The Lies of the Immortal Queen

Ambush

"-and then there was that one time when I shoved a whole chicken leg down his throat" Lucas boasted as he leaned back comfortably, lightly holding the reins. He could have as well let them loose, the horses knew to follow the path well enough from all the years they've done back and forth from the capital and did not need but a command to stop.

"What was the context on that?" Alex asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Well he bet that I couldn't chug down a whole pint of beer in one breath, so I proved him wrong" he stated proudly "He lost the bet and refused to pay the price, so I made him pay it" Callon just rolled his eyes in annoyance, his arm dangling carelessly from the window "I would have kicked your ass if I wasn't drunk"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that buddy" 

The group kept chatting throughout the whole day until night fell again and it was time to settle. Alex couldn't tell how much they had traveled or how long it would take to reach the capital, he had forgotten to ask and felt too embarrassed to do so now.

"That's enough traveling for one day" she knocked on the carriage door "Cal, find us a good spot to set up camp" almost immediately, the door swung open, and the elf jumped out and up the trees, quickly disappearing. He returned after a few minutes and guided the group to a spot he had found close to a mountain wall, which allowed some coverage from possible ambushes.

"Alexy boy, check if there's anything suspicious around and keep watch while we set the tents" he nodded, tying Carl to a nearby tree and hopping off, patrolling the perimeter of the camp, finding nothing besides a few small rodents, who were quick to hide in the bushes.

"Nothing out of the ordinary" he reported back. 

"I'll make us some food, care to get wood, Alex?" Lucas asked as he pulled a set of pots and pans out of the carriage. He sighed, heading back into the forest once more, gathering a few thick branches and dried leaves. He was a porter, okay, but this was starting to get annoying very quickly.

They set up the fire and Lucas got to the cooking. He wasn't sure what the man was preparing, but it sure smelled delicious, so much so that both he and Callon were already drooling. Lucas told them it would be ready in about half an hour, so they tried to pass the time by playing cards. Alex had never played this game, so he lost several times before he got the hang of it.

"Three of a kind, pay up losers" Freya hummed victorious as she gathered her newly acquired fortune, which consisted of a few copper and silver coins. She insisted that the game would be no fun if they didn't bet anything on it, so they put on some pocket money. 

"You enjoy winning a lot, don't ya Freya?" Callon commented bitterly, looking at his few remaining copper coins, while Alex only had two left "Last round! I'll get it this time!" he grumbled, handing back the cards to have them shuffled by Callon, who quickly distributed them back.

Freya kept an unreadable poker face throughout the game, up until the end when she smiled and declared "All in" surprising the two. Callon immediately folded but Alex was confident he would win, so to par her bet, he put on the line his sword, earning a smirk in response "You do realize that if I win, you will have to pay back the whole worth of the sword to keep it, right?" he nodded "I'm aware, but there's no way in hell I'm losing this one!" he was edging on his seat for her to drop her act and reveal her cards.

"You two are way too over-competitive, enjoy tearing at each other as much as you like, I'm out" Callon dropped his cards in annoyance, revealing that he only had two pairs, which weren't worth much. But Alex had a straight flush and nothing could beat a straight flush. 

Well, nothing besides-

"Royal flush, suckers" she hummed, revealing her cards, which indeed showed a royal flush, leaving the two men flabbergasted "I'll be waiting for the payment with eagerness Alexy boy"