Wanderlust - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

King Edarius' arrival to West Draulin was a momentous affair. He had visited a handful of times as a prince, and only once since becoming king. Tandrael was trusted to handle New Teltar, and he was reliable with his reports of incidents, meaning King Edarius never really had a reason to visit.
Of course, as a Tandran, Tanden had to be at the port to greet the King and his advisors and guards. He stood between his brothers and their wives, who had dressed up beautifully for the occasion. Tanden wore his jacket, but he'd put in some effort. Guards had been posted all over the port to keep the area clear, and some of the rarely-used carriages were waiting, so that the King wouldn't have to walk up to the fortress.
They had been waiting since the King's ship had first been seen on the horizon, and Tanden was bored. He kept glancing over his shoulder towards the Wanderlust. He could easily pick out her masts, not too far away, and the sailors moving around in the rigging. He wanted to be there, helping with the final checks before their trip. It wasn't until the ship was starting to dock that he really tried to look alert. The King's ship was boring, anyway. It was big, but it wasn't elegant, not like the Wanderlust.
When the ship was finally moored, it still took some time before the King walked down the gangway. He was dressed in full regalia, with his gold cloak swept over his shoulders and his crown catching the light. He was a few years older than Tandrael, but he still looked youthful and, Tanden had to admit, handsome.
"Nobody wears a cloak while sailing," Tanden muttered, only realizing he'd said it outloud when both of his brothers glared at him.
"Don't make me regret asking you to stay," Tandrael warned.
"I don't recall you asking," Tanden replied.
Tandrael didn't dignify that with a reply. He took Clairia's hand and together they went to greet the King. Tandrael bowed, and Clairia performed a dainty curtsy.
"Welcome to West Draulin, your majesty," Tandrael said. He was about to say more, but the Queen appeared at the top of the gangway and carefully made her way down. "Queen Florinne, it's an honour to have you visit."
She was gorgeous. Her blond hair was done up in a beautiful knot, and her dress was such a light yellow it was nearly white. King Edarius offered her his hand, and with a pleasant smile she took it. "Thank you, Lord West Draulin. Your city looks quite beautiful. I look forward to touring."
Tandar lead Brilana forward. "Your majesties." He bowed.
The King laughed. It was a friendly laugh. "Hello, Tandar. Are you enjoying your stay here? It's odd not seeing you around the castle."
"It is nice to be home," Tandar agreed. "Thank you again for giving me such an extended break. I don't get to see my little brother very often. I would have been sorry to miss him."
"Ah yes, Lord Tanden." The King's eyes met Tanden's.
He couldn't linger any longer, so Tanden joined the group. He ducked his head instead of going for a full bow. "I'm delighted to see you again, King Edarius. Queen Florinne, I don't believe I've had the pleasure."
"I don't believe you have," she agreed, with her beautiful smile again. "You're younger than I thought."
"I was a bit of a surprise," Tanden said, flashing her his best grin.
"What is it you call yourself... Captain Lord?" King Edarius asked.
"Yes, sir. Captain Lord Tanden. Of West Draulin, or of the West Draulin Navy. Sometimes of the WDN Wanderlust. It depends on who I'm introducing myself to. Different cultures value different parts of the title."
"Fascinating," King Edarius said, and he sounded sincere. "I look forward to hearing all about it. Shall we head up to your fortress, Lord Tandrael?"
Tandrael nodded. "Of course." He stepped aside and gestured towards the carriages. The servants waiting with them pulled open the doors.
The King walked by, and Tandrael and Tandar kept pace with him, followed closely by Clairia and Brilana. Tanden was about to follow them when he noticed the Queen sway. He stepped forward just in time, as she stumbled into his arms.
And just like that, the eyes of everyone were on him.
The Queen righted herself, but kept a hand on his forearm. "I'm all right," she assured her husband and the guards. "I'm terribly sorry, Lord Tanden."
"It can take some time for the ground to feel solid again," Tanden said. "I'm used to it."
"Women fainting into your arms?" the Queen teased. Then the King was at her side, offering her his arm. She looped her arm into his and they walked towards the carriages.
Tanden let them get a little ahead before following.
