Hope's Despair

Covert Invitations

"I've got it," Levi said as he slid into the seat next to his best friend, Finn. They had just finished dinner and finally had a chance to talk privately as they retired to the drawing room for drinks after dinner. Finn's parents were the King and Queen of Praelia. Levi was the son of the Duke and Duchess of Whitehall. The duke was a distant cousin of the king's and as such lived in the castle along with the other distant royal families.

"You got it?" Finn said incredulously, his voice lowered so as not to alert the adults in the room to their plans. He had been waiting for this day for over a year, ever since he and Levi had first found out about the den. They had wanted to go so badly, but upper class were never invited to the den, with good reason. The den was a large party for lower class citizens set up by the Marcherelli’s. Because those who gathered were lower class and it was illegal for them to gather in such large groups, the den was a secret, but it happened, nonetheless. It was a place for them to let go and forget all of the troubles of their world for awhile.

If Finn were a better man, he would give the information about the den to his father. But Finn was not a better man. He wanted to experience the frenzy of the den first-hand, he didn’t want it shut down.

It was a wildly popular event among the lower class and had become so notorious that word of it had spread through the middle and upper classes as well. Finn and Levi had heard of it just the prior year but had tried in vain for over twelve months to find out when the next event was and where it was to be held.

"How did you manage that?" Finn asked, impressed with his friend.

"That north-ender I met yesterday? I convinced her I was a north-ender too and she told me when it was this month," Levi said.

“The girl you screwed in the alley?” Finn asked incredulously.

“Yeah, apparently letting my balls freeze off was enough to convince her I wasn’t one of the upper classes,” Levi nodded.

“Seems legit. So, wait, you screwed her outside in an alley in this weather?” Finn asked softly, his voice betraying his awe.

“Sure did,” Levi smirked.

“Didn’t your junk freeze?” Finn asked, gesturing toward Levi’s c**k.

“She kept it warm for me,” Levi smirked again and laughed quietly.

“So, where is it?” Finn asked, focusing on the task at hand.

“A warehouse on the west side, pretty close to us here actually. The warehouse was used to store logs last month for a new building in the south quadrant. It’s been cleared out and now it’s going to be the location of the next den,” Levi added, looking at Finn out of the corner of his eye and smiling.

"Does she know where the next one is going to be?" Finn asked, a brow raised in question.

"No, it changes time and place every month, which is probably why we've never been able to figure out when or where it is," Levi said with a brief shake of his head.

"How are we going to get away from the castle?" Finn asked softly, glancing around the room. His mother was eyeing him suspiciously as she spoke with his father and the other nobles in the room. There were four families that dined regularly with the king, they were all sitting about the room, having a night cap before bed.

"Maybe we could use the tunnels? Didn't you have to memorize all the passageways when you were younger? Isn't there a passage out of the building?" Levi asked quietly.

"No, there's not, they all lead to places inside the castle grounds. Maybe we could bribe a guard and take him with us?" Finn asked softly.

"Michael is the likely target, do you think he would take the bait?" Levi asked.

"No, he's a prick, he'd rather turn us in and suck dad's d**k," Finn shook his head.

"We could find someone to occupy the guards for the night," Levi snorted as he thought of an idea, "the cooks are north-enders."

"There's an idea, do you think they'd do it?" Finn asked.

"Edith would, I'm sure there are others that would for a few gold coins," Levi said with a grin.

Finn grinned back at his friend and nodded; it was a good plan. Now they just had to get out of this after dinner drink so they could sneak out.

"What plans are you two hatching over there?" a loud voice interrupted Finn’s thought.

"Just thinking about getting a late-night snack, sire," Finn said in reply to his father, King Richard.

"Late night snack, you say?" King Richard snorted into his drink as he took a sip. "I'd call those cooks a snack too if I were your age."

"Richard!" Queen Serafina admonished, "The boys are just hungry, they've been out all day, they're likely famished from all of their hard work."

“Hard work? Really, Sera, the boys haven’t been working hard all fall, they’re probably scouting the propositions for the reaping,” the Countess of Deborain laughed as she glanced at the queen.

