Enslaved

Chapter 7: Ale

Leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, Thane watched Nera speak with Byorc in hushed tones outside the inn. She was giving him instructions in their language and would look up towards Thane from time to time. Each time she looked, Thane felt something inside of him shift. 

“He won’t be joining us.” Nera told Thane earlier. Thane didn’t know if he was pleased they would be alone or worried for it.

Byorc stared at Nera for a long moment before nodding solemnly. He placed a hand on her shoulder before hoisting himself up on a horse and disappearing in the darkness of the misty empty streets. 

She waved farewell and joined Thane by the entrance of the inn. “Shall we go back in?”

“Ten years I didn’t see you.” Thane tells her in a low voice. He still couldn’t believe she was with him. It all felt surreal. 

Nera inclined her head to the side, the slight movement making her hair follow. He didn’t need to touch it to know how soft it would be. “A very long time.” 

“Why... what...” Now that they were alone, he struggled to find the words. “How have you been?”

She smiled in a way that made him think she was planning something mischievous. “How about we catch up and drink some ale?” 

He arched his eyebrows at her. “Are you old enough for that?”

Glacier blue eyes twinkled with a hunger for trouble. “I’m old enough for a lot of things, Erebus.” 

Thane snorted at the name she called him. “Come along, Princess. Let’s get drunk.”

He led the way but couldn’t help himself and looked back to Nera from time to time. She was already smiling at him. 

Oh, how she’s changed. So many times he’s seen the eight year old girl in his dreams rubbing her tummy from hunger as she watched the slavers eat succulent meat and juicy fruits. She often smacked her lips together and silently peered. That look of her always broke Thane’s heart. Now that he’s more capable to provide, he can treat her to all the delicious food she could ever want. Including tankards and tankards of mead, ale and beer. Never will she ever have that look on her again. 

As they enter the inn and head to the tavern, someone in the bustling group of evening drinkers whistles at Nera. Eyes of several hungry looking men ate her up. Thane stopped and shot a menacing glare, searching for the offender, his fingers tightening around the hilt of a weapon he had under his cloak, daring them to continue. The noise of the tavern died down instantly and the gazes dropped. Silence fell.

The drunk patrons didn’t know she was with Erebus. Either they were too drunk to notice their closeness or they simply weren’t paying close attention. 

Without any challengers, Thane and Nera continued to the empty seats by the countertop of the bar. He lifted his hand up, motioning to him and Nera while lifting two fingers up. The man behind the bar nodded and hurriedly provided his order.

Nera took a tentative sip, she didn’t flinch as he expected her to. She has drank before then. He was about to comment on it when one of the bar maidens leaned over them, seductive eyes fluttering at him.

“Hi Erebus. I heard you’re staying here for some time. Need company?” She purred, completely ignoring Nera’s presence from beside him. 

Thane wrinkled his nose in distaste and turned away from her, facing Nera instead. He heard a loud humph before the bar maiden stalked off. 

“Is that what you’ve been doing all these years?” Nera commented in an accusatory tone. 

Thane shook his head. He didn’t want to let Nera think of him less. “Not even the slightest.”

She peered at the other bar maidens who were shooting him seductive looks. It was understandable. In Thane’s world, he is simply the best and most sought out man. “I highly doubt that.”

“What about you, warrior princess?” He teased to get the attention away from him. “Have you been up to no good? Any hearts being broken by you?”

“Only bones.” She announced proudly.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Eh? You’re good with weapons?”

Nera lifted the front of her tunic, showing a belt full with sharp blades. “Knives.” 

“I knew there was something roguish about you.” He saw it in the way she moved almost gracefully like a cat or a large predator. 

She smiled at him, feeling emotions surge into her. “I really have thought of you often.” 

“I too.” Thane admitted. The familiar bite of loneliness bloomed in the depths of his mind. Years and years he’s been alone, finding his way and making a life for himself. Often, he regretted not staying with Nera at Evordon. 

Nera quieted, looking somewhat dejected. “Why didn’t you ever come and visit me? You knew where I was. Ten whole years and you never came.” 

Countless times, he was already halfway back to her but each time he stopped. “I suppose I didn’t want myself to be the reminder of your time as an enslaved and being held captive.” 

A frown creased Nera’s face. “Is that how I am to you? Am I just a reminder of that time?”

He shook his head in disagreement. “No.”

