Chains Carried on Wings

TWO-2

Spirits, he hadn’t even left the kingdom. How could something so basic change from one province to another?

He stepped inside, to find another stark difference. The entire house was a single room. Benches surrounded the perimeter, a fire pit lay in the center, and various furnishings were peppered throughout. There hadn’t been much in the way of drapings or decorations outside, but inside, rugs covered the benches. Tools and weapons hung from the walls, some with decorative hafts.

The space gave the impression of being open and large, but also cozy and lived in. Maybe if there were half as many people inside, it could even have been comfortable. But instead, the room felt cramped. The people stood too close together, leaving barely any room between themselves.

Shain directed him towards a small open space near the room’s center, where another man stepped forward, his figure tall and lean. The curls of his chestnut hair almost hid his piercing blue eyes.

“This,” the guard said, “is Prince Mikail of Running Water. He will hear your story.”

So it began.

Ande pushed aside his discomfort, forcing himself to remember why he was here. Prince Mikail was a potential adversary, and Ande needed to determine who he really was, what he stood for. What he wanted.

So many things about this situation were odd. The secrecy, the cover stories. But the most important part of what he was doing, the part of his task that mattered, was protecting his people. Now he just needed to figure out which of his people needed protection. And from whom.

“Great prince,” he began, touching his hand to his shoulder respectfully. “I must beg for your hospitality.”

The prince swept his eyes across Ande’s form, casually. “Yes, I do believe that you must, young man. How did you come to be in such dishevelment?” There was something a touch informal to the man’s manner, a bit of a glib personality bleeding through. It was another thing Ande hadn’t expected, a crack in the formality of authority.

He pushed that thought away and took a deep breath, prepared to face down this prince under the guise of a helpless merchant. His story sat at the tip of his tongue, a ready weapon in his arsenal, and he launched into it—painting a picture of a band of merchants, under the authority of an inexperienced leader, and the misfortune that befell them.

#

AURIS HAD TO ADMIT, she hadn’t expected bandits. And she definitely hadn’t expected her cousin’s cousin, Trei, to walk into her home with a group of Gerosian traders in tattered clothing—which they didn’t even know how to wear properly. The pieces were all correct, tunics and pants under a cloak to protect them from the cool weather. The colors were perfectly serviceable as well, deep browns and greens. But they had their cloaks pinned incorrectly, near the base of their necks instead of at the shoulder. Despite her best efforts to pay attention to their story, Auris couldn’t help but find it distracting.

She shifted her position on the bench so she could see her father better. He stood with them at the center of the house, patiently listening while this Ande man told his tale. The rest of the extended family had scattered across the benches, nominally working. But in actuality, listening with interest.

Auris absently combed out the fleece in her lap, while she considered Ande’s story. Either a nearby group of bandits was becoming bolder and stronger, or the traders were unprepared and incompetent.

“I will be blunt,” Prince Mikail said. Auris’ father was rarely blunt, so this would be interesting. “Why is such a young man in charge of this venture?” Ah, the question everyone would have on their minds. The trader seemed to be about Auris’ age.

Ande hesitated, then sighed. “This was my task, to prove myself.”

Mikail looked him over a moment. “I know Gerosians have a different concept of coming of age than we do, but not quite what that means. How are you supposed to prove yourself?”

“By leading an expedition myself, on behalf of my father.”

Sharing the space of the ship, which he was supposed to be temporarily in charge of, with his father, who held all of the real authority? That seemed like an incredibly awkward way to prove himself, to Auris. The men under Ande’s command would naturally check with his father before following his orders.

But that was Ande’s problem, not Auris’. Or, now that she thought about it, it used to be Ande’s problem. His father wasn’t here now, was he? Auris examined Ande a bit more closely, realizing what must have happened.

Her father, from the set of his shoulders, must have figured out the same thing. His reply was soft, considerate. “And your father...”

But Ande blinked at the prince, not showing any of the sorrow Auris would expect at losing a parent. “He doesn’t expect word from us yet. I was going to send a message to him when we arrived here. I...suppose I’ll have to do that now.”

