Twilight had settled in the horizon.The group looked for an inn to pa.s.s the rest of the night. The pirates led the Prince and the knight to an old house at the outskirts of town, a gra.s.sfield stretching for miles. Like most residences, it was made of timber, covering a wide area of land. It consisted of two floors and a chimney. The upper floor housed 10 rooms, each with its own bathroom.
The property also had two stables. One designated for its livestock and the other for the guests" horses.
Hayden halted and glared at the terrain between them and the inn. They had abandoned the royal carriage in the market since it brought inconspicuous attention.
Raz gave Tylen a set of thrift clothes from a small clothing store.
"If we"re going to do this, we better do it right. I don"t want anyone leering at us because of your fancy silk and embossed gold b.u.t.tons," Raz explained to the Prince, "If we are to keep this from the Princess" ears, we must take precaution. Take the carriage to the most luxurious inn in the market and have Sir Frown over here pose as you, Your Highness."
"That will not do, Pirate Raz" Hayden protested, hand on the hilt of his sword, "I am not to abandon the Prince"s side."
Hayden heard Raz"s tongue click. With one eyebrows raised, the pirate ridiculed him, "You"re about to do that tomorrow when you journey to Aurae. How is one night any different? Unless... you want to spend one last night before parting?"
"Why you—"
As Hayden pulled his sword out, Tylen blocked his arm. The knight looked at him with flared nostrils.
The Prince sighed, "They are right, Hayden. We have to split up tonight. Our delay caused enough suspicion. To cover our tracks, you must go and do as they expect me to."
"Alright…" Hayden huffed, securing his sword in its case, "But! I will scout this place first."
He headed towards the inn, b.u.mping shoulder to shoulder with Raz.
"Not going to look out for His Highness while he changed?" Cleon mocked from the side. Hayden kept walking, not looking back. Maia and Raz merely stared at Cleon with unimpressed facial expressions.
"What?" He asked but neither of them answered him.
Tylen left to find a place to change. They were surrounded by mountain sides and a spa.r.s.e forest. The Prince hid behind a wide tree trunk.
The pirates waited for him and Hayden patiently.
Tylen came back first. He now wore a faded black tunic as well as trousers with worn black boots. Raz took one look at him and nodded. Maia gave the Prince a knapsack for his belongings which Tylen accepted it gratefully.
When Hayden walked back to them, he was fuming. The scowl on his face as he stared at the ground gave away his unhappiness with the arrangement.
Tylen frowned at the sight of his best friend. It wasn"t about the accommodation, Tylen knew. It was more about their separation.
"Do you mistrust us that much?" Raz interrupted Tylen"s thoughts, cross-legged next to Maia on a gra.s.s patch. The Prince watched the pirate"s hands pause from sharpening his sword.
Hayden looked up, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened, "I cannot say your reputation is a good a.s.surance, pirate."
Cleon snorted, leaning on a tree and hands on the back of his head, "Relax that twist in your pants. We"ve never killed anyone nor have we caused extreme harm."
"No kidnapping either if that"s what you"re worried about" Maia smiled, checking her supplies.
Hayden chose not to answer them and walked up to Tylen. The pair of friends stared each other. This was the first time they"d part for a long period.
Hayden"s eyebrows relaxed. He placed a hand on his best friend"s shoulder and squeezed it.
"Promise me, you"ll take care of yourself" he said in the softest voice he could muster.
A half-smile formed on Tylen"s lips. He almost wanted to tease Hayden but he decided against it. Instead, he grabbed Hayden"s hand on his shoulder with a tight grip.
"I promise," Tylen a.s.sured him, "I"ll be alright. It"s you who should look after yourself, Hayden."
The knight reluctantly pulled his hand back. Then, with a huff of breath, he bid farewell.
Hayden bowed and kneeled before Tylen, "Take care, Your Highness."
Tylen wanted to hit him in the head. Their friendship was above their t.i.tles for the Crown Prince. Nonetheless, Tylen knew Hayden took them seriously.
