"That wasn't very polite." Phillip said as he watch the lord of war land lightly on the roof.
Cybelline shrugged, "I don't like to be touched."
She looked around, "So all of this is mine now?" They looked at the vast arena littered with wood scrapes and moaning soldiers.
"Yes, well you are now one of the richest nobles in the city." Philip looked at her, "We thieves and spies worship The Fox God and his wife, Lady Haera, the lady of luck. I'm beginning to think that you might be her daughter. I've never met someone so lucky as you. You have earned in a day what some lords earn in a lifetime." He turned his face towards her with a bright, radiant smile that would've caused weaker men and women to fall under his charm.
"Now that you have all these things, why don't you give me back my gambling house?" Philip thought about Alma, the lady who was in charge of his purse and her daggers, and shuddered. He didn't know Cybelline would win this easily...or this quickly. Alma had given her a month and even that was a reach, as he knew the task had been impossible. Now he was faced with the possibly of losing a lot of money.
Maybe she would give him back his gambling house out of good will? He looked at Cybelline whose eyes lit up once she took a quick glance of House Garlish's account books.
Cybelline was taking a bag from a clerk of the former Lord Garlish. Hearing his question, she raised an eyebrow at Philip.
"The only way you could get it back is if you win it off of me." Cybelline's smile was dangerously inviting. It reminded him of an ancient scroll with paintings of the trickster fox and luck goddess Haera. It said that only fools would bet against that smile.
Philip shuddered, "Come, let's go see where old Ithos had run off to."
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Ithos was happily drinking mead and buying sweetmeats for his wife when he heard a loud BOOM. Far off in the distance, he saw a cloud of smoke and shook his head. He was glad the other boys had already returned and were napping at the inn. But where was Cybelline?
He began walking towards the direction of the explosion. A few men, out of breathe, huffing were already telling the tale. He stopped for a moment to listen.
"A lord...made like that! All of the sudden!" the storyteller was shaking so much in excitement that his fingers failed to make the snap sound. His sweaty face was pale with shock and awe as he described the happenings of the popular gambling house.
"Ere, what's this about?" A friend of the men asked, "What are ye talking about?"
"The Lord of War is here. And he was just kicked through a roof by the Queen's new favorite! We have a new lord" The sweaty man responded, he mopped his forehead. The other man gaped, "This means war. I gots to go home and get me wife out of here."
"A new lord" Another man scoffed, "he'll be dead by sundown. They say grown men piss themselves on the battlefield when they see that Lord of War a comin'."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." The man who had seen everything said, "That new lord, he fought a giant beast and won." Ithos smiled and shook his head, he was worried for nothing, how could Cybelline be mixed up with that upstart hellion general?
Ithos sat down at a stall and ordered some mead, he would return to the inn soon. He enjoyed the quiet, peaceful time in the city, his only regret was that Myrai had chosen to remain in the ring with Miri and Ryion.
"Ithos!" A large hand slapped the old man's back, but the old man's hand remained steady, not a drop of mead spilled.
Ithos smiled as Cybelline took a seat across from him and scowled at Philip, "Lad, ye lucky i'm in a good mood, don't yet go slappin' me back like that again."
"Did ye have fun?" Ithos asked Cybelline. She nodded, "Philip showed me his...ah, well, my gambling house."
Philip choked on a piece of sweetmeat he was eating, but Ithos's grin was ear to ear. He looked at Cybelline approvingly.
Philip sighed, he had thought about asking Ithos for help, maybe even have him ask that Cybelline give him back the gambling house. But...
"Looks like ye had a good day, all in all." Ithos took another sip of mead. He now knew why the normally suave and handsome prince looked as if he had swallow a...no, many flies. He had bet against Cybelline and lost.
Unlike him, Cybelline was much better at taming this young upstart of a prince. Serves him right, Ithos thought as the satisfaction from years of being cheated out of his coin avenged came over him.
"She also got herself made into a lord, inherited the largest gambling house in the land, punched the lord of war through a roof, and managed to catch the eye of the Queen of Thieves. As her next lover." Philip added, he had lost a lot of money today, and he wanted Ithos to feel the shock he was feeling now.
