Trigger warning!
Lot of brawling and a creepy af pervert. skip if these topics are triggering for you!
Take care of your brain chemistry! We will see you in the next chapter!
River Verlice gaped at Raven, as he emptied his umpteenth tankard of wine in three swift gulps. How he managed to consume so much and remain upright was nothing short of a divine miracle.
"Aaa, that sure hits the spot!" he slammed the empty mug on the countertop, grinning ear to ear.
Meanwhile, River cradled his cup of tepid milk with both hands and kept silent. Diluted to an extreme, it tasted like faint remnants of water that clung to the cup after rinsing. But at two copper coins, he couldn't expect much more.
"You don't like it" Raven chuckled at his adorably wrinkled nose. "Don't fucking drink it then."
River sighed, resigning himself to the lackluster beverage and quickly finished it. "I've survived worse."
"Like what?"
"Your presence" River deadpanned, gathering his damp hair over his shoulder.
Raven's bottom lip jutted out in an exaggerated pout. "Meanie"
The run-down tavern buzzed with the boisterous vigor of drunk, raucous sailors and merchants, each one more intimidating looking than the other. River was thankful they found a cramped spot to sit, lest he might get flattened into a meat pancake amidst the horde. The crowd only swelled as evening dragged on, spilling out the threshold of 'Mara's.'
The tavern itself was slightly larger than a shoebox, and the way it smelled sent River's head reeling. The air was thick with the nauseating blend of tobacco, sweat and the unmistakable stench of alcohol. Everyone was yelling at each other, creating a cacophony of dialects and accents. Somewhere, a glass shattered sharply, followed by a loud thud, but no one seemed fazed. River turned to see yet another man slumped on the floor, blacked out.
The man sitting next to River was eyeing him weirdly for a while now, dark orbs glazed over from the effect of liquor. River squirmed in his seat, inching towards Raven, and making himself as small as possible. Rolling his pipe between his clenched teeth, he greedily watched the younger boy, pupils blown wide in barely disguised arousal. River tried his level best to use his hair as a curtain to block him out, his scrutiny feeling like an unwelcome weight on his back.
sir, I'm too busy ignoring you. Please go away.
"I know you don't like it here," Raven started, taking a sip out of his refilled tankard. "But there is someone we should meet."
River side glanced at him quizzingly. Raven was about to tell something, but the man shoved onto River's side, hitting him like a landslide. Under the guise of finding his balance, he clutched River's seat; not so discreetly brushing against his thigh in the process. Fortunately, Raven caught him by the scruff of his neck before River could roll off the stool to run as far away from him as he could.
"Ay! Watch it bastard!" he growled at the man, helping River back into his seat. The man smiled and tipped his head but made no apology. He went back to his drink acting as if nothing happened.
Disgusted, River subtly wiped at the spot he touched. The filthy fingertips seemed to burn through the fabric of his pants on to his skin. He schooled his expressions quickly before Raven noticed and started a brawl.
He was too late because Raven was already on his feet, fists clenched.
Here we go again.
The fight, if you could call it that, only lasted two short minutes. Two minutes was all it took for Raven to beat him to a bloody pulp that even his mother would have trouble recognizing as her son.
Other than saving their own drinks from spilling when Raven repeatedly slammed his head onto the counter, no one interfered. Either it was an unwritten rule at Mara's to never step into other's fights or they all instinctively knew whoever defended the man would end up getting their faces pureed, too.
Raven examined his face, like an artist evaluating his masterpiece. River could no longer say his nose apart from his mouth, the sight reminding him of a squished, rotten tomato. The milk he drank threatened to come back up and he retched.
Feeling satisfied, Raven delivered the final blow between his legs, kneeing hard enough to make every man in the room wince and look away. The unfortunate soul sprawled on the floor, knocked out.
The server came along and wiped blood on the countertop with a washcloth, calmer than she would clean a spilled drink. Everyone went back to their own business, after two kindhearted sailors dragged the pervert out and dumped him on the side of the road.
Raven switched seats with River so he would be sitting safely between the wall and Raven, not that anyone dared to look their way after witnessing what ensued.
"How long had he been eye-fucking you?" Raven demanded, taking a swing from his drink.
"Please don't phrase it like that" sighing, River tried pulling the wooden tankard out of his tight grasp "That's enough for tonight."
Raven stubbornly held on to the handle, eyes narrowed at him. At the end of the intense staring contest, he defeatedly let River take it away. "You were totally going to sit there like a clay brained duck if I didn't notice."
"I didn't want you to get into a fight."
Raven rolled his eyes so hard that he looked possessed. "Missy, you need to stop doing this."
"Doing what?" River tilted his head.
He leaned over the wooden bar top, resting his head on his palm. "Treating yourself like shit. First, I thought you had terrible luck, then I thought you were plain stupid. Then after what happened on Clementine, I now think it's neither."
Please don't think so much. You will fall into a coma.
River looked up at him, amused. "What is it then?"
"I don't know..." Raven scratched his head, brows furrowed. "There is something fucking wrong with you."
"You are imagining it" River answered flatly, and leaned on the counter too, so they were at the same level.
The conversation awkwardly died after that.
Mainly because River could not keep a conversation going to save his life but also because they both came to the sudden realization that they were sitting too close. River could see the black specking in his brown eyes for the first time. His lashes were ridiculously long, too. He could stare all he wanted but there was not a single flaw to pick in his face.
He is quite attractive when he shuts up.
They sat there for a couple minutes, staring into each other's faces.
Raven languidly curled a soft, damp lock between his fingers, gaze dropping to the cascade of jet-black hair "Why did you grow it this fucking long?"
It was not the first time someone had questioned him about his odd choice to grow out his hair. Even Wolfram asked several times, even offering to cut it for him.
