Tale of Four

”Ser.” Jeremy called out, following behind Oliver, who got lost in thought, ”Are the stories really true about the royal family and Great Lords?” Jeremy asked with naivety, ”If Lord Alkaris has special power,s why couldn’t he catch who watched him?”

”The fact that he could sense something that was invisible to your eyes, Jeremy, is enough proof.” Oliver rested a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and smiled, ”I know you heard the story about the king. Did you think the tale of him leaving a mountain covered in blood red silk was a metaphor? No, if the stories are to be believed, then what he is able to summon with his power that flows in his blood is a giant spider.” Oliver could see Jeremy tense up in fear and couldn’t help but scare him. As he got distracted in his own mind, Oliver ran his hand up the young boy’s back, pretending it was a spider.

”STOP!” Screaming at Oliver, Jeremy jumped forward and brushed his back, only to sulk when he realised it was Oliver, ”That’s not funny.”

”Come on, do you think his spider will be a small thing that can fit in your hand?” Oliver chuckled, ”You heard the songs and tales. It is a massive beast taller than any man, able to rip apart a knight itself.” His words provided no comfort as Jeremy scared himself imagining it.

”If the King is that strong, imagine his brother. Surely he would be the same.” Oliver frowned and looked ahead.

”I don’t know. Unlike the King, there are not many songs about the Prince, or tales of his exploits.” Jeremy smugly smiled and shook his head.

”You’re wrong. There is one.” Oliver raised an eyebrow, ”What was it called again...” grabbing his head, Jeremy thought for a moment before his eyes widened, ”Ash and Light. Remember the circus in the Artlands.” Oliver nodded, ”Well, when you were getting drunk, I walked around and found a tent. In it, they had a performance in honour of the Royal Family. For the King, they sang Fifty Lone Men, and for the Prince, they sang Ash and Light.”

”Unlike Fifty Lone Men, I ain’t never heard of that one. You sure it’s a real one?” Jeremy frantically nodded.

”I didn’t know at the time who they were actually singing about, so I asked around. Apparently, it’s big in Artlands becuase the Prince married a Lady from the Artlands from house Ashpole. He had the song commissioned as a gift for her.” Oliver paused and grabbed Jeremy’s shoulder.

”This song. What did it sing about?” Jeremy closed his eyes, humming the tune, saying words occasionally, until he had the lyrics in his mind.

”The first half is about Lady Ashpole, describing her beauty and things like that.” Jeremy continued to hum, getting to the chorus where he hummed the same tune three times in a row, ”The chorus is about the love they share and their son.” Carrying on, Jeremy finally stopped humming, ”The last bit is about the Prince. It describes him and his time serving the previous king.”

”Jeremy.” Oliver knelt down and stared deeply into his eyes, ”Tell me everything they sang about him.” Jeremy took a deep breath and hummed the final section over and over, until it became annoying to listen to. Yet he didn’t stop until the lyrics he could remember were stuck in his mind.

”They sang about how handsome he was, I remember that.” Oliver frowned but patiently waited, ”There was not even a copper that went missing under him. How he was loyal and aloof.” Jeremy fiddled with his thumbs, opening and closing his mouth. Finally, his eyes widened as he looked at Oliver, ”The poisonous snake was tamed. I remember that lyric, I think it was that anyway. Yeah, even the chorus mentioned him being a reptile, a lizard, I think. Then, for Lady Ashpole, there was a line in her part, soemthing like the snake tamer.”

”Snake, replite.” Oliver narrowed his eyes and turned around, rushing back to find Lord Alkaris. Ignoring Jeremy’s questioning gaze, he pushed the other guests of the fort, arriving back at the banquet room. Throwing the doors open, he saw Roderick sitting on the steps beneath the throne, cleaning his nails with a dagger.

Looking up, he slowly rose and flipped the dagger around, staring at Oliver with a cold gaze, ”Do you need soemthing, Ser?”

”I need to speak to Lord Alkaris.” Rodercik’s gaze narrowed, forming thin slits that could barely contain the murderous look in them.