Soren watched the whole procession from a safe distance, and once the nobles had left on their way to the fortress, the port went back to normal. The only difference was the royal ship, flying the Ziannan flag instead of the West Draulin one, and the group of guards standing watch nearby. He was glad he'd been excused from the whole event. Tanden had made it out to sound really boring, and Soren wasn't sure he was ready to be near the King, anyway. He still wasn't completely used to the Tandrans, after all.
The crew had paused to watch the King's arrival, and Soren had allowed the break until the carriages were out of sight. Then he had to get them back to work. There wasn't much that needed to be done. Some men were up in the rigging, double checking the lines to make sure everything was as it should be. Some men were mopping the deck, a few others were polishing every metal object they could find. Ivern, Jerios and Roan were making sure the cargo was all securely tied, even though it had already been checked multiple times. Really Soren was just trying to keep everybody busy. Tanden wanted to leave early the next morning, and the ship had to be ready to go.
Soren made himself busy, too. With a soft cloth, he was gently rubbing oil into the helm, to make the wood shiny. He thought Tanden would like it. He was just finishing when he heard his name called from the dock. He placed the cloth aside and leaned over bulwark. To his surprise, it was Borick. Borick almost never spoke to him.
Soren tried not to sound too surprised. "Aye?"
Borick waved his hand. "Come 'ere, mate. Keep it quiet."
That surprised him even more, but a minute later Soren joined Borick on the dock. "What is it?"
Borick lowered his voice, even though most of the crew weren't close enough to hear him. "Me'n some of the lads were thinkin' of maybe buyin' the Cap'n a gift, to thank him for givin' us so much time off," he explained. "A merchant ship came in a couple days ago with a nice shipment of wine, fancy stuff, right. It's expensive, though. So we thought, maybe you'd pitch in, given your salary. I mean, we can handle it ourselves, but we reckoned you might be interested. At the very least, we thought you might have a better idea of which one to buy. Can you spare some time to take a look?"
Tanden was fond of wine, he'd probably like a nice bottle. Soren nodded. "Of course, mate."
"Ah, I knew you'd help. Good lad." Borick clapped him on the shoulder and began to walk down the dock. "Cap'n does like wine, aye?"
"Reckon he likes most things," Soren agreed.
"Well, they might have some other drinks, too. Pricier ones, I'd bet."
"Anything foreign?"
Borick shrugged. "Maybe. Dunno. You'll have to look at that. If you think we should get somethin' else, that's fine by me. Just remember we don't all get as much money as you do."
"How about this, then. If I suggest something more expensive, I'll pay for more of it."
"Sounds fair, mate," Borick agreed. He led the way through the port and out of the navy's area. After walking for a few more minutes, Borick turned onto a narrow pier. Three smaller merchant ships were docked at the end, and piles of crates lined the pier. If it hadn't been for the cargo, the pier would have seemed relatively abandoned. The crews had probably been given a few days of leave.
Soren was starting to feel a little uneasy. Borick couldn't possibly mean to steal the wine, could he? It didn't seem like him. "So, Borick," he spoke up, trying to keep his tone light. "Who's the merchant?"
Borick glanced over his shoulder. "Don't reckon you know him."
"Right... but is he around? Maybe we should wa—" Soren collapsed suddenly.
It took him a second, through the pain in his jaw, to realize that he'd been hit. His vision swam and then cleared. Borick was standing futher down the pier, but between them was a pair of legs. Soren tried to sit up.
A kick to his ribs knocked him down again. "Bor—"
The figure between them crouched and his face came into focus. "Hello, Soren," Toliver said. He reached out to pat Soren's cheek. "Stay down, mate. It'll be easier that way."
Borick stepped closer. "Thought you were just gonna kill him."
Toliver stood up. "Just killing him works for your goal, but not for mine."
Soren hurt. His jaw hurt and his ribs hurt, but not badly enough to keep him on the ground. He grit his teeth and scrambled to his feet. He lunged at Toliver, aiming for his face.
Toliver threw up his arm just in time. His other hand grabbed Soren's shoulder and slammed him into the crates beside them. Soren struggled until Toliver's hand tightened around his neck. Borick had backed safely out of reach.
Toliver narrowed his eyes. "What did I say? You used to be so good at following orders."
"So what're you gonna do to him, then?" Borick stayed out of reach and crossed his arms.
"Lord Tanden thinks he's invincible," Toliver said. "I can't go after him. But I can destroy you." He tightened his grip on Soren's neck. "And I reckon that'll destroy the lord."
