were on the run from the military, and had lied to me several times over! For all I knew, you were an escaped criminal and he was coming to bring you back in.’

  ‘I only lied to keep you safe,’ Aleks insisted. ‘Shulga is a monster, Saria. He was on my trail because I stole something that he himself stole from the Crown.’ He explained briefly about the journal, not going into too much detail – Saria was two and a half years older than him, so she knew who Nathaniel Hunter was and what he was responsible for. Her expression was horrified, her face chalk-white.

  ‘And I led him straight to you, giving him valid reason to have you arrested. Oh, gods, Aleks, what have I done?’ She blinked away tears, and he couldn’t help but bring her into his arms, kissing her hair.

  ‘It’s OK, it’s fine now,’ he soothed.

  ‘But I nearly got you arrested!’ Saria exclaimed.

  ‘The night Shulga found us in the park, remember I was going to tell you something?’ Aleks said, changing the subject abruptly. Saria nodded. ‘I was planning on leaving, even then. I can’t tell you right now where I was going, but I promise I will later. The point is, I was going somewhere I wasn’t entirely sure I’d return from. And I wanted to tell you before I left. But then the Shulga thing happened, and you broke up with me, and . . . well, I thought it was a sign from the gods that I needed to go, that I had nothing to stop me. Still, a few days before I was supposed to leave, I went by your father’s shop and bought a ring from his apprentice. An engagement ring.’

  Saria gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, and Aleks smiled briefly.

  ‘Raina thought I was mad. You and I weren’t even together any more. But I knew I wanted to marry you, even if you never wanted to speak to me again. I still want to marry you, even though I lied and put you at risk and you dumped me and almost got me arrested.’ Saria let out a laugh at his words, wiping her eyes. ‘I love you, Saria. I’m not expecting things to go back to the way they were, and I’m not saying we should get married right now, but . . . I think we can work through this. If you want to.’ Aleks could feel his pulse racing.

  ‘No more lies,’ Saria said after a long silence. ‘No more hiding things to protect me. We’ve both made some mistakes here, Aleks.’

  ‘No more lies,’ he agreed instantly. ‘I’ll tell you everything, I swear.’ The clock struck noon, and Aleks swore. ‘But I’m late for work. Look, can we maybe continue this later? Say, at the Compass, tonight after work?’ That was the safest environment he could think of to divulge his secrets without being overheard. Saria nodded, making him grin with relief.

  He made to stand, but Saria reached out and grabbed him by the coat front, pulling him into a firm kiss. Surprised, he kissed her back, overwhelmed by how amazing it felt to be able to do so. He’d thought he’d never get to kiss Saria again. ‘The Compass, after work,’ Saria confirmed once they eventually parted, a blush coming to her cheek. ‘I still love you, Aleks, even though I tried my hardest not to. We can work this out.’

  ‘I love you too,’ he murmured, kissing her softly once more. As much as he would have loved to stay with her, Luka and Drazan were waiting for him. He stepped away, reluctantly turning to start running towards the tram station, a grin on his face. That had gone far, far better than he’d imagined.

  Luka and Drazan didn’t comment on his late arrival, or his flushed cheeks, but Drazan did clap him on the back with a smirk. The pair had been in the warehouse for a while, Luka checking over the external repairs to the ship, but they’d waited for Aleks before going up to get everything they’d brought back from the country they’d discovered.

  ‘I got a bunch of plant sampl
es and things too,’ Aleks said as he handed over his video and audio recorders to the elderly mechanic, Drazan doing the same. ‘In case you were interested – I figured since it was likely to be the only chance we’d ever get to research those things, we’d better bring back as much information as possible.’

  The excuse they’d given to Luka to explain why they’d left so early, and in such a hurry, was their inability to find fresh water before their supplies got too low, and Aleks’s sunstroke, which had made him too ill to go outside. Aleks wasn’t entirely sure the old man believed them, but he didn’t question their story, which was the important thing.

  ‘Good work, lad,’ Luka said, putting the recorders in his satchel with a satisfied smile. ‘I know a couple of scientist types who would kill for those samples. I’ll write some letters tonight. And I’ll get this footage over to a friend of mine who works with newscast development, get him to piece everything together into something usable.’

  ‘So we’re taking this to the newscasts, then?’ Drazan asked.

  ‘Of course, lad! People need to know what’s out there, for research purposes. Now that the only land past the Stormlands has been claimed, all those idiots flying for the glory of discovering and claiming a new country will go and find their glory somewhere a little less deadly. And as for the academic types, well, they’ll have plenty to study from what you boys brought back before they start sending their own expedition ships out again,’ Luka said. ‘It’s the only bit of the Goddess’s green land that hasn’t been ruined by man, and I think you can agree it should stay that way as long as possible. We’ll get the footage up, make it look as inhospitable as possible to stop any thoughts about colonising the place, and wait for the hype to die down. That, unfortunately, is the easy part.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Drazan asked, and Luka turned to him.

  ‘You don’t really think people will just leave you alone after learning about all this, do you? The moment that broadcast goes public, everyone’s going to be all over you. They’ll want interviews and all sorts! Especially you, Aleks,’ he added. The boy scowled, folding his arms over his chest.