The queen glanced at the countess with wide eyes before turning her gaze back to Finn.

"I’m sure they’re just hungry, Sera. That's what I'd call it too," Richard grinned at his wife as he pecked her cheek lightly. "Hey, Duke? Would you say you were hungry all the time at their age?"

The duke laughed heartily, "Yes, I do think it's safe to say we were both 'hungry' when we were their age, and the chefs knew just how to satisfy us." He winked at his wife as he finished his drink, throwing the scotch back in his throat.

The duchess rolled her eyes, "Well, make sure you wrap up that appendage when you get your snack, my boy, we don't need to be grandparents this soon. You most definitely don’t need some bastards running around the castle in the servants’ quarters."

Levi choked on his drink as he heard his mother talking, "Of course, mother." He was entirely uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was headed.

"Well," Finn cleared his throat awkwardly, "On that note, I believe we will retire for the evening." He stood and nodded to his father and kissed his mother's cheek.

"Do be careful, Finn, and you too, Levi, you know those north-enders are a rowdy bunch, you don't want to catch anything from them," the duchess said as he kissed her cheek as well. Levi followed suit and the boys nodded uncomfortably.

A maid had been tending the fire in the room and she rose with a start upon hearing the duchesses words, her face red, her brows drawn as she swiftly and quietly exited the room. The duchess was blissfully unaware as she continued admonishing the boys.

"Of course, mother, we'll, er, wrap it up," Levi stuttered as he choked down the rest of his scotch with a quick tilt of his head. He set the glass on the tray and walked toward the door, glancing nervously around the room.

"Yes, wrap it up. Right on it," Finn confirmed as he cleared his throat again and quickly made his escape from the room behind Levi, glad to be free of their particularly awkward conversation. He was almost twenty-five and his parents were talking about his late-night proclivities as if he were an uncontrollable teenager.

They left to the sound of booming laughter as the king and the duke chuckled merrily at their expense, their wives could be heard in the distance chastising them as the boys made their hasty retreat.

"s**t, that was terrible," Levi said softly as they made their way down to the kitchen, intent on finding distractions for the guards.

"Do you think your friend down here will do it?" Finn asked.

"She screws me for gold all the time, I'm sure she will," Levi said to Finn as he walked into the kitchen. “These north-enders will do anything for extra coin, just watch and see.”

A young cook cleaned a table in the far side of the kitchen, there were at least a dozen cooks in the kitchen still working despite the late hour. They were getting food ready for the morning, and cleaning the tables for the night. Levi walked up behind the petite brunette wiping the countertop and whispered lightly in her ear. She gave a squeak and turned in fright, then burst into laughter when she saw it was Levi.

"Don't scare me like that!" Edith said as she swatted Levi gently with her towel. He smiled lasciviously as she gazed back at him with wide, merry eyes.

"Sorry, love, I've a favor to ask," Levi said as he held out a few gold coins.

"Feeling frisky tonight?" Edith winked as she smiled coyly at Levi. She eyed Finn and a twinkle came to her eye. “Are we having company?” She nodded her head toward Finn and laughed merrily.

"Well, no. That is to say, yes, I’m feeling frisky but I'm hoping you will keep our guards entertained for the night. Perhaps you have two friends that would be interested in some extra gold?" Levi smiled slyly as he watched Edith. He held a second hand out, the gold coins tinkling in the night air. He knew he could get her with gold. She had an exceptionally large family and all the extra coins she could manage were always welcome at home, regardless of how it was earned.

She winked and walked up to two girls on the other side of the kitchen, whispering in their ear briefly. Within a few minutes, the boys had a plan and three willing women to entertain their guards while they snuck out of the castle grounds.

"You'll want to stay all night," Finn whispered softly as they made their way upstairs toward the boys' wing of the castle.

"Of course, love, we'll keep them busy all night," Edith winked at Finn and kissed his cheek. She and the two other brunettes sauntered down the hall, her hips swaying as she walked. She adjusted her dress so her chest showed extra cleavage and smiled saucily as she approached the guards.