”Why?” Inching closer to Oliver, he continued to flip the dagger in his hand, catching the blade every time, without the slightest worry that he might cut himself.

”It is about the intruder who came here. I may have an answer?” Roderick stopped flipping the dagger, holding the handle. Despite not playing with the knife anymore, he continued to close the distance between him and Oliver until he was within striking distance.

”And you discovered this news how? So quickly after the council was adjourned.” Oliver rolled his eyes, unafraid, knowing he had no ulterior motives.

”Lord Alkaris has already kicked my ass once. You think even if I wanted to harm him, I could.” Undoing the buckle of his sword, he let the weapon fall to the floor, ”Is that enough. Can you let me see him?”

Roderick took a deep breath and nodded for him to follow. Oliver watched and saw that the old man never took his eyes off him, his stance ready to intercept any sudden attack thrown his way. Slowly, they walked through the corridors, arriving outside a room where the air got moist.

Roderick turned to Oliver and smiled. ”Strip.”

”What?” Rolling his eyes, Roderick leaned against the wall.

”You walk in with clothes, and you’re going to regret not stripping.” Seeing him not move, the old man sighed, ”You think I want to see your cock. I’m going to strip after, but you first.” Oliver sighed, seeing that he wouldn’t get much further without doing as told. Slowly undressing, he turned to Jeremy and shook his head, stopping him from doing so. Taking the final layer off, Roderick looked him up and down and smirked before walking off into a side room, returning a second later with a rag he could tie around his waist, undressing afterwards.

Once the two stood with thin rags tied around their waist, Roderick opened the door, and Oliver was assailed with a face full of steam, which made one struggle to breathe. Roderick pushed him in before following behind quickly, shutting the door. In the centre of a room, a bowl of hot coals burned next to a pot of water. By it, Hyman sat, leaning back with a cloth over his eyes and groin, unmoving, as if not registering the arrival of two new people

”Sorry for bothering you, Hyman.” Roderick took a seat and got himself comfortable. ”He says he has news for you.” Roderick turned to Oliver, who stood, unsure what to do, ”Sit already.”

”Shhh.” Hyman shushed Roderick and peeked underneath his rag, ”I want silence right now, so be quick.” Nodding, Oliver took a seat, strangely able to relax despite the heat.

”My squire told me of a song, famous in the artlands. One about Prince Brandon.” Pausing, he watched as Hyman mulled over his words, his face twitching in annoyance. Nodding, he allowed Oliver to continue. ”In the song, the Prince is apparently described as both a snake and a lizard. If it had been anyone else, I would brush it off, but the Cosmatons summon creatures thanks to the power in their blood.”

Hyman took a deep breath and leaned forward, picking up a spoonful of water and dropping it on the coal. Steam erupted from it, enhancing the heat and finally making Oliver uncomfortable.

”He is called a snake becuase of how he acted when serving King Elias.” Hyman said in a whisper, ”As for lizard...” He paused and looked to Roderick, ”Is it true there exists one that can go invisible?” His words were cold as he connected the dots. Roderick smiled and shook his head.

”Misconception. They don’t go invisible, but adapt to the colour of what they stand on to blend in. Camouflage,” Roderick replied, getting a small chuckle from Hyman.

”Another way of saying invisible.” His smile fell, and pulling the cloth off his face, he flashed the massive grin, ”Alert the guards. If he does have a lizard as his summon, then he must be close. Rarely does a Csomaton let its creature be too far from them.” Roderick stood and stepped out. Screaming down the hall for Maxwell, he alerted the boy of Hymans’ order before stepping back in.

”Done.” Hyman nodded and turned to Oliver.

”Your brat might be wrong, but he also might be right. Either way, it’s useful to know.” Slapping the cloth back over his eyes, he leaned back, ”Stay or go, I don’t care, just be silent now.” Oliver watched Hyman for a second before shurrging and leaning backwards, wondering how long he could endure the heat before he needed to leave, slowly forgetting about Jeremy, who waited outside for him. In the distance, bells tolled.