"Not part of the deal, mate," Borick argued. "Piss off the Cap'n too much and where does that leave me? Can't be first mate if the Cap'n goes insane, can I?"
Toliver sighed. He waved his free hand, and a rough looking sailor stepped out from behind another pile of crates. A long knife glinted in his hand.
Borick took a step back. "Toliver?"
"Captain Toliver. No respect," Toliver muttered. "At least you were always respectful, Soren. I'll give you—" he hardly faltered as his sailor thrust the knife through Borick's stomach, "—that much. Roll him into the water, Lorca. Roe willing no one will find him for a few days." As his sailor kicked Borick into the water, Toliver let go of Soren's neck.
Soren didn't move. He would have taken Toliver on if he was alone, but the sailor complicated things. Tentatively, he spoke up, "Captain Toliver..." He'd learned from Borick's mistake. "I'm sorry. I can talk to Tanden, he'll take back the order to have you arrested."
"First name basis?" Toliver said musingly. His sailor joined them and offered Toliver the knife, which he accepted. "I guess you aren't just a pet, then."
"I can fix this." Soren hoped he sounded certain, but he was finding it hard to maintain any kind of composure. "He's reasonable, he was just angry."
"I don't believe you'll call him off, after setting him on me in the first place."
"I didn't." Soren shook his head and tried really hard to not stare at the knife. "He was sent because of that sailor wanting leave. I didn't even know who he was supposed to talk to until I saw the Hiraeth, and then I tried to stop him. He was angry. He knew he'd been too harsh the moment we left."
Toliver leaned against the crates behind him. "Doubt that, mate."
"I'm telling you the truth, Toliver. Please believe me. I've never lied to you."
"So..." Toliver looked at the knife casually, seemed to notice a drop of blood, and wiped it on his pants. "Borick told me you let the lord fuck you so you'd be made first mate. It didn't work on me, so you tried with the next captain you found?"
"It wasn't like that. I... I did love you."
Toliver scoffed. "I think you wanted a promotion and you were willing to try anything to get it, aside for actually working for it. You thought I'd give you the job for some sexual favours?"
"I didn't think that," Soren protested. "I would never try to manipulate you like that. I wouldn't have ever brought it up again, if you'd—"
"If I'd what, not fired you?" Toliver interrupted. "You know, Soren, I actually did regret that. A few days later, I realized how useful you could have been. Things happen at sea, aye? Reckon that's why the lord keeps you around, he can have you whenever he wants. I could've had you whenever I wanted."
"It isn't like that," Soren protested. Maybe it had taken some time for him to believe it, but Tanden had dispelled that worry over and over again.
Toliver tilted his head and his eyes narrowed. "Reckon you must be pretty good, for a lord to pay attention to you. Maybe we should put you to work before we..." He glanced at his sailor. "Thoughts, Lorca? D'you want a turn?"
The sailor shrugged. "If he's good."
Soren shook his head. "I'm not doing anything for you when you're just going to kill me anyway," he said firmly. He would have, otherwise. If it meant getting away from Toliver intact, he would have probably agreed to anything. And the fact that it was Toliver would only make it easier, it hadn't really been that long since he'd had feelings for the man. He could trick himself into feeling them again.
Toliver sighed. "Who said anything about killing you? Oh, well, aside for Borick. But I dealt with him, didn't I? Idiot was just a means to an end. I'm not planning on killing you."
Hope flared up in Soren, but it vanished just as quickly. There were plenty of other things Toliver could do. "Then, what?" he asked tentatively.
"D'you really think I'm going to tell you?" Toliver asked. He handed the knife to Lorca, and his hands went to his belt. "All right, Soren. On your knees, mate. Might as well enjoy you while I've got you, aye? And if you do a good job, maybe I'll make what comes later easier for you."
Soren glanced between the two men. Toliver was distracted and Lorca was a step out of reach. Without a second thought, Soren dove off of the pier. The cold was a shock, but he stayed under as long as he could before surfacing for air. The waves had picked up, but he had always been a good swimmer.
Then a hand grabbed his ankle and he was yanked backwards. Lorca was as strong as he looked. Soren struggled, but he couldn't stop Lorca from pushing his head underwater. No matter what he did, Lorca held him down.
Crelans tended to drown. Soren knew that, but he'd never really believed it would happen to him. Not until his limbs lost all their energy and his lungs ached for air.