by Billy Wong
"Oh, I notice, but I wouldn't call that getting distracted—more like you get focused when I'm wounded in your sight. Which I think is great."
"Well, I've got to protect my little lady. So are you really going to shy away from an adventure just because of a bad memory?" When she failed to answer immediately, he added, "What, you don't want to visit your friend?"
Rose shrugged. The memories did hurt, but... "Considering you already made me relive my pain, I guess there's no reason not to go. Finding missing royal children isn't exactly our specialty, but what the hell, at least we probably won't encounter too much violence." Even in the case of a kidnapping, they wouldn't likely have to fight an army.
"Yay!" Amber said. Jacob didn't look as happy, which Rose attributed to his trouble sleeping away from home at times.
"Try to behave yourself and not pick a fight with Alicia," she told Finn. "She's the type that inspires you to be their 'rival,' so..."
"That beastly, huh?"
Alicia stood even taller than Rose and outweighed her significantly, and was about as assured in her prowess—that is, a braggart—as Finn. "I've told you about her! And she is called the Crimson Boar."
#
Their family traveled to the nearest port and took a ship to the island duchy of Weith, which lay off the coast of the Lip Sea on the eastern side of Kayland. When they arrived in Weith town, the first noteworthy thing they saw was a raised marble statue of a powerfully built, voluptuous young woman looming over the town square. Though the likeness wasn't perfect, the spear which jutted from the figure's mighty chest to no apparent effect made her identity painfully clear.
"You don't usually ignore fatal wounds that much," Finn remarked.
With a smile tinged with sadness, she said, "They captured that moment well. I felt pretty good and strong just then, even though I was in a ton of pain... I never expected what would happen next." Walking closer to the sculpture, she mused, "You didn't have quite so many scars yet back then, did you little girl?"
"Don't worry Rose, you've never been more beautiful."
She gazed dubiously at him. "You didn't even know me then."
"Doesn't matter. Never seen a better looking woman in my life."
Rose giggled as she punched his arm and moaned, "Oh, Finn... you damn liar!" But she knew that in fact, he was being as honest as anyone ever could.
A stubbly-faced young man interrupted their play as he trotted over. "Rose? Is that you?"
She turned to regard him, not recognizing him immediately, and finally cried, "Patrick! How have you been?" A haberdasher's apprentice when they first met, he had fought in the battle against the Vlin horde. Though he'd quickly fallen wounded, he had held his composure admirably for a boy with no prior combat training. "How's the hat business?"
"It's about the same as always, though I did finally get my own store. How's the killing dark lords business?"
She burst into slightly brittle laugher. "It's... consistent. There's never a lack of evil to fight, for sure. You have a wife and family yet?"
"I'm engaged. This must your husband Finn, right?"
Finn nodded. "Two kids, as you see."
"Hi, Uncle Patrick!" Amber said.
Jacob crinkled his nose. "Uncle?" Rose herself wasn't sure why her daughter had taken to calling all adults besides her and Finn "Uncle" or "Aunt."
"I see you recovered well from that spear wound," Patrick said. "Then again, I hear you've survived a lot worse since then too. Why don't you all come to my house and share some stories of your lives over dinner?"
"That sounds great!" Finn replied eagerly, and looking forward to some hot food Rose nodded in agreement. She just hoped Patrick's fiancee wouldn't be too queasy about tales of bloody battles...
#
They talked over a hearty meal of soup, bread, and veal, having a lot of fun though Finn dominated the conversation with rather skewed interpretations of their adventures. Thankfully Patrick's betrothed Mina proved quite spirited, and relished tale after tale of slaughtered enemies. Eventually Rose and Finn retired to the guest room, while their children stayed in the other bedroom that would someday house the young couple's children.
"You want the bed, Rose?" Finn asked as they laid eyes upon the one in their room. "It looks a bit small, like we'd break it together."
"Yeah, we would. I'll take it, and thanks—the cushioning will do my back some good."
