by Randi Darren
Only to have Anna practically smash her face into his with a wet and heavy kiss.
Pulling back from him, she patted his cheek.
“Thank you, husband. I knew we were meant to be from the moment I saw you.
“Oh, I meant to ask. Are you Leah’s champion or are we just working for her?” she asked.
“Err… working for her.”
“Any contract details I need to know?” It was obvious she was in full merchant’s-daughter mode now.
“I… have to make sure I meet a quota every month. Otherwise, that’s it.”
“That’s easy enough. What’s the quota?”
Alex paused at that. The crystal was in his room and he didn’t want to go fetch it.
“I have to make deals that favor us. The greater the deal, the better favoring, the quicker the quota is met. I have a crystal that will turn completely black when it’s met for the month.”
“And is the quota met right now?”
“Yes. We’re clear for the month.”
“Good, good. Then let’s hold off on finalizing Holly’s contract, but sign the marriage agreement. Or at the least, date the contract so it goes into effect next month if you can’t wait. That way we can bank on that one rather than waste resources.
“Right?” Anna asked, her fingers interlaced with each other.
Would that work?
A dated contract would go into effect under a god’s oath on the date listed and be upheld from that point.
“That’s a good point… wife,” Alex said, actually feeling rather lucky to have signed Anna into his life.
Smiling, he leaned toward her.
She gave him a happy and bright smile, leaning forward as well. “Now, how about you tell me all about Holly, and what we can use against her,” he said, then kissed her in earnest.
***
Alex knelt down and bowed his head in supplication.
“Rise, Count Brit. We were worried when we heard of the affairs that took place in our city,” the king said.
Standing up, Alex didn’t respond immediately.
He didn’t plan on revealing anything at all to the king. Not a damn thing if he could help it.
In his book, Alex was fairly certain the king had orchestrated the whole thing. That the bandits were more than likely royal guard dressed up or brigands pressed into service.
If a count was taken for ransom, it would be a serious breach of the king’s security. But if an unharmed count was found and saved by the royal guard who’d lost him? No problem. All would be well.
Instead, the king was now left with a security incident, an entire city talking about a count that died—but didn’t—and his entire plan scrapped.
You have better things to do, don’t you? Like running a kingdom?
“We’re well pleased that not only have you come out the other side of this trying ordeal for the better of it, but with a wife to match.
“From what we’ve been told by our clerk, you’ve taken Master Ulles’s daughter Anna to wife, and a baron’s daughter, Holly Lin, as well to wed?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty. I enjoyed speaking with both of them immeasurably. I found that since you ordered me to wed, I would not only perform my duty, but to the greatest extent possible.”
And in marrying a commoner, and a noble, your requirements are met on both sides, no matter which way you could have argued.
Are we done with this charade yet? Can I go home?
I do have projects to work on.
“Yes. We’re well pleased with this. We’d ask you to remain and possibly hold your wedding ceremony here, but we understand you’ve already requested to go home?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I fear that without me, my county could at any time be at the whims of fate.
“And while I admit that seems melodramatic, it is my sincere worry that I could possibly fail His Highness in my duty as his retainer by not being there,” Alex said, bowing his head to the king and remaining bowed.
I’ve given you all possible respect while offering no offense, giving you no reason to pursue this.
Just let me go back home, and you can worry about your dukes.
They’re your problems, not me.
Alex had noted the empty throne next to the king.
Once again, the queen refused to be part and parcel to anything.
Or the queen herself, maybe, is your problem.
The silence drew on for a while. He’d cornered the king fairly well with his respect and giving face to him, so there wasn’t much his majesty could do without looking as if he had indeed been plotting on the side.
“We release you then, Count Brit, back to your county. We regret we won’t be able to see your marriage ceremony, but do wish you the best with it and hope that you enjoy your new married life.”
“I’m sure we will, Your Highness,” Alex said, not raising his head but falling to a knee instead. After a few seconds of respectful prostration, Alex stood and left the throne room.
Not wanting to waste any further time here, his plan was to leave as quickly as possible.
So much so that everyone was already packed and waiting at the mansion.
It would only take a few minutes to pass the word along to the house staff to shutter most of the manse up, and they’d be gone.
No sooner than he exited the palace had Carla taken her place at his side.
Ever since the incident, he’d noticed Rudolph and his people had started treating Carla like one of their own, if not more so.
She gave him a look with a quirked brow.
“Home again, home again, jiggity jig,” Alex said with a smirk.
Carla snorted at that. “You owe me a day off; today doesn’t count.”
“Sure, it does.”
“No, Master. Mistress Anna already ruled in my favor on this matter,” Carla said with a sour grin. “Though she did tell me that if I came to her in the future without consulting you first, she’d make sure you used me improperly and that I wouldn’t be cleaned up.”
Hah. Good.
That’s… good. She’ll end up costing me a bit because she’ll argue for fairness… but she won’t let anyone get a better deal on us or be subversive.
