The White Sheep's Disguise ✓

Chapter 50

Tucking my coat tighter around myself, I balance my boots in the icy step and sit at Chaska's side, handing over the cup of warm barley tea. The ice seems to cut right through the fabric of my coat and the blanket spread out to cover the top step of Theoden's cottage so our bottoms don't freeze to the wood.

Chaska hugs the cup tight, warming her bare hands, and brings the steaming drink close to her face. Her dark lips pucker and she blows air through them, the steam diminishing into night air. I tuck my arms tight against my body and stare out at the empty street barricaded by a black sky and endless starts. Somehow, the stars here aren't as bright as they are near the capital. Their glow doesn't extend beyond pricking the sky with light, offering the smallest taste of nectar before the sun rises.

At my back, a burst of laughter breaks through the door. Someone tosses two dice onto the wooden table and the other two members hold their breath. Another round of Hazard before the day is over; shared around tea and stale loaves of bread Cloak paid a hefty price for at the bakery near the docks. The shady woman was so surprised to see a gold coin fall into her palm that she nearly fainted where she stood.

That wasn't the only unannounced help Cloak offered. When a sail tore, he helped a random crew hold down the remnants of fabric until they could stitch it back together. Once that was resolved, he took to loading wares-buckets, baskets, barrels, crates-onto ships. He stashed everything in the cargo hold, disappearing too long below deck for me to keep an eye on him, but he always resurfaced, brushing at his hands while climbing the staircase.

He acknowledged his people, unknowingly giving them a shred of hope for their future journey to Hasteaston or another distant land. He gracefully took the knuckles of blushing women to ease their journey onto the gangplank and carried a young boy around on his shoulder to reach a ball lodged in roof tiles.

Watching him take part in recognizing the hard work of the docks was strange. Perhaps we don't know as much about each other as I originally believed, though I can't ask about his mother-if he knew her or even knows what her name was. The kernel of a past I'm aware of, that of his father, isn't as monumental as I thought it was. Cloak possesses more, what I witnessed today is proof of that. Taking a table of his own, he spent hours cleaning fish until I couldn't tell the difference between some of the most experienced cleaners at the docks and that of his handiwork.

He shook Ocanthio's hand and thanked the foreman for keeping everything in line. The kingdom couldn't do it without you, he said. I never saw the old foreman blush before, but a rosy shade took hold of his cheeks and no frown could hide it. Very few can maintain professionalism when facing a compliment from a prince.

Then, just when I thought his good deeds were done for the day, he bought my family dinner so Theoden didn't have to cook. The old man insisted on making tea, which Cloak agreed to, but everything else laid in the hands of the only restaurant in the village. We carried our meal home and gathered around the table, eating hot food that didn't leave a mess of dishes to deal with afterward.

Cloak complained about the endless dents in his boots when he trained, the tears in the leather, and my brother offered solutions without thinking twice. Stronger leather, routine cleanings, expert stitch work. A brightness spread across Castiel's face that I haven't laid eyes upon in three years, and his happiness is a direct result of what I can't do. I can't be a prince; I can't hold myself to a high standard as Cloak does.

Lucky for me, I don't have to. Knowing my brother looks forward to speaking with him and may look up to Cloak, a twinge of regret made my delicious dinner hard to chew. This would end. Once Claiming's Eve was over and Cloak alerted his mother that my methods had miraculously healed him, I wouldn't look forward to a two-week venture to the palace anymore. In fact, Cloak and I are preparing to part ways entirely. All I'll have left is a pendant around my neck and the memory of an adventure I know I should've enjoyed more.