Finn frowned and asked with concern, "Is your wound still bothering you?" Obviously, he referred to the recent nasty axe hit that had sundered her ribs and inflicted what for most would have been lethal damage to her lung. It had healed over by now, of course, but even for her old pains did linger.
"I don't know. It could be from that wound or some other, hard to say which. I've had a lot of wounds on my back, and everywhere else."
His frown deepened. "Oh, Rose... get yourself a good night's sleep, okay? Hope you feel better tomorrow."
She kissed him. "Don't worry, Finn, you know I'm indestructible. Good night to you too. I love you." Rose turned away, but felt huge hands grasp her by the upper arms and turn her back around to face him. She smiled widely, knowing what was about to come.
#
The two warriors awakened together on the cool hardwood floor, and Rose winced as she sat up. "Ow, my back... I'm all cramped up."
"I'm sure you'll be just fine once you stretch," Finn said, rubbing a sore spot or two himself. They were used to sleeping on hard surfaces, so it was what they had been doing on the wood which contributed to their aches. "Nice night, huh?"
"It sure was! I just hope our hosts didn't notice us rocking the house like we just got married." They had broken a bed that time, even though she'd been pregnant.
Finn began to sort out his clothes from the mixed garments scattered about the floor. "It would be funny if Alicia already found Matthew."
"It's possible. The visit would still be worth it—the kids are enjoying it, anyway."
"They liked the boat ride here. Good thing you stopped Amber from climbing over the railing, though."
Rose chuckled. "She's the feisty one. Takes after her dad."
"You're feisty too."
"You're moreso. Anyway, hope Alicia doesn't teach them too many curse words earlier than I'd like."
On the way deeper into town, Jacob asked, "Where do animals go to die? There are so many, but we don't see them."
They grow up so fast, Rose thought. "I don't know, actually. I never really thought about it."
Reaching the hedge-surrounded manor at the east end of town, they negotiated their way to the door with surprising difficulty which the kids found amusing. "Stupid shrubbery," Finn spat, "couldn't they leave at least one straight path to the house?"
"It is pretty annoying, but I guess it helps deter invaders. Or nosy peasants, like us."
"Did you have to deal with this during the battle?"
Sighing as she imagined trying to locate her enemies among the maze, she said, "Luckily no, since I did my fighting on the docks."
After being welcomed by a pair of impeccably dressed guards, the couple finally made it into the bright foliage-covered manor. A white-dressed maid led them to the lavish dining room ruled by a grand tapestry of a mighty boar. There the Duchess Alicia sat alone at the end of her long table, ripping huge chunks of meat away from a drumstick with her teeth. Though she knew the woman well, Rose still stared a little; it had been a long time, after all.
Sporting a full head of curly red hair, Alicia was broad-shouldered, wide-bodied, thick-limbed, fleshy-faced and all in all the epitome of a female brute in her late twenties, giving just about the opposite impression with regard to gracefulness her manor did. Years ago against the Vlin and in the guise of a mercenary before then, she had fought at Rose's side with skill and yes, strength to match any man. Rose remembered her hewing foes apart with frightful ease using a huge axe that could cleave a horse in two.
Busy chewing her meat, the massive duchess did n
ot look up from her plate, at least until Rose said flatly, "Nice table manners, Crimson Boar. Still ill-suited to the noble's life as always, huh?."
"How dare-" Alicia began furiously, and stopped as she saw who had addressed her. "Rose? Heh, looks like you've finally gotten up the nerve to visit me, after doing so many things to overshadow me behind my back."
Amber ran up beside the big woman, Jacob stopping a few steps behind her. "Can we have some of that?" Amber asked.
Alicia tore pieces off the drumstick she currently ate and handed them to the children, making Rose feel a tad uneasy. "Cute kids. Boy seems a little shy."
Rose watched Jacob offer to trade chunks of meat with Amber, saying his was bigger, and smiled. "I'm sure he'll grow out of it."
"Say, aren't you the girl who used Rose as a human shield?!" Finn demanded.