A moment of silence overtook the house, as everyone in the family stopped pretending to work and stared at the young trader.

“Your father,” Mikail said, “didn’t come on the expedition with you?”

“Of course not,” Ande said, for all the world as if that were normal. “How could I prove myself if he was there?”

“And these men.” The prince eyed the two Gerosian traders flanking Ande. “Are they yours or your father’s?”

Ande reeled back onto his heels, surprise evident on his face. “Great prince,” he said, after a moment. “They are mine. The expedition was given to me from start to finish. I didn’t have access to my father’s men. I was forbidden to speak to them, so that they couldn’t accidentally advise me.”

That...was unfathomable. Auris had undergone her rite of adulthood a few years back. She’d been dumped in a remote house with a cluster of her age-mates for a week, where they worked together to meet certain quotas. The adults had still watched them, surreptitiously, to make sure nothing had gone wrong—though apparently, Saig stealing one of the boys’ weapons so she could go hunting in his place hadn’t counted.

Never in their lives would they experience such a cut-off existence as Ande described. They’d always have access to the family network. That was what family was for. How was a young man, out in the world for the first time, supposed to complete a task like that? By himself?

It was such a bizarre idea. But if it was supposed to test whether or not he could succeed without support, then Ande had failed.

Auris studied him. He seemed uncomfortable, but not crushed. She couldn’t detect any sign of distress at his poor performance. Maybe his family was well-off enough that he’d be given some secondary role for the rest of his life, and not miss the lost opportunity here. Or maybe Gerosians had provisions for extenuating circumstances. Or, most amusingly of all, Ande Na Erin believed he was so talented that he’d come back from such a setback.

But that wasn’t her problem. Her problem was with these bandits, so close to her home.

Traders, robbed and attacked. Missing children. One dead adult. How did this add up?

“In any case,” Ande continued, ignoring the startled atmosphere, “I believe you’ve made a declaration of protection for trade.” That was true. All the local princes patrolled the waterways. “As such, these bandits are your concern. And, if my goods are recoverable in the process, it is your duty to return them to me.”

Well. What this young man lacked in intellect, he certainly made up for in audacity.

Auris caught the amusement in her father’s eyes, though he wasn’t exactly trying to hide it. He had all the power here, so there wasn’t any need to exert himself for this youth. “None of that is untrue. Alright, then, recite a list of your goods to our bard so we know what should be returned to you, if any of it remains. And also inform her of any and all details of the attack. In the meantime, you shall be our guests.” And he met Auris’ eye.

Startled, she quickly glanced around the room to find herself the highest ranking woman present. Her mother, aunt, and great-aunt were all gone. Quickly collecting her dignity, Auris rose and approached the guests.

“You must be exhausted,” she said. “I am Auris. I’ll see to your needs.”

And she led them to the far end of the house, away from her father, as his business was no longer any of theirs. She spent the next little while allotting a portion of the bench space to them, providing them with blankets, and sitting them down with a bowl of stew each. Her father continued speaking with their relatives. She’d catch a word from him now and again, attuned as she was to his voice. But she couldn’t make out the details of the conversation—which satisfied her that her charges couldn’t, either.

Once she finished taking care of the guests, she looked about the room, wondering who could she assign to...there, Trei and Shain were still present.

She motioned them towards her. Shain obeyed quickly, but Trei hesitated a breadth, before reluctantly trudging over. That boy and his attitude. Just because he was family did not mean he could drag his feet when obeying his superiors.

“Trei and Shain will be responsible for your protection during your stay,” she told the traders. “Should you need anything, please, direct them to find me and I’ll take care of it.”

She turned to Trei and Shain, catching Trei’s scowl. Alright, that was enough of that. “A moment, cousin,” she told him, then headed outside. He wasn’t really her cousin, but he was part of the extended family. So it was appropriate to treat him as such, as long as he remembered his place.

She waited for him a moment too long before he came out of the door, and closed it behind him. “Cousin?” he asked, a wariness to his movements.

Oh yes, he should be wary of her. “Which is it you dislike? Your duty or your guests?”