With every interaction, he was feeling better about Anna.
Chapter 14
Alex took in a deep breath, then let it out in a whoosh.
He knew it seemed silly since he hadn’t called this place home long, but he genuinely felt better to be back in Brit.
The courtyard of his keep in Brit, to be exact.
They’d made great time and had arrived just after sunrise.
Where the only power higher than himself was miles away, and only wanted their share of his pie.
A CEO who wants me to kick him his bone, and a bunch of peers doing the same thing. I can do this all day.
Carla stood beside him, her head swiveling around as she took in the sight.
“Not bad,” she said, her eyes moving along the walls. “I think I might actually get a chance to rest here.”
“Mm. Definitely a lot less of a security concern here,” Alex couldn’t help but agree.
Rudolph and another man set down a large, wooden, locked trunk down beside him.
“Sir, I’ll check in with Max and return to my duties,” Rudolph said, bowing his head to Alex.
“Good work, Rudolph,” Alex said to the man. “I’ll be sure to express my admiration to Max.”
Rudolph and the other man left, Carla nodding at them as they did.
“I take it they trust you now?” Alex sat down on the trunk and gave it a pat next to him.
“Yeah. I think at first, they just thought I was warming your bed and little else.
“Now it’s…” Carla paused, a frown slowly developing. “Now it’s like they see me as a guard.”
After a second more, she sighed and sat down next to him on the trunk.
“What are your plans for the day? I’ll settle in otherw
ise and take my day off tomorrow.”
“Ah. I’ll be visiting my dungeon. Checking in on my projects,” Alex said. He paused to watch Anna and Holly wander from one end of the courtyard to the other. “Walter will inevitably track me down later on for a session of the month’s justice. I’m sure there’s a backlog.”
Carla grunted and then scratched at her stomach with one hand.
“I’ll get my room arranged, then. Make myself home, I suppose. Unless you have an order for me?”
“No. I’m sure everything will work itself out. As far as sleeping arrangements go, Anna and Holly already claimed the chamber attached to my own.
“We might need to have Walter convert a nearby room into another attached one for you. Unless you plan on sleeping in my room every night?”
Carla snorted at that and stood up.
“Not if I can help it. Until then… Master.”
Nodding his head to that, Alex couldn’t disagree.
It’d be best if she slept separately. He planned on having a great many deals made, a number of which would require an empty bedroom.
“Speaking of,” Alex muttered. Getting up, he unlocked the trunk and opened it.
Valeria lay curled on her side, her face matted with sweat.
“How ya doing in there?” Alex asked.
She looked uncomfortable. He imagined her knees, back, and shoulders were aching from the confined space.
He had let her out each time they had stopped on the way to take care of her needs and catch a breather, but otherwise, she’d been confined to the box.
Sleeping had been the one exemption to this, but he imagined that had been just as uncomfortable.
She’d been bound at the wrists and feet, trussed up like a hog, and dumped into the carriage by herself.
The shackle around her wrists clanked as she lifted her head to look up at him.
“Hot… thirsty… are we… are we there?” she asked, her head slowly coming higher to peek out of the trunk.
“Yes. We are. I’ll have you transferred to your cell in a moment, and then we can have a chat about your future. It might be a good time to consider your position, what you want, and what you’re willing to give,” Alex said seriously.
Valeria looked around the courtyard for a few seconds, then looked to him. She nodded her head, then laid it back down in the trunk.
Closing the trunk gently, Alex relocked it and sat back down on it.
He’d need to have two of his dungeon guards bring it in when he got the chance.
Anna and Holly vanished into a keep door, trailing along behind one of Walter’s people.
No time like the present, I suppose.
Looking around, he saw another one of Walter’s people and waved him over.
“Sir?” said the young man, coming to stand in front of Alex.
“Send a missive to Sylvia Griffon that I’ve returned and await her company,” Alex said, honoring his side of the bargain.
“Also, could you have Douglas come see me? I need to have this trunk moved.”
***
Moving through the hallway that ran along the line of cells, he didn’t announce his presence to Riley. She’d not see Valeria going by, nor Alex’s return.
“Put it up against the wall for now, and leave it there. I might have a use for it in here later. After that, consider this a standard prisoner cell, with one change.
“If she asks for a meal, we’ll need to provide her with whatever a standard meal is for a local, decent-quality inn,” Alex said to Douglas. “And if she does, you’ll need to keep track of it. A simple tally system will do.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Great. Anything I need to know? Did One do alright? Any concerns, problems, or questions while I was gone?”
“Ah, no, sir. She did ask often where you were. We followed your orders and provided her with baths, and made sure to add extra fruit and vegetables to each meal. Both to be given with your compliments. We checked in every time to make sure she had all she needed, and instructed her it was by your orders.”
“Good, good. Alright. Thank you, Douglas. I’m going to break this new one in. I may or may not have order changes for you after this.
“Oh, and before I forget, Lady Griffon will be returning. Please reinstate her accommodations to what they were previously.”
