The Prince's Brides (boyxboy)

8

*Prince Rivar's POV*

I was riding through the quarter, trying to take my mind of the disaster my quest to find happiness had turned into, when I spied a pair of brutes accosting the most beautiful of lay women. Ever the gentleman, I of course came forward to confront said men. What I wasn't counting on, was for the lady to take matters into her own hand, elbow the louse with his hand on her arm as soon as his head was turned. I certainly wasn't hadn't predicted getting myself pulled into a blasted street fight over a gods forsaken woman!

But no! All I'd seen was the very first woman to get my loins all caught up in a tizzy! All those years of mocking my brother for chasing after skirts, and the very first one to interest me and I loose myself in a common tavernesk brawl! Oh the shame.

Still, I was laughing happily as I ran away with my little courtesan to treat her to something at the closest tavern. To hell with the day's agenda! I had a beautiful woman, who by some miracle I was actually interested in, tugging on my arm, and I wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

"That was awesome," my companion laughed happily. "What's your name anyway?" She nudged my shoulder briskly.

"Uh," shit, "Akadian."

"Well, Aky, it was nice of you to join in the fun," she chuckled hardily as we fell into our stools. "You buying?"

I nodded. Of course I was buying, what kind of gentleman-

My thoughts were cut off when her two raised fingers were met with the slamming of two mugs in front of us. I grimaced at the slosh of alcohol across our little table top.
Just as the waitress was about to walk away, I realized something and grabbed her arm.

"I'm sure the lady would prefer something a little more-" this time I was cut off as I realized my, female, companion had just finished throwing back the entire glass of hard lagger.

"Another round?" I corrected myself. My voice may have been a bit higher and pinched at the end there.

"So," I turned back to my companion,
"What is your name?"

"Ah...Well, the kids call me Jakey."

"Kids?" Shit! She had kids. It was irritatingly difficult to get a look at her ring fingers before paused to chug down another glass.
No ring.

"Mmm. Buy a floke a bowl of stew?"

I nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. She nodded towards the waitress, almost as if the woman could read her mind.

"Me first job was digging big pits for a latrine. My first stable job was coming down to our local tavern to help with the brewing. Me mum made a joke that I had a jakey thing going on. It stuck.

"Better 'an Driky at least."

"Dirky?"

She chocked, sputtering up all over the table.

"You alright?" I hovered at the edge of my seat.

"Fine. Fine." She waved a hand at me as she finished clearing her esophagus.

"I didn't know women typically took jobs like those, digging and brewing." I went back to trying to make conversation. Wondering if it would be too strange of me to mention her last comment.

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Only idiots fail to recognize what they're mother's are doing in the hours they aren't cleaning up after and taking care of you." She leveled a glare at me. "See that wench over there?"

I followed her eyes to a bar maid coming dissapearing into a backroom.

"What do you think she's been doing since before we sat down. Lazy louse of a husband's been drinking it up, gambling by the fire, mom's serving tables, probably a sister or two in the kitchen." She nodded towards the door again. "That one's been minding the brewery she has. Distilling's never been more a man's work than a woman's. I find that's true of most things folk seem to think isn't a woman's business."

I had to think about that a moment, but she was right. While the men were trained to guard walls, shoot arrows, and weild a sword. The tar we poured on invading soldiers, the arrows we shot, the fires that burned by our sides at night. All quietly put there by a woman. Had not the lady of Whichover Pass not held off a seige of barbarians with nought but the serving boys and lay women, while her men folk were away rescuing a neighboring village. Had it not been her own hands to both pour and lite the first batch of pitch, burning alive those enemies that dared try to breech her gates?

"Thanks for the meal," she changed the subject, digging into her bowl of stew, and yet another mug of lagger.

"Not for the help with those brutes?" I joked.

"Pah! I could've handled those louts on me own! But twas kind 'f ya to be concerned."

I smiled. I think I knew why I like this woman. A man at heart she was, it seemed. Or perhaps I was simply lacking experience with the other sex.

"So, do you live around here," I asked, hoping to get to know her a little better.

"Na, not me. I like all aways back past Westend. A small village a few miles north. Got me arse dragged here to Capita."

"Does that make this your first time here in our capital?"

"Yup," she nodded. "Right first impression it's made," she growled.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you back there. The capital isn't normally like that, not really. The people have been on edge of late," I found myself making excuses. I would very much like it if she were to stay here in capita. It was a shame that this was the kind of first impression she got of the city.

"Bah, tis only ta be expected."

"What do you mean," I asked taking some offense. Did she just have bad opinions of cities in general, or did she have something against the capital, or, specifically, who lived there?

"Of course there are riots in the city. So many displaced men with no food, or jobs, or any way home. Harvest is coming up soon too. If someone doesn't help these poor sods find their way home, the whole kingdom's going to have food shortages this winter. See what kind of riots you have then, when the entire kingdom is starving!"

I was taken aback a moment. It was a stout intuitive assessment of the current situation. And not what I had expected to have come into our conversation at all.

"Oh, but it's such a chore to get all these men home." I guess the sarcasm in my voice hadn't been potent enough, since she took my words quite seriously.

"Doesn't have ta be. These are hardy men. Allow them to hunt and forage the woods on the way back. Have some merchants carry an extra wagon for transport. Keep a list of whose on it in case anything goes wrong. There are a thousand little things they could do ta get this done, but them as up top is either too lazy, too blind, or too stupid to see it done!"

Her beautiful ass nearly toppling from the stool as she listed back and forth in her rage. It made me smile. She was like a very innocent man, with hips, and a good brain. Good thing she was too innocent to realize I'd been paying for something a bit stronger than the lagger she was like used to. Any moment now, she'd pass out, and wake up to find she wasn't going anywhere for quite some time. That is, if I had anything to say about it.

" 'd love ta be on one dos trips out here too ya know."

She looked so sad and forlorn that, as a gentleman, I just had to ask. "And why's that?"

"Me little ones."

She had little ones! Good gods I had forgotten about that comment! I looked and noticed a ver distinct lack of jewelry on her finger. A widow? No, they usually still wore-

"Me mumm's little ones. But they be mine for a' last three years. Change a kids dipper a few hundred times. He's yours enough 'ent he."

She slammed her cup on the table, slamming most of its contents across her hand, and down her arm.

Damn, I wanted to badly to just lick it up.

"I think it's time we get you home, Love."

"Home, yah, I wanna go home."

I helped her up, one arm across my shoulders, my other arm about her waist.

Little did she know, but she had a new home now. If I could convince her so. And it certainly wasn't over a week's ride west.