The Birth of The Prince and The Raven

Part 4

Cale didn't normally have a hangover. He was a seasoned drinker and for that matter, he wasn't normally actually all that drunk.

He hadn't really been that drunk last night either. Some punks had been talking about foul things in the tavern Cale had arrived at and he'd decided to teach them a lesson, in his own unique way.

It would have gone the same way of so many previous outbursts if not for a miscalculated through that had sent one of the bastards toppling into an innocuous looking mans table.

Cale had immediately felt guilty over involving a bystander in trash act and had silently promised to find a way to make it up to him.

Only the bastard had gotten up and given Cale a hangover in the form of a few swift blows with malicious precision. Cale had gotten into enough brawls to know that this man didn't mean to hurt him badly but it still stunned him.

And before the situation had been salvaged, the guards had dragged the scowling man away.

That all wouldn't have been quite enough to give Cale this much of a hangover. It wouldn't be the first time he'd fucked up and his father was pretty good at smoothing things over with the victims.

But then he'd been haranged by two skinny children who demanded that he bring back their Kim Rok Soo, practically hissing at him as they begged and pleaded for his freedom.

They explained too much.

That this man was their only caregiver and protector. That the meal that Cale had inadvertently ruined was one that they had saved for with meticulous patience. That if anyone should be in jail, it was the children because they were the ones who'd begged and begged Kim Rok Soo for this single and modest feast.

Cale was used to feeling like trash.

He wasn't used to feeling like complete scum.

Normally Cale would have had his father smooth the whole thing over and call it a day, perhaps mention something to his father to ensure the remuniarions was particularly generous.

But there was something in the golden eyes of the begging children that nagged at his heart strings in such a way that he wouldn't feel satisfied unless he dealt with this in person, at least partially.

That didn't make looking at the mocking gaze of the surprisingly noble man any less obnoxious.

It sucked even more knowing that he deserved it.

Cale looked the man over and decided he'd keep this as short as possible. He spoke with an eloquence and atmosphere that he normally hid in an effort to maintain his trash-persona, he at the very least owned this man sincerity.

"I apologize for my actions. While I had no intentions of harming you or those around you, I take full responsibility for how my recklessness has influenced your life. The charges will be dropped in their entirety and I will personally ensure that you receive what you have lost." Cale wasn't a stranger to humble pie, he ate it everyday that he convinced the world that he was garbage, but this was the first time in awhile that it tasted so bittersweet. He was genuinely sorry to this man.

Kim Rok Soo's eyes widened at the surprisingly sincere apology, not at all what he'd expected from Cale "Trash" Henituse. But he didn't need to think much before he found his reply.

"If you're dropping charges, drop the charges for that kid over there." He jerked his thumb vaguely in the direction of a huddled figure in the corner who jumped slightly at the sudden attention, her eyes widening. "I don't need it."

After all, if this was a free pardon, he might as well give it to the kid. Kim Rok Soo already had plans to get a pardon from Count Deruth so this was merely an unnecessary bonus pardon that could be thrown away.

Neither Rue nor Cale were privy to his thoughts though and to all ears and eyes present, it appeared to be such a sincerely selfless act that it created chaos inside of the pair.

Cale's pupils shook as he gawked at the man.

Was he really that selfless? He knew that the man that the children had described was a too-good-to-be-true person and thus assumed that the children were prone to some creative exaggeration but now he felt as though they might have undersold it.

Assaulting a noble was a serious crime, one that could easily result in his death. The man had no reason to know that Cale would never let that event occur.

Was he really throwing his life away for some random kid?

Cale looked towards the girl in question, realizing she was probably around his age and looked just as shocked as he felt.

"...both can be arranged." He said weakly, hoping that she wasn't in here for any serious crime. He assumed not though, he would have heard about something serious happening within the territory. "Do you have any other requests?"

Kim Rok Soo had entirely settled down from his earlier surprise and was instead calculating the stranger known as Cale Henituse.

This was not the man he'd read about in [The Birth of a Hero].

Was this how he was when he was sober? Or was there something deeper than that? Kim Rok Soo was suddenly acutely aware that the novel had never once offered Cale's perspective.

Well, he was still bitter over the ruined lunch so he was still going to scam the man blind.

"Yeah, I've thought of a few things." Kim Rok Soo said with devious calculation.

Cale had a sneaking suspicion that this selfless and kind man was far more cunning than he was comfortable with.

Still, he was a man of his word.

He met Kim Rok Soo's avaricious look with a sincerely compliant one. "I attentively await your requests."

Ah, that smile really was quite unnerving. Rue looked away as the negotiations commenced, mind racing as she tried to conceive of the crazy strangers' motivations.

No one was that generous.