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffff..... Ithos spat out his drink.
Ithos looked at Philip, whose face was now covered in mead and spittle. He grinned sheepishly, "Ye...got some stuff on yer face."
"Here." Cybelline handed Philip a piece of cloth. Philip grabbed it and wiped his face a few times. Then he looked at the thing in his hand, and at the rags that the stall owner was wiping the tables with. And then at Cybelline. "Is this..." Cybelline looked at the wet and dirty rag that had the stall owner had used to wiped the table that was now clutched tightly between Philip's shaking fingers, and nodded.
So you handed it to me?! Philip thought as he tossed the offensive rag down on the floor. With his heel, he grounded it into the dust.
"Is this true child?" Ithos said, he looked thunderstruck. Cybelline grinned, "Just a bunch of misunderstandings." She thought for a second, "Except for punching that Lord. I have no regrets."
Philip's mouth fell open, "He's the lord of war. The greatest warlord of the kingdoms. He's the nightmare that kings wake up at night from, scared witless at the mere thought of him even staring at the direction of their kingdom. You should have regrets. All the regrets."
Ithos's face darkened, "If Cy really did punch him..."
Philip waited for Ithos to explode about Cy bringing these misfortunes.
"...then he probably deserved it." Ithos finished, he patted Cybelline, "Child, never let anyone take advantage of yet. Yer ma and I support ye."
Cybelline looked at Philip, "Don't you have a few things to do right now?"
Philip stood up. They looked at him. He looked resigned, "I'll see you two later. After the festival tomorrow night, we'll go see your friend. Immediately after."
"What the hurry?" Ithos asked, "I thought we were going the day after?"
"That's too late." Philip said, through gritted teeth, "Besides, I have much work to do today."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm afraid that if Cy stays longer, she could very well take my throne." Philip walked away, his shoulders slumped a little, "I have to go to my accountant, who will likely take my head in payment for all that I've lost." Alma. Knives.
He walked away, the very picture of defeat.
"I'm tempted to stay for a while, Cy. Yer a good influence on him." Ithos remarked he looked at the poor prince who seemed to be dragging himself unwillingly towards a lion den.
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Lord Killian stood on the roof as if he was statue. Lord Evans and Jacen were afraid to approach and disturb their lord. He turned around and blinked, "Did I do something wrong?" Then he looked worried, "Did I hurt his hand?"
Lord Evans: ...
Jacen: ...
They both thought, My lord, you're the one who's been punched through a roof.
Killian took a step towards that direction but Lord Evans suddenly stood in front of him, "My Lord."
Killian frowned. Lord Evan swallowed hard, "My lord, perhaps it's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar."
"I'm not catching flies." Killian said coolly. Lord Evan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"My lord, it's clear even to us that you will not harm the boy. But if you want information out of him and you continue to force yourself into his presence..." Lord Evan trailed off , the implication clear. Killian was not stupid, he just preferred to solve problems with force and not diplomacy.
But in this case, he sighed, "Keep tabs on him." Jacen's mouth hung open. This was the first time that Lord Killian had chosen subtlety over violence. The world must be ending soon, for such absurdity surely spelled the end of times.
Killian watched as the boy and the detestable Prince Philip left the gambling house that was more or less rubble at this point. He resisted the urge to shoot Prince Philip full of arrows.
He watched as they moved farther and father away. There was something familiar about the boy and he may be the key to finding that person hidden in his heart.
But he knew that he had pushed Cy too far today and there was many mysteries around the boy. He took out the rope of pearls again. They bore the mark of the palace. Stolen and familiar. So many questions. He smiled.
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Author's Note:
A relatively shorter chapter to test the waters and easy myself back into the story. I'm really grateful for all the people who sent me messages the last few weeks when i was away from the site. I've read them and and wanted to say thank you, it means a lot to me. I went on vacation in April and ever since I came back, it was hard to fall back into writing. Thank you for the support!