We The Kings (bxb completed)

Chapter 20

Mariah took me upstairs. It was a small room with two rooms, or more like one room separated by an added in wall. She brought me to her side of the room onto her bed. She splinted my sprained ankle.

"Be careful with it. You don't wanna hurt yourself more." She said, treating my injury.

"Thank you." I said, looking down at her.

"Sorry about my dad, he's much more into politics than I am." She said.

"I understand. It's quite alright. He was right." I looked to the floor.

"If you say so. Who knows what's right these days. This war is crazy. Hey, about your friend. Rob. Is he?"

"Is he what?"

"Seeing anyone?" She asked, putting her medical kit away and tucking it under her bed.

"Not that I know of. He's kind of a flaky man, though. Doesn't have the best reputation back at home." I spewed.

"How do you mean?" She turned her head back at me.

"He. Er. I. He got a couple women pregnant. And then left them. Yeah." I stammered.

"What? That's dreadful! Women have enough problems while pregnant, a man leaving is terrible!" Her face became puffy and her large cheeks reddened.

"Yeah. Kinda shady. He doesn't stay in one place very long either. Who knows how many other girls he's done that to. I just travel with him for work. Yeah." I spewed more, trying to get myself to stop.

"Well, there goes all of my attraction towards him. Hmph. Thank you for telling me this. We can go back down stairs if you would like." She offered a helping hand.

We rejoined them downstairs. They were talking about war and politics. Samuel fully agreed with him. Sometimes it scared me how well he lied and how effortlessly he could make stuff up from thin air. On the other hand, it was extremely impressive how much he had known about the world outside of his own kingdom.

"Did you fix him up good?" Asked Samuel.

"I wish there were other things I could fix on people. Like their tendency to abandon women. Goodnight." She stuck up her nose at Samuel and marched back upstairs.

"My apologies, have I offended her?" Samuel said.

"I don't see how. Perhaps she's just tired. Goodnight gentlemen, the fireplace is on and there's plenty of blankets and pillows down here."

"Goodnight sir, and thank you." Samuel said one final time.

Percival went upstairs. We laid out the pillows and blankets on the ground next to the toasty fireplace.

"What was wrong with Mariah? She was nice before." Samuel said, laying down.

"Not sure. She was nice to me." I said, pulling a blanket over me.

"That's odd." He said.

"Aha. Yeah. Very odd." I rolled over facing the other direction.

I asked myself why I did what I did. I don't know why. Why did I feel jealous? Why did I do that? I thought about it all night until I fell asleep.

We said our farewells in the morning to the kind strangers who helped us. Mariah was still cold to Samuel. My leg felt a bit better. We continued on the long road we had ahead of us. Percival and Mariah provided us with some food as well to bring with.

"Percival mentioned a plan by the Vendov kingdom to rid the world of my family. What do you think that is?" I asked Samuel as we were walking.

"No idea. He could've been referring to the attack at your coronation. News travels slow. Especially if it's a loss for them, which it was."

"Yeah, maybe." I said.

"You need to cool down with that stuff, Princey. If I hadn't of jumped in, he could've found out we were the enemy. He could've reported us to the Vendov king, or killed us on the spot! He'd lose his mind if he knew King Zander Bray was in his home." He said.

"I know, I'm sorry. I know my parents aren't the best, but they don't deserve to die. The war is caused from the Vendov's, too."

"I know. The war needs to be finished as soon as possible."

"I hope we don't have to use the dragon. I hope the threat of it is enough to frighten them into surrendering."

"Me too." Said Samuel.

"Well, we're over half way done now. Just gotta get the body. Where is it located again?" I asked.

"In the depths of the Black Sea."

"Of course it is. Why can't it be easy?"

"It's not an adventure if it's easy. We need to find a ride, faster than walking. We don't have time for walking."

"What do you suggest?"

"Stealing some horses. The next village we come across." He said.

"Samuel, we can't steal! Then we're just as bad as the thieves that stoke from us! If not worse!"

"Think, Zander. They are enemy horses. You're stealing from the supporters of your kingdoms enemy. Your enemy. Don't think of it like that."

"No. Samuel. We can't do that. We just can't. It's wrong." I said.

"Alright. Fine. Have any better ideas? How else are we going to get all the way to the Black Sea?"

In the next passing village, we heard of a man who was hauling chickens in his wagon to a town nearby the port to the sea.

"Samuel, that's it!" I pointed.

"You wanna ride a hundred miles. With some chickens?"

"Any better ideas?"

"There's some healthy looking horses tied outside of that tavern right there. The owners are probably too day drunk to even notice."

"No! We're not stealing horses. C'mon."

The chicken driver was an old man with one crazy eye and a missing front tooth. His voice was low, and he was in a constant state of grump.

"Yer wanna ride with my chickens! What are ya? Some stow aways?" He said, scrunching up his bushy eyebrows.

"No, sir. We were heading back home when we were jumped by thieves in the woods. Stole everything we had. We really need a ride. Please, sir." I begged.

"Hmm. Maybe. For some money." He scratched his hairy chin.

"Sorry, sir. That was stolen along with the rest of our-." I said.

"How much do you need?" Samuel interrupted.

"Hmm. Seven gold pieces. Heh."

"We don't have any money sir-."

Samuel reached into his inner pocket and pulled out seven gold coins. The old man was surprised.

"I thought yer said everything was stolen? All yer stuff?" He squinted at us.

"They did. I always try to keep some money on me. Just in case."

"Oh, fine! Stow away back by the chickens! I don't wanna hear another word outta yer! Only stops we make is for the horse, understand? No unnecessary potty breaks, got it?" He said.

"Yes sir. Thank you." Said Samuel.

We stowed away back by the smelly, molting chickens. They were in small cages in the back. They were loud. We began to ride.

"You had money and didn't tell me?" I said to him.

"It was for emergencies."

"You mean when we were starving and working for our food wasn't?"

"No. It wasn't. It doesn't hurt you to do some work. I knew we'd find food. Since someone has a grudge against stealing, I used it. This might be our only ride to get close to the sea.

"Well, how much money do you have left?"

"Two pieces. We're really broke now."