Calorn AU - Red Queen Retelling

Chapter 2 - Queenstrial

Calorn AU II

Note: This is a Red Queen Retelling in an AU. Things are a little more different from canon.

Kilorn POV

For the first time in years, I slept as long as I wanted to. No one woke me up, commanding me to ge the boat ready. Because there was no one but me in the small house. It was a strange stituation, but one that wouldn't last long. Soon I would be a soldier, probably getting even less sleep than a fisherman.

Sleep wasn't nearly enough to chase off the hangover plaguing my body. I felt nauseous, my head felt as heavy as an anchor and I had to force myself to eat breakfast. Yet I smiled at the memories from last night, if only to keep the fear at bay. Cal. I whispered his name to myself. Cal. Cal.

I didn't expect to see him again, but I would cherish what we had last night, hoping it would get me through the rough time coming.

Cal was also the reason I felt so sick this morning. He'd had always the same drinks as me, but he couldn't get them down. I'd finished them for him while he'd promised to do better next time - he didn't and at the end of the night, hours past midnight, he had still been the drunker one of us.

His intoxicated giggles were the most adorable sound I'd ever heard.

Not that I'd remained sober in any way. I'd started to spill my story after a few drinks. About how my father had died and my mother abandoned me, about how I'd become a fisherman. I'd talked about how I'd lost my heart to Shade and he'd never managed to give me a yes or no; while his sister Mare was my best friend who would like to see the world. And I'd confessed that my hopes and expectations - if any Red had such - had been shattered with my Master's death.

Cal's face had turned serious the moment I'd mentioned this. His already well-defined and sharp-lined jaw tightened and his eyes, a golden orange similar to Shade's, had grown dark under his frown.

He had touched my shivering hand laying on the table and murmered, "I've been to the war before. I know how it is." He'd started to caress my fingers and I'd noticed my ragged breaths calming.

"How did you make it out alive?" I'd whispered, but then I'd wondered. "Don't you have a job? Why were you there?"

Cal had blinked for a moment. "I - my boss needed me there. He's quite the important veteran, you know? But - " he'd looked at my frown - "how the Reds have to fight, that's not, umm, how it's supposed to be. Never was."

I'd chuckled glumly and raised my glass. "Certainly not!" And Cal had drunk with me. He'd coughed at the vodka's spirit and I'd stared at his aquiline nose as he'd turned his head away from me. Once he'd finished, facing me again, I'd touched his stubby cheek and his eyes gazed into mine. As if on instinct, I'd kissed his brow. "How 'bout you give me some hope and tips for survival?" I'd said.

Again his lovely giggling. "I know some ways to stay alive among soldiers," he'd answered. But what he'd told had been mostly dirty jokes and bad puns. It was all I needed to hear.

It wasn't the knock on the door that alarmed me, the noise from outside was telling enough. Soldiers. A raid. Conscription. I thought of Mrs. Keats, Master's daughter, again. She had to have reported me after all. I swallowed, trying to gather my things. I wasn't sure if I preferred it this way or not, without saying goodbye to anyone. The Barrows have been good to me, when will they know?

I had barely grabbed some clothes as the door opened. I straightened, drilled to submission as a Red was supposed to. But it was only a servant who was greeting me. She blinked as she noticed my nervous posture. She seemed familiar.