The Poisoned Crown (SyndiSparklez)

1: Welcome Home

                       A/N: Reposting in different part since changing the same part didn't show the story updated.

And also, 4k reads on that original! Dang, that's a 2.6 mile former girls cross country race.

Well, chapters are longer now to give the pace more build and description, so....yeah.

First part is the same as the April Fools blurb, I was using an actual scene.

Chapter 1: Welcome Home

"Can I have that back?"

Tom chose to pretend he's deaf. The carriage ride is much too close quartered and his suggestion of putting Sonja and Tucker with the baggage was ignored. Jordan sitting next to him would have been apparently too much to ask. For Dianite's sake did I not just drag your ass back from death? Can a 'thank you Tom, you're my hero, how will I ever repay you!' or something similar be given. The man had plenty ideas how Jordan could repay him, the first along the lines of "let's ditch these Mianite suckers".

"Tom," he said again.

His eyes were glued to the window. There's nothing remarkable out there, but if he pretends he's not paying attention the man across from him might give up. There's not even the familiar woods he's used to seeing, but there's prairies and hills and small settlements they pass every once in awhile. He's seen cows grazing in fields, horses staring out at the edge of the fence and the occasional flock of geese in a lake. Tom hated it all. It was the first time he left the woods in a few decades and now he remembers why he didn't leave. It was all so fake, he knew that even the most peaceful scenery always was absolutely totaled during war time.

Jordan didn't ask again. Before Tom can react, he felt the sunglasses leaving his face. That little...Tom grabbed his wrist without thinking, trapping Jordan mid draw away. He had given the man back his bow and sword and most of other items he had 'borrowed' but the sunglasses were non negotiable. They were payment until Jordan learned his manners. Sonja was asleep next to him, but Tucker raised an eyebrow at Tom's action.

"Are you going to start a fight, man? Really, Tom?" Tucker questioned with a sigh.

He didn't let go of Jordan's wrist and stared the black-haired man in the eyes. He was the frigging Champion of Dianite, he deserved some respect. Jordan stared back, challenging his authority. As if testing Tom's resolve, he tried pulling his hand away, Tom's grip grew firmer.

"Tom," Jordan warned.

"No," Tom said quietly. "You heard me earlier."

"They were a gift," Jordan said in a tone that lead Tom to believe Jordan might have punched him if he was a lesser man.

"So? They're now a gift to me unless you follow through," Tom countered. He'd admit, that was a jackass thing to do, but Tom never said he was nice. His price wasn't even that high.

"Tom, give them to me."

The carriage hit something and one moment Jordan was standing, attempting to pull his wrist free, the next he was not-so-pleasantly on the floor. Tom still hadn't let go, but at least his grip had saved Jordan from a massive headache. His grip on the sunglasses slackened and he let them fall into Tom's lap without looking at the man. The Dianite man shook his head and pulled Jordan off the floor.

"You should be more careful," Tom said as he scooped the sunglasses from his lap and slid them to rest on his shirt.

"You should be nicer," Jordan commented, settling back into his seat. With an annoyed huff he returned to flipping through a book or something.