Levi and Finn stayed hidden down the hall and watched from afar as the girls approached their guards. Edith sauntered forward and Finn watched in awe as she convinced one guard to take her to his rooms. She laughed prettily and ran her hand down his chest, letting her fingers linger on his belt. He eyed her hungrily and whisked her away before Finn could even process what had happened. The other two girls followed shortly after, approaching the remaining two guards. The guards, seeing their friend get away with screwing a cook on the job, took their prospects as well, following the first guard with deep laughs, the anticipation of a night of f*****g too appealing to entice them to stay on the job. Before Finn knew what was happening, the coast was clear. They could escape.

"Come on, man, let's go," Levi whispered.

"We can't wear this!" Finn countered, gesturing toward his clothes.

"Why not?" Levi asked.

"Have you ever seen a north-ender dressed like this?" Finn asked, gesturing toward his well-tailored pants, shirt, and thick winter jacket.

"No, I suppose you're right, we'll have to borrow something from someone," Levi added, he gestured back toward the doors. They walked outside as he continued to talk. "We can trade with someone once we are free of the castle. There’s no shortage of north-enders and they will welcome clothes as well made as this, that’s guaranteed. Come on, we don't have a lot of time before the den starts."

"When does it start?" Finn asked, pulling his watch out of his pocket and checking the time. It was quarter to nine. They were walking toward the exit. They hadn't yet met any other guards and Finn could feel the anxiety of getting caught.

"Nine," Levi replied, rushing to the end of the hall, and peeking around the corner before walking swiftly toward the front of the castle.

Finn nodded in understanding and the boys walked quickly toward the front doors, avoiding the few night maids and butlers who were finishing their tasks before retiring for the night. They silently made their way toward the exit.

They slowly opened the door and slid outside, closing it quietly behind them. There were guards stationed around the castle, but Levi had been planning their escape for months. He knew their rotations and he knew when he would be able to walk out the front gates.

"Shh, wait for the guard to pass overhead the wall there, then we can walk underneath the bridge and make our way toward the road," he whispered to Finn. Finn nodded and stayed plastered to the wall in the shadow of the castle, waiting for Levi's signal. They had been waiting too long to screw this up now.

The guard passed and Levi and Finn made a mad dash across the grass toward the gates. They slid free of the bridge and were finally on the road leading through the city. All around them, lights were flickering in houses, smoke coming out of stacks, and rowdy voices loudly sang nightly ballads from the pubs.

Finn looked up at the sky as the first sign of winter came without notice. Big, fluffy snowflakes started to fall on their heads, covering the grass. The sidewalk and road were still too warm and the snow melted as it fell on the hard surfaces.

"Hey!" Levi called out to a boy walking just ahead.

The boy turned in surprise wondering who had called to him this late at night.

"I'll pay you for your clothes. Can we trade?" Levi asked, gesturing down toward his garment.

The boy looked confused, but after showing the kid a handful of coins, he nodded quickly. Most city dwellers would do just about anything for extra money, very few were well enough off to pass up such an opportunity.

"Do you have two sets of clothes? My friend needs some as well," Levi gestured toward Finn.

"Sure, yeah, I can get you clothes. They won't be nearly as fine or as warm as what you have on though," the boy said reluctantly. He eyed the coin in Levi’s hand with envy as he relayed the truth.

"We need to look like north-enders, whatever you can do to help will be appreciated," Levi stated as he held out several gold coins for the exchange. The boy's eyes went wide and he nodded. He darted into a nearby house and came back within ten minutes carrying clothes and jackets in his arms. The men quickly changed, the cold making it even more difficult as they noted with chagrin that the new clothes weren't nearly as warm as their old clothes.

Levi handed the gold and the clothing to the kid. He took off with a grin.

“Thanks, chap,” he said as he ran back into the house, slamming the door behind him as if he expected the men to follow and demand the transaction be undone.

"Well, it's happening," Finn grinned at Levi, the two men finally free of the constant scrutiny of being a royal. Levi grinned back and led the way through the city.

"It's happening alright," Levi agreed.

After a year of whispers, they finally had a solid lead on where and when they could find the party. They were going to the den; life could not get any better than it was at this moment.