Tylen pulled out his sword, pointing its tip of Hayden"s left shoulder, and said, "I, Crown Prince Tylen, send you off, Sir Hayden, to Aurae Kingdom as my representative to its court."
With that, Hayden got up. The pair exchanged a bow before the Knight set for a course back to the market.
Maia and Cleon stood, waiting to escort Tylen to the inn. Tylen"s head bowed as he walked up to them, his ears a little pink.
"How long have you known each other?" Maia asked. Tylen saw a small smile on the girl"s face. Now that they were past introductions, her stance had relaxed.
"Since we were babies, I guess" Tylen admitted, "Hayden is always present in all of my memories."
"What a beautiful friendship."
"Any more affection and I would have thought the knight has feelings for the prince" Cleon added absentmindedly.
Maia"s templed throbbed. She turned to Cleon and scolded him, "Cleon? You keep spouting rubbish. Stop talking altogether, alright?"
Then, she nodded towards the inn at Tylen. The prince followed her lead and the pair left the teenager.
The smug smile on Cleon"s face dropped, "What? I—Hey!"
As Hayden reached the edge of the spa.r.s.e forest, he stopped and listened.
Thump, thump, thump.
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Each sound was exactly one second apart.
He slowly tilted his chin higher… and higher… until his eyes landed on a tree branch. Raz sat on it, his back against the trunk, one leg bent and the other swinging over the side.
Raz smiled lazily, the heel of the booth hitting the trunk. Hayden squinted.
He watched as Raz jumped, landing in a crouch.The air hardly moved and the ground beneath barely made a sound. As the sky turned darker, Raz"s hair and clothes blended with the shadows.
"You"re pretty quick" Hayden broke the silence.
Raz tucked his hands in his front pockets, tilting his head to the side, "I had a head start."
"What is your purpose, pirate?"
"I think it"s you that has something to say" Raz smirked.
The pair had a stare down. Neither made sudden movements nor sounds. Not a single muscle twitched under the other"s gaze.
Above, the wind rustled the leaves on the trees. A cricket"s song greeted the incoming night sky.
Two blades clashed, scaring the birds off their nests.
Hayden had stepped his left foot forward and had swung his sword in front of his opponent. Raz had similar footwork and had met the knight"s attack with his own blade, countering the sword"s pressure.
Neither weapon swayed. Neither one gained the upper hand in this arm wrestle of swords.
"Nothing should ever happen to him, pirate" Hayden spat through gritted teeth, a bead of sweat on his temple, "Or I will have your head."
The knight shifted his sword and aimed for the crown of the pirate"s head. Another clang echoed in through the forest. Raz had spared him zero chance and had blocked it with a right upper thrust, sword on its side.
Hayden"s glare intensified. He hated how he couldn"t find a fault in Raz"s techniques and a reason to persuade Tylen back to his side so they could continue their journey to Aurae.
"You have my word, Sir Hayden. I will protect your precious prince with my life."
Hayden perked up at Raz" intonation, throwing him off balance. The knight"s distraction only lasted for a second but it was enough for an opening.
Instead of taking advantage of it, Raz pulled back. Hayden straightened up and sheathed his sword.
No form of farewell was exchanged, only a b.u.mp to the shoulder as Raz walked back to the inn.
Hayden turned around and stared at Raz"s back, a question on his lips, "What do you know about the Princess?"
The pirate stopped.
"You lived in Celios, right?"
Over her shoulder, Raz answered, "I"ve never seen her outside the palace nor have I infiltrated it."
"But your information network… it"s supposed to be vast. You surely must know something."
"There are a lot of things we know, yes…" Raz slowly turned around towards Hayden, "But the Celios Palace is not easily ripped open. The monarchy rule above all for a reason."
The warning in the pirate"s eyes made Hayden scowl. Raz answered it with a nod then, walked away, leaving the knight alone to think about his mission.