James stood proud, panting heavily with a grin on his face. His wooden blade trembled at Fabian's throat, his small frame weak from the exertion.
ㅤFabian sat in the dirt, aiming a grievous glare his way.
ㅤ"Julian, well done!"
ㅤJames dropped the sword to the ground, excited to see his dad and giddy from victory.
ㅤ"Dad, you were watching?"
ㅤJames ran up to his father, who stood in the shade of the loggia bordering the training grounds, a few other men standing with him. James had been concentrating too hard on his fight to have noticed they'd had an audience, but was thrilled they got to witness him win.
ㅤ"Fabian, too," his dad smiled, "you're both incredibly talented. I'm very lucky."
ㅤHis brother was a couple of years older than him and it was evident in their difference in height and strength. They were close enough in age to be training partners, but too far apart for James to have an easy time winning. He lost more often than succeeding.
ㅤ"My shoe came undone." Fabian claimed as he stood and brushed dust off his legs, "I got unlucky."
ㅤJames ignored the blatant lie, too interested in his father's company.
ㅤ"Who are they?" he asked.
ㅤOne man in particular stepped forward and offered him a short bow, his black hair falling onto his forehead as he did so.
ㅤ"I'm pleased to meet Your Royal Highness Prince Julian, I'm Duke Chamberlain."
ㅤJames searched his brain. "Ah! Drykas territory right?"
ㅤ"Very good, sire."
ㅤHe glanced at his dad, hoping he was impressed by James' knowledge. James studied hard to memorise as many noble houses as he could and he was rewarded with a pat on the head for his efforts.
ㅤ"It was fun watching you spar, boys." his dad said. "You'll have to excuse us for the time being though, I'll see you at dinner."
ㅤJames watched them walk away, probably on their way to his father's study. One day he'd be old enough to be allowed to go in there with them, giving his own input. Perhaps he could even be in charge one day, if he gathered enough support. For now, it was too early to tell.
ㅤ"Don't get too cocky." Fabian sneered, coming to stand next to him.
ㅤ"I won, fair and square."
ㅤFabian shook his head, James could tell he was trying to keep his explosive anger in check.
ㅤ"You're an idiot," his brother growled, "you have no idea why those men are here, do you?"
ㅤJames stared up at him. He didn't know, but he didn't think Fabian would either. Except, Fabian suddenly had a smug grin on his face.
ㅤ"What?"
ㅤFabian's smile split his cheeks. "Dad's pulling out the relics from storage. Duke Chamberlain is also a collector, they plan to test us to see if we're compatible with any."
ㅤJames only knew a little bit about relics; that they were weapons that chose their owner and were stronger than ordinary ones. People were greedy over the idea of being chosen by one.
ㅤ"And why do you look so smug about that?"
ㅤFabian put his hands on James' shoulders pulling them so they were facing each other, squeezing hard enough to hurt.
ㅤ"Because having a relic is basically a guarantee of succession rights." Fabian uttered, his swampy green eyes manic. "No relic would choose a weak little shit like you. You're going to lose, little brother."
ㅤJames shoved him away. "You don't know that."
ㅤSuddenly angered by James' assault, Fabian thrust him to the ground, his stronger body doing it with ease. "Don't fucking touch me."
ㅤJames kept the whimper of pain at bay, his arm twisted uncomfortably from the fall. "I'll tell dad you did that."
ㅤ"I don't give a shit. Neither will he soon."
➵ ➵ ➵ ➵
Alex tended to his cheek in the mirror, delicately brushing his fingers over where his skin had split open.
ㅤIt was a light punishment considering his mistake. He still couldn't believe James had knives on him somehow, he was sure he was unarmed. He must have taken them when Alex was sleeping, the bastard.
ㅤAlex had to consider himself lucky that James did not actually want to harm King William. Those knives were designed for throwing, he could have murdered the king right there if he wanted to. Alex knew he only got off with a slap because his father was too busy to inflict anything worse the moment they left the hall.
ㅤHe had no idea what went on in there but it didn't matter to him anymore. He was free of James and that called for a celebration.
ㅤThough, instead of relief, he felt disturbed.
ㅤRestless, he walked out of the bathroom and back into the corridor, the light dimming as the sky darkened beyond the windows. Other than the odd servant, it was empty.
