Does It Matter?

Chapter 13

"My job, and my role as Maric's friend, is to act in his best interests," Brayan told Dara. "For a while I thought that was getting you as far away from him as possible, but now I see that's not the case. Don't worry about me.. If I ever act as anything but an extension of Maric's will, I've stepped out of line."

"Okay, but—" Dara hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

"No. What were you going to say?"

"Just..." Dara's eyes drifted up and met Brayan's. "You're a person too, Brayan."

"Okay," Brayan said reflexively and almost took a step backwards. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. It was like having a stranger shove their hand down your pants without warning. Maybe you would have been amenable to it, given the right context, but intimacy never felt good when it was unexpected.

"Sorry, sir," Dara said, quickly dropping his gaze again. "I didn't mean to overstep. I just think it's not good for anyone to feel like their job is all that they are."

"I understand and appreciate your intention, and I prefer you speaking to me openly because teaching you not to left me with no understanding of this situation between you and Maric. It wasn't productive. Just... please be careful who you say those sorts of things to. You're going to be around a lot of people who will not appreciate having their status brushed aside. Especially not by a slave."

"I understand, sir. I wouldn't have said that to you if I didn't think there was a person beneath the job who was worth talking to."

"The person behind the job is so disinteresting that he hates time off because he doesn't know how to keep himself entertained when he's not working. There's not much of value there. Trust me."

"You can still be the person while you're working, sir. The Captain cares about the prince. The person cares for Maric."

"Ah. Yes, I have been starting to see some potential for conflict there."

Dara nodded and glanced back at Maric. "Would you like me to wake him up, sir?"

Brayan let out a long, slow breath as he thought. Finally, he shook his head. "No, let him sleep. By the time we're done with everything, we'll be behind schedule anyway. I'll send Raedon back to fill Paige in on what's happening while he sleeps."

"Would you mind asking if he can bring the uniform I left there back with him, if it's not too much trouble? I had some spares in the back of the wagon, but someone may have thrown them out after I left."

"I'm sure they're still there. The men may not understand what has been going on between you and Maric, but they know well enough not to throw anything that belonged to you away without his say so. But yes, I will ask Raedon to bring the uniform you left there back with him."

"If you can find one of my uniforms, would you mind having someone bring it up, sir? I think Maric prefers me in his colours. And a basin of water and a washcloth, if it's not too much trouble. I smell of horse."

There was some instinctive part of Brayan that wanted to push back against a slave asking for so many things, but that wouldn't have been helpful. These were all reasonable requests that were ultimately in service to Maric. "You smell of more than that. I will have someone bring you those things. Have you eaten yet?"

"Has Maric?"

"No."

"I'll wait for him to wake up, then."

"You'll eat now and if you're hungry when he wakes up you'll eat again. We don't need the guilt of him feeling like he's neglected your needs again."