“Of course, sir. Glad to have you back,” Douglas said, bowing his head. Then he left, going through the same hallway they’d used to get in.
Alex unlocked the trunk, then left the cell. He pulled the iron gate shut as he exited and locked it.
“Come on out, Valeria. You’re home,” Alex called.
Creaking on its hinges, the lid to the trunk opened cautiously.
Alex watched as Valeria’s head came up, her hazel-colored eyes flitting from one side of her cell to the other.
“You’re alone. And no one will harm you. If you come on over this way and put your wrists through the bars, I’ll unlock the shackles,” Alex said.
Taking several steps back, he put himself at a distance from the bars.
Valeria looked to him, then slowly got to her feet.
Her hair was a wild disarray of what could only be called a rat’s nest, and her tunic was rumpled and sweat stained.
Stepping out of the trunk, she stretched one way and then the other.
“That was… unpleasant,” Valeria said, her tone neutral.
“I’m sure it was. We can always use it later as punishment… or a reward,” Alex said with a smile.
Now that he had her where he wanted her, he could start curbing her personality to fit his desires.
Part of that would be indulging her needs and wants. Which could very well include being locked in the trunk, for all he knew.
Given her personality, it was a possibility.
She walked over to him and stuck her arms through the bars.
“Come closer. Get yourself pressed up to the bars and stretch out as far as you can. I’ll not be giving you the possibility of catching me.
“Sorry,” Alex said.
Complying, Valeria squeezed up against the bars and held her arms in front of herself.
Smoothly as he could, Alex unlocked the shackle and pulled it away from her before she could take it into the cell with her.
“Well. The rules here are pretty simple,” Alex said as she drew back into her cell. “You’ll be fed regularly, given all the amenities you’ll need to survive, and be left alone.
“No harm will befall you, no one will hurt you, and no one will contact you,” Alex said. He paused for a second, contemplating if he wanted to offer her anything.
“And the… the deals will be like the last one? You’ll offer me things and I can say no?” Valeria asked, inspecting her bed.
“That’s right. The deal for your meals will continue, of course. The last unpaid tally we had before we left was… four meals, so twelve swats?”
Valeria nodded her head but otherwise didn’t respond.
“Good. Now, before I go. I’d like to make you a deal, if you’re willing?”
“Of course,” Valeria said, vanishing behind the privacy screen to probably inspect her “bathroom” as it were.
“I’m willing to offer you the chance to have a hairbrush and a couple changes of clothes. A mirror as well,” Alex said.
“I’d definitely like all of those,” she called over the screen. “But what’s the price?”
“You have to swear an oath to not harm myself, yourself, or anyone in my household. You also have to swear to not make any attempt at escape. Fairly simple things, really.
“It’ll also make our deals moving forward much easier to conduct.”
“Ah… those do seem… prudent. Yes, I’ll swear to all of that. On my soul and life, to Leah’s name, on our previous bargain.”
And there it is.
“Wonderful. I accept and swear to the oath as well. I’ll have everything brought in for you shortly. Now, I nee
d to be going, unless there’s anything you need?”
“No.”
Alex left her cell and headed back to the dungeon guard post.
He turned over the shackle to them and made arrangements for Valeria’s new needs, then entered the corridor that ran through each cell.
Walking through Sylvia’s cell, he glanced in to see a guard giving it a once over and seemingly making sure it was as it should be.
Alex nodded to the man and entered Riley’s cell as quietly as possible.
With any luck he’d catch her sleeping, though the morning had passed a while ago. It was much closer to lunch now.
Riley’s head jerked up from her seat at her table.
She was sitting in her uniform, doing nothing at all.
Before she could start stripping, Alex smiled and held up a hand.
“Good morning, One. No need to strip this time. You weren’t expecting me, and I see you’re wearing your lovely uniform,” Alex said, coming up to the bars.
“Master! It’s good to see you. I… I hope everything went well?” she asked, bouncing up from the table and moving over to him at the bars.
Her enthusiasm to see him was definitely a good turn of events.
Though it felt slightly ahead of schedule. He’d left her alone on a positive note and set up a number of gifts for her in his name in his absence.
But even then, she seemed… genuinely happy to see him.
That or she’d seen such little kindness in her life that even the small bits he’d given her were more than she’d ever had.
“As well as can be expected when dealing with our toad of a king,” Alex admitted with a smile and a sigh. “In the end I was forced to take a wife. Otherwise, everything is as it was.”
She could use a compliment right now, I bet.
When we left, we had just converted her over to her new persona. She’s had some time to live in it. Seems like it’s fitting her well. Let’s encourage it.
“Now hold on there,” Alex said in a curious tone. Leaning back, he gave her a once-over. “You certainly look much better, all and all.
“The bruises are all gone, you look like you have a much better coloring to you, and you definitely fill out that uniform nicely, One.”
Riley blushed deeply, looked to the ground, and clasped her hands in front of herself.