ㅤInstead of going back to his room, Alex's feet took him the opposite direction. The royal guard kept documents that went back years in their basement and Alex had the security clearance for it. He chastised himself for being overly interested when he should just work on a need-to-know basis, but he couldn't help the way he felt. He wanted to know.
ㅤDown the basement steps he went, the stairs spiralled and narrow enough to make one feel claustrophobic.
ㅤThe basement was absent of any flammable materials, everything was made of heavy stone and metal, with fires constantly running, sucking out the moisture in the air and depositing it outside. As a result, the records office always reeked of smoke, the walls washed black with soot. All records were kept locked up beyond the reception, needing a key to enter.
ㅤHe strolled up to the desk, a young knight he didn't recognise sitting on duty.
ㅤ"I want access to all materials relating to Jay, the assassin, from as far back as you can get me."
ㅤThe man looked up, giving him a bored once over.
ㅤ"Who's asking?"
ㅤ"Alexander Chamberlain."
ㅤThe receptionist didn't seem too impressed with that answer.
ㅤ"This is a prank right?"
ㅤAlex blinked slowly.
ㅤ"A prank?"
ㅤ"Yeah." the young guy chuckled. "Did your owner put you up to this? Whose idea was it? 'Cause you go tell them I'm not falling for it."
ㅤAlex felt his face heat up from the indignity, his patience waning. "Don't you dare take that tone with me."
ㅤThe man laughed harder. "Dude. Anyone can put on a uniform like that, it's poor taste to put it on a slave though."
ㅤAlex was used to not being treated with respect, but at the very least, people tended to grudgingly tolerate him. His father's status made sure no one could outright insult him. Alex had always been particularly sensitive to not act out of anger, worried about being labelled a barbarian. He didn't want to prove people right.
ㅤBut, after the shit few days he'd had, piled on with the awful mistake he'd made that could have got his coworkers killed, he wasn't as calm as usual.
ㅤIf he didn't use his status at a time like this, what was the point of having it?
ㅤBefore the other man could react, Alex leaned over, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, and dragged him over the desk, its contents crashing to the floor.
ㅤ"Hey! What the fuck are you—"
ㅤAlex threw him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach, allowing the rage to drive him, the hard leather hitting soft skin, his heart throbbing with humiliation.
ㅤ"Fuck!"
ㅤThe man tried to get up, but Alex didn't let him, kicking him in the front once again. The man cried in pain and Alex forced his face to the ground with a boot to his neck.
ㅤ"Dishonouring me disrespects the duke." Alex told him plainly, keeping the emotion out of his tone. "One more word out of you and I'll make sure you suffer a lot more than this."
ㅤIt was at that moment that someone came down the stairs and joined their company. Alex was geared up for a fight, ready to identify them. Riley, one of King William's most trusted guards, stared at them in surprise.
ㅤ"Riley!" the man whined, coughing the dust out of his lungs.
ㅤAlex stared at Riley, not removing his foot, instead pressing it harder against their neck, wondering if the guard will attempt to save the man.
ㅤRiley glanced down, expressionless, but then his lips curved into a smile directed at Alex.
ㅤ"Alexander, fancy seeing you here."
ㅤKnowing Riley wasn't a threat let him deflate slightly.
ㅤ"How are the others?" Alex asked, feeling somewhat guilty about their injuries.
ㅤ"They're fine actually. The wounds were very superficial. You shouldn't beat yourself up too much about it, it's an occupational hazard." Riley waved his remorse away.
ㅤRiley was one character that Alex couldn't quite get a read on. He was always very pleasant to talk to and was willing to help him out when it was needed, but there was something a little bit lifeless behind those eyes. He reminded him of James in a way.
ㅤ"Riley, get this bastard barbarian off of me!"
ㅤRiley's eyes hardened as he paid attention to the young man under Alex's boot.
ㅤ"I see you have a problem." Riley acknowledged with an edge in his voice.
ㅤThe man stiffened under his foot, perhaps realising he had made a mistake.
ㅤHe decided to be a bit forgiving, "I want all the documents we have on Jay," Alex said instead.
ㅤRiley laughed. "Damn, that guy has his own shelf. You sure you want all of it? We have summaries for this reason."
