Rise Of The Peasant King

CHAPTER 5

I've met toddlers with a higher tolerance than you!" The boys conversed for a little while, though it was mostly one-sided, and darkness settled over the landscape. Zak eventually found himself with his head in Darryl's lap. The older man was beginning to worry he might have to carry him back to his family. The

to carry him back to his family. The boy said something nearly inaudible before bursting into another fit of giggles. Seriously, bees have less of a buzz than you do right now!" The older man flicked Zak's nose, causing him to mumble a few complaints. " I'm going to take you back to the barn! Can you even understand what I'm saying?" Zak nodded, but his eyes focused on nothing. Darryl sighed and climbed to his feet. The younger man attempted to follow, but had quite a rough time leaving the ground. The brunette hoisted Zak up and slung an arm over his shoulder. With that, they began the trek back to the wedding party. "Zak," Darryl started as they approached the still-roaring crowd. "I can't tell if you can hear me, but if you can, I'll wait for you at the tree tomorrow after your shift at the cafe. I'd like to see you again, sooner rather than later." Drunken giggles were all he was answered with, and the older man snorted. With one little push, Zak. his feet. The younger man attempted to follow, but had quite a rough time leaving the ground. The brunette hoisted Zak up and slung an arm over his shoulder. With that, they began the trek back to the wedding party. "Zak," Darryl started as they approached the still-roaring crowd. "I can't tell if you can hear me, but if you can, I'll wait for you at the tree tomorrow after your shift at the cafe. I'd like to see you again, sooner rather than later." Drunken giggles were all he was answered with, and the older man snorted. With one little push, Zak fell over into a haystack by the doors of the barn. He believed the younger man's family would be capable of finding him easily enough in that spot. Once that was taken care of, Darryl turned his sights on the castle in the distance. He took a deep breath and began the long walk back, praying the entire time that his brother wouldn't have another job for him.

You can't do that!" The King rubbed his temples, annoyed by the yelling so late at night. His brother stood by the door, face red with anger. " Mother will be devastated!"

"Mother will get over it," the older man sighed. "Now stop yelling, child, and get your job done." 1 With a wave of his hand, his younger brother left the room, shutting the door behind him. The younger boy groaned and pulled the hood over his face. He grabbed a sword from off the wall and checked to make sure it was sharp enough. What the King had asked of him was an outrageous job. But he was a solider trained to do just that. And he never failed.

Zak woke up with a splitting headache and hay stuck in his hair. He looked around his room, wondering how he got home. A few of his younger cousins were passed out on the floor around him, and he had to step carefully to not wake them. He heard chattering in the kitchen, but the moment he walked in, the room went dead silent. 3 His mother and a few of his aunts stood around, holding a newspaper, all of them with worried faces. Zak's mother broke the silence with her tiny voice, asking, "Have you heard?" "What?" Zak frowned. What could possibly have them this worked up so early in the morning? " I just woke up, what are we talking about?" One of his aunts tutted and turned the newspaper for him to see. "One of the countesses was found dead in her room this morning!" "Holy s**t! What happened?!" The boy snatched the newspaper from the. woman. 5 Zak's mother hissed at him to watch his language, before promptly answering his question, " She was stabbed in her sleep, but that's not even the most interesting part. They were searching her room for clues, and they found letters she'd written about assassinating the King!" Zak whistled, setting the paper down." That's so weird, who did it?" "They don't know!" His aunt cut in. " But the Queen is throwing a fit! Apparently, the countess was a dear friend of hers. A shame, isn't it?" 5 Yes, it was a shame. A shame how sometimes the people closest to us could carry such massive secrets with them all the way to their graves. Zak marveled at the idea while he was at work. Thinking about things like that, he found, was a good way to keep yourself from remembering that you still have a little headache left from your morning hangover. The cafe was busy that day. The boss had already dashed to the market for update to come from the newspaper since the King was crowned. When Zak wasn't waiting tables, he was cooking in the kitchen to make up for the lack of staff. The main chef yelled orders at the other substitute helpers in the kitchen, and Zak couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like in the castle's kitchen. Did Darryl have to deal with big crowds and barking orders everyday? He pondered if it was more relaxed since the chefs had more skill. 1 Zak came to the conclusion that he should ask Darryl about that sometime. His mind wandered and he began to think of the previous night. He was under that same majestic tree with that same mysterious boy, and then it was all a blur. He remembered little flashes of the night after that. 1 Suddenly, while Zak was putting a special sauce onto a chicken breast, he recalled Darryl asking to meet him under the tree after work. He cursed himself for drinking so much! He'd almost spaced on that entirely! The rest of his shift, Zak was thinking about the meeting yet to come. Before this, Darryl had just disappeared for an unspecified amount of time, never really planning to meet with him again. Unless by chance, of course. But today was different! He could feet it in his bones. Today would be the true beginning of their friendship, Zak thought to himself. They'd get to know each other better and the boy could finally ask what it was like to be a castle chef! Yes, today would be different! 6 However, when he saw the look in Darryl's eye, he realized that different... wasn't always a good thing. 1 The older boy stood beneath that magnificent tree, flowers blooming by his feet and birds chirping from the skies. And yet, his eyes held none of that sweetness that he'd seen the night before, nor any of the laughter they'd exhibited at the wedding.

There was simply nothing. As soon as those dull green eyes landed on Zak, Darryl looked about ready to collapse. The boy ran to his friend's side, grabbing his arm and gently lowering him to the ground. The brunette pulled his knees up to his chest and made himself into a little ball. " What happened," Zak asked finally, his voice quiet. He feared if he spoke too loudly, Darryl might shatter like glass. "I did it," the older man responded, his voice so monotone it made Zak jump. " I did something horrible and I can't even tell anyone." "That's not true!" Darryl glanced at the smaller male, who was inwardly cursing himself. " I mean, you can tell me!" 6 "No," the brunette said. "I could never bring myself to involve you in this." "It's really that bad," Zak inquired softly. His hands began to shake, terrified of whatever was occupying his friend's mind. " Are you sure you can't tell me? Bottling it up will only make things worse, you know." 'Thanks, Zak," sighed Darryl. " But I'll get over it. I always do." 19 Zak gulped, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. He assessed his friend's words and decided he really didn't like the conclusion. Whatever unforgivable thing the older boy had done, it wasn't his first time. And he would get over it.... Return to normal. That meant that the smiling face he'd seen not even a day ago was hiding something sinister. And he never even knew. Zak sat back against the tree, the trunk acting almost like a crutch for the poor boy. The raven-haired male nearly jumped when Darryl leaned his head on his shoulder. " I'm sorry, can you just forget I ever said anything? Can you tell me a story?" The younger boy nodded, and for a good portion of their time under that tree, Zak told Darryl whatever he could think of. He called upon childhood memories, late-night wonderings, and distant dreams, twisting them all together into one big story. Darryl only butted in to ask the occasional question, opting to stay quiet for the majority of the tale. Finally, when the younger boy could think of nothing else to say, they both climbed to their feet. Zak stared at Darryl, who simply gave a little smile. Your story telling needs some work, but we'll have time to fix it."

"What!" Zak gaped, and the brunette began to laugh as he walked down the hill. The younger boy was right on his heels. " That was the best I could do on the spot, don't laugh at me!" " Sure," Darryl snickered. He stopped, smiling softly at the boy next to him. He seemed to think for a second before asking, "How about we meet again tomorrow, same time?" Tomorrow I've got a different shift, how about the day after tomorrow?" Zak offered. The older boy agreed and it was settled. The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Zak smiled, forgetting, if only briefly, all the ominous secrets he had yet to uncover.