“What do I remind you of then?” She retorted, unconvinced. 

Thane didn’t hesitate knowing exactly what Nera was to him. “Hope.” 

Nera didn’t tell him nor did he ask but Thane was her strength during those times. They wouldn’t have escaped or survived without him. “Are what they say about you true?” She asked, after taking a large drink from her ale.

He followed her lead and drank as well. “Which ones?”

Nera thought of all the things she’s heard about the great mercenary Erebus. “You’re unbeatable with a sword?”

A secretive smile twitched at his lips. “Maybe.”

She rolled her eyes. “How vague.”

The smile only widened. “It adds to my mystique.”

Nera shot him a questioning look. “Is that why you call yourself Erebus? Darkness and mystery?”

“No. I just know someone named after the light.” He explained with a faraway look. 

Nera drew back a little in surprise. “Me?”

He shrugged, reminiscing on the past... their past. “That year we spent together wasn’t easy to forget. Whether we like it or not, it’s a part of us. I wanted a name to remind me of that.”

She scrunched her nose. “To remind you of our time together or the suffering we faced?”

“Both.” Thane replied quietly.  

“I remember much of it. I don’t know how we... I don’t know. I can still see the slavers brutally butchering the captives, the haunting screams, the burning villages, the horrible nights where they would...” She shuddered, a haunted expression on her face. “The blood. So much blood.” 

Thane placed his hand over Nera’s shaking one. “I remember much of it as well. A lot more than I wish I did.” 

Nera interlaced their fingers, seeking strength from him which he always gave. “We’ll get them. Won’t we?”

“Of course.” He was sure of it. Never again will there be another like them. “What do you know of the slavers?” 

“In Caelum there’s a woman from the northern villages asking the King for an audience. We can seek her out and learn what she knows.” She says this as if it was the most common thing to know. 

He cleared his throat, baffled. “How do you know these things?” 

Nera lowered her voice, leaning closer to him until her breath fanned the side of his face. “Evordon has always been knowledgeable of what happens in Caelum. The King wants to merge our lands and is adamant that my father finally accept. Father is about to cave in so he placed people inside the walls to make sure everything runs smoothly in his favor.”

Thane’s lips parted in astonishment. It wasn’t anything new to hear about the King to want Evordon. With more and more kingdoms surrounding them, they needed to unite for an alliance. “Your father has spies inside Caelum?” 

“To ensure our place.” She diplomatically answered. 

He squinted in the dimly lit tavern. Around them, the patrons have gotten rowdy once more. “And how does Caelum plan to seal this merge?” 

Nera looks heavenward, letting out a strangled breath. “My marriage with one of the King’s grandsons.” 

Something inside Thane snapped or most likely broke. He slammed the tankard down the bar. “What?” 

Nera’s fingertips traced the top of her tankard. “The only way to unite the two lands is to ensure our place as equals with the Royals.”

He let out a sound between choking and a scoff. “You’re not seriously considering that?” 

Nera locked eyes with him and there was something within her irises that told him she wasn’t sharing the whole story yet. “I’ll choose my own path.” 

Visibly upset, Thane leaned back on his seat, arms crossed. “When is this supposed to happen?” 

She waved his question away. It was as if it was never going to happen or she wouldn’t let it happen. “Not for a few more years. Father will prolong it as much as possible.” 

Thane’s expression rippled with emotion, fists clenching tighter. “Do you want this? Do you want to marry him? Do you even know who he is?” 

She winced back. “Of course I don’t want to marry him. I met him once when we visited the King. He’s awful. Much like his father.” 

His eyes widened. “You’re familiar with the royal family?”

“Quite. The second son of the King is who my father hates and for good reason. Corrupt little thing. Embodies everything that father is against.” Many know of the king’s two sons. The first being much like the king- some would say better and the second... notorious for scandalous things. 

“And here you are marrying his son.” He hated saying the words. The truth tasted bitter on his mouth. 

“Politics confuse me.” She confesses, a forlorn expression on her face. 

Thane shrugged his wide shoulders. “It shouldn’t have to be confusing. Care and protect the people right? That’s what they are there for?” 

Nera blew out a tired breath. “If only it was that simple.” 

“We need a drink.” He gruffly tells her, wanting nothing more than to ease himself with the news that Nera is to be married soon. 

“I second that.” She calls for the man behind the bar, leaning over slightly. “Two more please. Actually, make it four.”