ㅤ"Yep, all of it. From as far back as we have."
ㅤRiley walked up to him, giving his shoulder a light pat. "I can do that much for you. Come with me and leave that guy there, I'll sort him out for you."
ㅤHe had no idea whether Riley was covering for the pathetic man or would discipline him, but he couldn't care less either way. He just wanted those damn documents.
ㅤAfter one last press out of spite, earning him a satisfying whimper of pain, Alex let the man go and followed Riley through the door as it was unlocked.
ㅤThe room beyond was like a cavern full of books, a dark library detailing the kingdom's crimes and its criminals crammed into as much space as possible. The shelves reached to the top of the ceiling and were fixed with only narrow spaces in between. Riley took him through one of the aisles without contemplation, clearly knowing the place well.
ㅤ"Kind of funny that Jay has red eyes and no one even knew until now isn't it?" Riley said, conversationally. "It's the first thing you'd notice about a person. Thank Adeia he had that relic, otherwise we'd never identify him."
ㅤ"He had some kind of solution that changed them to brown." Alex explained.
ㅤRiley was going to end up reading Alex's final report on the issue anyway, the least he could do was give him the information early to repay his thanks.
ㅤ"We should send that stuff to the guys to analyse. It would be a problem for us if it hit the streets." A wry smile grew on Riley's face. "I suppose it's fitting that Jay would be a demon. Why do you want this information anyway?"
ㅤAlex nearly bumped into Riley who had stopped suddenly, looking back at him.
ㅤ"I'm looking for patterns." Alex explained, "I want to see if there's any patterns in how he chose his victims."
ㅤRiley smirked. "Other than being paid for them?"
ㅤAlex shrugged, not wanting to give too much away. He wasn't sure how much he trusted Riley, even if the king did.
ㅤ"Well, they're right here." Riley stretched to tap a shelf. It was high up for Riley, but manageable for Alex. "This is my personal key, but you can give it back once you're done, yeah? I'm heading to bed now."
ㅤAlex took it, a suspicion planted. "Thanks, but... didn't you come down here for something?"
ㅤRiley smiled. "I was just fetching that young man outside. Make sure you lock up afterwards."
ㅤAlex wasn't convinced, but didn't press any further. Riley squeezed past him and left, humming as he went. Alex thought he heard a scream a little later, but wasn't sure if he heard correctly.
ㅤHe looked up at the numerous boxes stuffed with paper and sighed, knowing it was going to take him forever. He spent a painfully unproductive amount of time carrying them all to one of the desks, sorting out what information was relevant to his search and what wasn't. Without a window to see outside, he had no way of knowing how much time had passed.
ㅤThe more he read the more Alex began to confirm that none of the victims were random. At first, he wasn't sure, reading random name after name until he came across the casefile of Lord Laureion, the son of a viscount. Alex had recognised the name for some reason and, after searching the library, he realised why.
ㅤLord Laureion had been found dead alongside the people he had allegedly murdered, down in their family house's dungeon. Witness statements suggest that it was routine for the man to torture petty criminals and beggers and much of the staff lived in terror that they'd be accused of theft and meet the same fate. It seemed he had been reported to the knights numerous times, but nothing ever came of it.
ㅤAlex didn't let the coincident rest and began backtracking the previous victims of Jay he hadn't thought much of. Most, if not all, had either their own casefile detailing their crimes, or at the very least had rumours circulating of their cruelty that had reached even Alex's ears.
ㅤJames had likely been telling the truth when he answered Alex's suspicion; he only harmed those who weren't 'innocent'.
ㅤIt wasn't just nobles Jay targeted, despite his reputation, but commoner gangs and corrupt merchants too. It was as if he was cleaning up the streets where the knight's order didn't bother to.
ㅤThis particular version of Jay had been around for a decade. If James had been honest about his age, Alex worked out that James must have started killing when he was only fifteen. He found the idea repulsive.
ㅤThe more he read, the more he respected him. James' history made Alex feel useless in comparison.
ㅤAlex yawned, his mind and body exhausted and looked at the mess of paper around him.
ㅤHe was tired.
ㅤIt took him an annoying amount of time to put the documents back properly in their correct places, the extraneous effort only further draining him.