Alicia nodded without remorse. "Well it worked, didn't it. We're both alive."
"Somebody ought to give you a bit of a licking for that."
"Finn, stop it," Rose said. "Didn't we talk about this? Besides, she got pierced by her share of arrows in that fight too."
"Just joking around. We should arm wrestle, though, fat lady."
Alicia grinned.
"So how exactly did you lose Matthew?" Rose asked.
"His mother says she was playing with him in the central garden when somebody knocked her out. The two men standing guard at the entrance were rendered unconscious as well, before either could see much of anything."
Multiple assailants? Perhaps, or a single good one. "So why aren't you out looking for him?" Finn asked.
"I am looking... well, my people are. But whoever took him's remained elusive thus far. No boats have been seen leaving since then, so I figure they're still on the island." She'd built a good tall tower to overlook the entire isle after the last invasion attempt, which the couple had seen along the way. "Maybe you two could help me find him."
"That's why we're here," Rose said. "Where's Queen Eleanor? I think we should go talk to her first, maybe she'll remember more now." She neglected to mention that she didn't quite trust Alicia to be thorough in her questioning.
"She's in her guest room, probably still crying. Up those stairs"—she indicated a spiraling flight of steps—"and two doors to the right."
Wanting to be able to compare accounts for whatever reason might pop up, Rose replied, "Okay, but first, what have you found out so far, and who do you think could be behind this?"
#
After asking a distraught Eleanor all the questions they could think of, Rose and Finn still had neither more information than Alicia nor any clue as to where to start looking for the kidnapper. Alicia must have really begged and pleaded with the Queen Mother to convince her to keep this a secret, though. "This is annoying," Finn muttered as they walked down the hall. "What do you think we should do? They could be anywhere on the island."
The despairing queen's pathetic state had moved Rose close to tears and she yearned to save the lost royal child, but was as uncertain of their next course of action as him. "Alicia did say she has some 'enemies' nearby," she finally said. "We could visit them—maybe somebody did this just to make her look bad."
Not the most promising lead, it was nonetheless a start, and leaving the children at Alicia's manor they began their investigation in the town around it. Unfortunately, most of the duchess' so-called "enemies" turned out to be simple disgruntled peasants with neither the skills nor likely courage to do what the kidnappers had, and were dismissed as suspects. But one man, a warrior and former subordinate of Alicia who lived two miles south of town in a forest cabin, seemed like he could potentially have pulled off the deed, and the couple made their way there to question him.
Finding the door ajar, Rose peeked inside. "Hello? Shelton, are you in here?"
An axe flew from the dark interior at her face, and she slapped it aside with her sword. "Looks like we found our guy," Finn growled, and charged in the direction from which the axe had come. A shout and crash later, he smashed through the back wall using a man's body as a battering ram, and proceeded to slam him onto the packed earth with a loud thump.
Following him outside with a smile of admiration at the hole in the sturdy wall, Rose looked down at his stunned victim. "Now, tell us where you're hiding the king and you can save yourself some pain courtesy of Finn here."
Shelton, a thick-bodied and presently cross-eyed man in his twenties, asked with surprise in his slurred voice, "What... king?"
He sounded too out of it to be faking, and Rose groaned. "Why the hell did you attack me, then?"
"I'm sorry, I t-thought you were Alicia!" he stammered. "She came here and tried to kill me about this time last year, and I only got away because I managed to catch her in a deadfall I'd set up for the crazed bear roaming the forest. So this year, I decided to get a head start on my defense and try to surprise her..."
"What are we going to do with this one?" Finn asked wearily. "Should we take him in for trying to kill the duchess?"
Rose shrugged. "So why did she try to kill you? Did you give her a reason?"
"I called her a fat pig and she went after me in a rage, like she was going to strangle me with her bare hands. She could do it too—she's huge!"
Yes she was, but Rose knew Alicia, and if she really wanted to kill someone, she tended to use her axe. She had only been playing around, in her brutish way; she probably meant to scare the man, and for him to throw an axe at what he took to be her head, after crushing her under a pile of heavy rocks last time... Alicia had been forgiving already not to press the matter.
