Lunar Flare Book 1: Crimson Moon

Chapter 1

It was surprising that Thedrick was still in the tavern, considering how deep into his cups he already was. Usually, by now he would have managed to piss off one of the soldiers enough that they would beat him up and throw him out onto the street. It wasn't from lack of trying, though; but the worst the jester had gotten so far that evening was a bunch of grunts, growls and death glares from the other men before they moved away from him.

Though Thedrick was slightly hunched over the bar, bells from his hat hanging around his pale, downturned face, he couldn't ignore the presence of the man who sat down next to him. The bar stool creaked audibly under his weight, grabbing Thedrick's attention and making him raise his head slightly and glance to his side to see who had taken the spot next to him at the bar.

Thedrick straightened up quite a bit more as he took in the sight of the massive man who had sat down beside him. Of course, Thedrick was very small, and most other men were much taller than him, but this guy towered well above any other soldier the jester had ever seen. Thedrick would look like a child standing next to this man. Not only was he so tall that he definitely would need to duck through any doorway, but he clearly had a muscular build under the leather armour which covered his chest.

Thedrick mostly managed to tear his eyes away from the giant man for a moment so he wouldn't get caught staring, raising his cup with a slightly trembling hand to take a sip whilst watching the newcomer out of the corner of his eye. He didn't remember ever seeing this man at the tavern before. Was he perhaps a visitor to the kingdom? Thedrick watched with intrigue as the giant removed his helmet, setting it down on the bar next to him.

The man shook out his blonde, shoulder-length hair, smiling at the bartender before ordering a drink with a voice that had a deep, warm timbre. The light from the wall sconces reflected in his bright blue eyes, which creased at the corners from his cheery expression. A scruffy beard covered his square jaw, and his other features were soft, like his rounded nose.

Thedrick felt his breath catching in his throat as he glanced at the man. Not only was the guy built like a mountain, but he was incredibly handsome as well. However, if Thedrick made a move and it pissed this guy off like it did all the other soldiers, he could probably crush the jester's skull with one hand. That only made the fool want to try it more, though.

Thedrick shuffled around on his seat to better face the stranger, straightening himself and peering up at him, clearing his throat. The giant must have heard him, for he turned his head and raised an eyebrow at the jester questioningly.

"Hey there, handsome," Thedrick said with a smirk and a wink, fearless in the face of death.

"Oh, hello!" the stranger said with surprise, peering down at the much smaller man before him. "Why, thank you. You're quite handsome yourself, little man," he added with a friendly smile.

Thedrick stared up at the large man in shock, his smirk having fallen from his face. That wasn't how it was supposed to go. That wasn't supposed to happen. He had no idea what to say in response to that, he hadn't planned on getting this far. He was stunned into silence for one of the few times in his life.

The stranger gave a slightly awkward chuckle. "You okay there, jester?" he asked gently, with a look that was expecting an answer.

"Y-Yeah, I'm great!" Some nervous chuckles spilled out after Thedrick's words. "I just... that's not the sort of reaction I was expecting, I... usually when I call the soldiers handsome, they beat me up... haha."

"Oh no, that sounds terrible," the large man said with what sounded like genuine concern, which only served to increase Thedrick's confusion. "But, if you know they don't like it, then why do you do it?"