ㅤThere was no receptionist at the desk as he left, so he made sure to lock the door behind him and kept Riley's key safe in his pocket. He would likely see the man in a matter of hours anyway.
ㅤThe palace seemed a lot quieter than it should have been and after Alex climbed the stairs upward it became evident why. Rather than being black, the tall proud windows were a gentle dark blue colour. He hadn't realised he'd been in the basement for so long that it was already morning. It reminded him of the fireflies in the field that James had shown him, it just wasn't nearly as beautiful.
ㅤHe wondered if James was okay.
ㅤAnnoyed that he'd missed out on another precious night of sleep after his tiring trip, he made his way back to his guest room to get the valuable minutes he could. He enjoyed the ethereal absence of people in the dim purple light as he walked, looking out at the golden glow of the city beyond the palace walls. His eyes stung from the lack of rest.
ㅤAs he neared the guest corridor, some other footsteps clicked in the air. He gave his face a rub and pushed his hair back, his fingers getting stuck in the curls, hoping that he looked presentable enough to not be an embarrassment.
ㅤHe rounded the corner and saw two men and a woman. As he neared them, he mentally prepared himself for conversation, but stopped short, his feet planting into the floor.
ㅤ"What the fuck."
ㅤJames looked away from the windows and to Alex. He looked completely different, his hair had been trimmed shorter and had been pushed out of his face, his blood eyes piercing red, his scruff clean-shaven. Even his clothes had been exchanged for something better, his suit befitting a nobleman, it fit him snugly. Once Alex was in his sights, his lips curled into a slow, smug, grin.
ㅤ"Your Lordship."
ㅤAlex fumed, stomping over to them. "What the fuck are you doing up here, you should be in the dungeon."
ㅤSurprisingly, the other man held a hand to stop Alex. It was Thomas, another of the king's guard and Riley's friend. The maid that was with them watched on in concern.
ㅤ"Thomas, what's the meaning of this?"
ㅤ"I'm the king's personal guest." James boasted, his eyes alight with mischief. "I even have my own bodyguard."
ㅤJames walked up to Alex and leaned in conspiratorially. "The mug is forced to follow me regardless of where I go, so I've been taking him on a night-time walk every hour. He's sick of me. You probably saved me from being punched just now."
ㅤAlex was too furious to put up with James' jokes.
ㅤHe barrelled past James, their shoulders thumping against each other.
ㅤ"Thomas, explain."
ㅤ"It's as he said." Thomas shrugged. "King William told me to look after him as a guest."
ㅤJames came alongside him, inclining his head as if to say 'see'. Even if James behaved this way, Alex had spent enough time with him to have honed his ability to read him; James was in a foul mood, even if he acted like he wasn't.
ㅤ"I'm not actually his bodyguard, though, for the record." Thomas added.
ㅤ"He basically is." James argued. "If I jumped out this window he'd follow me and save me. Wouldn't you?"
ㅤ"I would jump out to stop you from running away." Thomas corrected, deadpan.
ㅤAlex was too tired to know how to react to this situation, he rubbed another hand down his face, stressed to high hell.
ㅤ"You seem tired." James hummed, "I have a double bed if you want to share."
ㅤAlex snapped his head to James, scandalised. "Why are you saying that?"
ㅤ"Well, we slept together every time these last few nights." James smiled, knowing exactly the panic he was causing in Alex. "Thought you got used to it."
ㅤAlex quickly glanced at Thomas and the maid. There was technically nothing wrong with what James said, nor was it unobvious he was saying that just to be on the wind up, but it made Alex feel self conscious nonetheless. He didn't fancy being James' emotional punching bag just then. His head was a mess at that moment.
ㅤAlex had to collect his thoughts first.
ㅤ"I'm leaving." Alex announced and then paused to lean to James' ear. "Don't take your shitty mood out on me, my day has been bad enough."
ㅤAlex walked past them without another word, nor did he glance back at them. He was sure James' face was just as punchable as always.
ㅤHis mind was racing so quickly that he gave up any hope of sleep, instead playing out in his mind how he was going to confront his father about this situation. It made absolutely no sense for an assassin to be treated like a noble guest. It was borderline offensive.
ㅤAlex would find out why.