Cerberus Rex, Nameless

Part 10| Cerberus Rex, 33

Noarwin gawked at Captain Fairwind sitting behind his desk. He blinked, silently repeated Arne's command, then took a breath, "You want me to what?"

"Her Majesty is in agreement. You, Asinis, Feri, and Silas are to form a party under whatever name you decide. She has settled on an outside addition, whom I suspect is meant to babysit you four," Arne drawled, seeming annoyed but also disinterested, which meant he knew her choice.

"You're joking. I'm your servant. Why would you put me in a team and hand me over to the queen?" Noarwin asked. The only person he wanted to work for was Arne. He didn't trust anyone else. Especially not the nobility who hated him. The queen appreciated his skill set and treated him fairly, but that didn't change how they felt about one another.

"Because I need you to protect them," Captain Fairwind said. "Besides. You will be sponsored by me, not the crown. So, though you will take orders from her, you are still technically under my command," he explained.

Noarwin thinned his lips. After all his time. Noarwin never suspected Arne would give him up. Even to be his eyes and ears. Were his efforts not enough? The lengths Noarwin went to, to spy and intercept or coax information had taught him how far he could push himself. He'd mastered seduction, half-truths, and endured open scrutiny for being solare and the reputation he'd carefully manufactured. He could have hidden like most of his kind, yet he'd endured the loneliness of being among those who only tolerated him. In what regard did Arne hold this stag? "You think the stag and his friends are in danger," Noarwin asked. It was the only excuse he could accept.

"You don't?" Captain Fairwind laced his fingers over his desk.

Noarwin sighed. "Considering the circumstances, I'd have to say you're not wrong."

"Your skills will be useful to the stag," Arne said. "I'm giving you to him not the queen."

"You revere him greatly," Noarwin said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone. He understood, though. Arne avoided explaining it in detail, but he had ties to the stags. It made him especially interested in supporting Silas, whom Arne and Noarwin had estimated the gentlest of his kind and therefore the most in need of support compared to his predecessors.

"Are you going to pretend you don't know why?" Arne's smirk caught Noarwin off guard.

Noarwin looked away, pouting. He sometimes wondered if Arne could read his thoughts. It eased his concern. This didn't have to do with Noarwin not satisfying the captain. Arne was trusting Noarwin as a friend. "You're a tease," he said.

Arne relaxed into his chair. "You are the only one in this city I entrusted my secret to. I expect you to keep it and to help Champion Silas'neirin while also keeping me informed."

"I understand." Noarwin bowed his head. "I will do my best to look after them and... if I see a sign of what you seek, I will send word."

"I know." Arne's attention fell on his desk.

Noarwin pinched his lips. "I would like to choose my own addition to this party you've insisted on building."

"Oh?" That pulled Arne out of his reverie. "I've no objection if you believe them useful."

"I do," Noarwin said, his brow set and fingers curled. If he was going to do this, he needed someone he could trust without a shadow of a doubt. Silas would never betray his purpose, but that could lead to desperate and therefore poor decisions. Any of the others might decide it too much or change their mind. If something happened, Noarwin wanted back up to support Silas as well as having an ally that had the strength and will to protect them all.