She gave her insight on the situation and said, "Don't try to kill Alicia anymore, okay? You don't want to really get her mad."
"I gather that much. So she was just playing?"
"Yeah... I think so."
He got up and Finn punched him in the face, hard enough to knock him back on his rump and make him feel it for a while. "That's for trying to kill Rose, and for wasting our time." Taking Rose's hand, he turned back for the town. "So we just walked two miles for nothing, huh?"
"Four. We have to walk back too. But at least," Rose continued with a smile, "we hopefully prevented him from trying to kill Alicia again."
"We probably did, but where do we look for the real kidnapper?"
"Ugh. It's not one of her supposed 'enemies' in the area, so let's try her servants next. Maybe somebody got paid off to help in the kidnapping, or coerced into it?"
"I thought maybe that young guard who was with Eleanor seemed a little suspicious." The one who'd claimed to be felled second, without seeing any hint of his assailant.
"Oh dammit, why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"I forgot about my hunch after we went on to question the older one, and didn't think of it again until you mentioned the servants... we're not too good at this, are we?"
Her as much as him. Seeing his embarrassed frown, Rose put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Alicia said there's another guy looking into this who got here before us, remember? Maybe he'll find Matthew before we do."
Finn lowered his gaze. "Yeah, but I really don't want to go home having failed again, after all the other stuff that happened. Since we took all the time to come out here, I want to win."
She understood his competitive urge. She had a bit of it herself, though she wouldn't mind if somebody else saved the young king as long as someone did. They returned to Alicia's manor to further question the one guard. But they arrived too late—he had been murdered in the short time they were away, throat slit from behind while he took a bath. Yet the killing lent support to Finn's suspicions of the victim being involved. A small-faced, balding man now surveyed the scene, his long grey beard held together at the bottom by a red bead.
"Did anybody see what happened?" Finn asked him. "And who are you?"
"No one saw, to my knowledge. Finn, and Rose, correct? I'm Carl Hurer, a servant of the realm."
Rose stared at him. "A servant of the realm? I th
ought Alicia didn't want the authorities knowing of this."
"I was already here when it happened, and overheard talk of it. So I offered my help, along with a promise of my silence."
His overly serene tone made her a little wary, but she said, "So what's the story here? Any idea where his killer went?"
"No, but he did leave his weapon behind. You know anything about this knife?" Carl held out a short dagger, and Rose immediately felt a sense of familiarity. Staring at its gold pommel shaped to resemble a miniature shield from the bottom, it took her only a moment to realize with a start, "This is Alicia's dagger!"
Finn raised a huge balled fist. "So your friend might be a traitor, huh? It wouldn't surprise me, considering how treacherously she's treated you before."
Rose shook her head quickly. "Get off the arrow thing! I doubt she did it. Even if she was the type of person, she wouldn't be so stupid as to leave such an obvious clue behind. I think somebody stole her knife and used it to kill George"—the dead guard—"to make it look like she did it." Though it should have been hard to get it off her, considering how she always carried it on her person...
"I agree she didn't likely do it," Carl said. "Let's talk to her and find out who could have stolen the knife from her."
They went to Alicia's room and found her scrambling to find something amidst the assorted junk which cluttered her room, her face slightly scratched for some reason. "Looking for this?" Rose asked as she held up the bloodied dagger.
"Oh, yes! Thanks, Rose. Where'd you find it? Wait a minute... why's there blood on it?" Upon hearing of the death and their theory that the person responsible sought to frame her, Alicia said, "Oh. Well, I'm glad it wasn't somebody else."
"What do you mean?" Carl asked suspiciously.
His tone made hers turn exasperated. "I didn't really know him, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, he was new."
This piqued Rose's curiosity. "How new?"
"Couldn't have been here more than two months."
She felt close to confirming Finn's suspicions about the dead man. "And how long has Matthew's visit been planned?"