If anyone else asked, he would have brushed the question off with a nonchalant "No reason." If he explained why, people would ask too many questions, dig too deep into a vile, maggot infested grave. They would unearth rotten corpses of his past, rancid and oozing with decay. Corpses he slaved to bury over a decade.
But he was safe with Alistair; he could tell him anything. He would not ask questions; he would not ask him to explain.
His brain is as smooth as a freshly buttered pan so everything I say will slide right off.
"I read a story once," River began, relaxing against the counter while Raven played with the lock he had grown fond of. "Once upon a time, there was a terrible monster."
Raven's eye sparkled, a blinding smile adorning his visage. He looked like he was listening to a bedtime story and seemed way too innocent for someone who still had fresh blood under their nails.
"He was small and not very scary," River scoffed "But a monster is a monster."
Raven nodded eagerly, urging him to continue.
"One day a bigger monster caught him," River smiled at how Raven's eye widened in curiosity.
How old are you, Idiot?
"This one was very scary. He hid the little monster away and treated him very badly. He would tear the little monster apart, rip his arms off, poke his eyes out. Over and over agai- "
"How come the little monster didn't die? Raven butted in, rolling his eyes.
The question made River momentarily speechless. He glared at the older man in feigned anger. "How am I supposed to know? I'm not one who wrote the book."
"Maybe because he was a monster" Raven's forehead creased as he wandered.
River gave him a grim smile. "Maybe that's why he is a monster."
"Same thing, ay?" Raven swatted his hand dismissively "What happened next?"
River sighed, unable to believe how this man could be so childish. "But the big monster would never touch his hair."
"Monsters have fucking hair?!" Raven exclaimed, interrupting the story once more.
River narrowed his eyes and scowled at Raven, letting the silence stew.
"Ay, Ay, I'll shut the fuck up" Raven cowered behind his folded arms, giggling "Why leave it alone?"
"So every time he tried to run away; the big monster could drag him back by his hair" River droned on, averting his eyes from Raven's. "It was humiliating, degrading.. and a never-ending vicious cycle he could not run away from."
"What happened to the little monster?" Raven pried, peering into River's face. He was expecting the younger boy to wear his usual impassive expression or to glare at his constant questioning.
But the grin on his face made Raven's whole body erupt into gooseflesh. His eyes were widened to a size he had never seen before on a human, azure orbs conquered by darkness of his expanded pupils. It was hard to say if he was scared out of his mind or was remembering the happiest day of his life.
"He became the bigger monster" River whispered, even his voice few notes deeper than usual.
Raven suspiciously eyed the empty cup in front of them, wondering if the milk was laced with something. "That is the shittiest story I've heard in my entire fucking life."
"Cry about it" River said dryly. Gladly, his face was back to his uninterested, broody expression Raven knew well and loved. For a moment Raven felt he must have hallucinated the whole thing, having drunk too much wine.
"I'm pretty sure the moral of the story is that one should never grow their fucking hair" Raven laughed, jokingly tugging on his hair. "How come you did the exact fucking opposite?"
River chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to find a better way to word what he wanted to say.
It was a remainder.
Reminder, he looked at every day, touched every morning. A reminder that was always in his face, one that fell across his back.
It would never let him forget. Never let him become too comfortable. It would whisper in his ears as it flowed down the sides of his face, that the big monster was still out there.
"No reason" he sighed at last. "That's where I got the idea, though."
"Well, it's not every day that Missy tells me a story, so I'll forgive how ridiculous it was." He giggled and pulled the lock of hair once again, this time hard enough to earn a yelp from the younger boy.
"Did god make you with his eyes closed and hands tied?" River retaliated, gently kicking Raven's stool.
Raven reached out for his hair, unmistakably poised for another lighthearted tug.
But before his fingers could dig into River's hair, another hand clamped around his wrist in an iron grip. They both swiveled around to face the stranger in unison.
In a heartbeat, River recognized his brother's tanned face and bright black eyes.
Valor unleashed a devastating head-butt, propelling the southern king out of his seat with bone crushing force. Raven crashed onto the floor, toppling a table in a whirlwind of chaos. Though flabbergasted, the Southern king bounced back to his feet shockingly fast. Years of experience in brawling, evident in his reflexes. Blood streamed down his face, but that did not faze him at all.
Val stood towered in front of River like a human wall, ready to throw a punch again if necessary. He was bleeding in the head as well, profusely. River tugged on his brother's forearm trying to stop him from clobbering Raven. Why was this happening? He had no clue at all. Why Val was here? He didn't know.
"What was that for, asshole?!" Raven yelled, hurling a tankard at Valor Verlice.
"I don't remember giving you permission to touch my brother, Alistair!"
Author has many apologies!
This author is not dead...yet.
Author got buried under and avalanche of work. To anyone who waited for a chapter, apologies!!
This author kind of rushed this chapter because she wanted to somehow update this today itself. April holidays are rolling in, and this author plans to harness the power of sun and see the book through before uni starts again. if she doesn't get a jump scare assignment there will be regular updates for upcoming two weeks.
With that out of the way, let author know about your ideas on the new chapter!
author's brain is fried at this point so apologies if River isn't as witty as he usually is.
And The God's Game passed 2.5k reads and I'm grateful for each and every one of you who even flipped through the first few chaps.
Author's to do list-
1. RiVen hangs out
2. Raven talks about his childhood.
3.Transistion to Nothern court arc
4.Valor comes looking for his brother
after two days-
1.There is a half dead pervert on the floor. No ambulance was called.
2.River is finally talking ..and its scaring everyone.
3. Raven must be protected at all costs.
4. Two biggest idiots of the story have head butted. Ice sufficed.
5. Author is convulsing on the floor. ambulance was called.