Helian and the Baron’s Bastard (2)

The young man guided me back to our original table and sat down opposite me. His two companions grabbed chairs from another table and placed them down on either side of mine.

Once they were seated, the ringleader beckoned one of the waitstaff over.

“Um… what would you like to order?”

He paused for a moment, then turned to me. “What would you like?”

“Black tea, please.”

The waitress flinched as he looked back at her. “We’ll have a bottle of rosé.”

“Right away, my lord.” She glanced at me briefly and then fled the table.

Kind of boring as far as bullying strategies go, but I expect it works on most girls he meets.

He nodded towards his companions, and as prompted, they moved their chairs closer until our shoulders were nearly touching. Even though I knew nothing would come of it, I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.

“So, young lady, what brings you to my territory today?”

He wasn’t much older than me, though as he’d grown quickly and inherited his father’s height, you could hardly tell. “My territory” implied the barony was his (though he’d yet to inherit it), but if he was accused of undermining his father’s authority, he could claim it referred to the café he had rented.

“I’m here for the administrative exams.”

“Oh, that’s quite admirable. Women like you usually don’t hold such lofty aspirations, let alone achieve them. Do you suppose you’ll pass?”

“I intend to, at least.”

“That’s the right attitude to have. You shouldn’t get your hopes up, since you never know what could happen… the quotas could be reduced, or a mistake could be made during grading. You could even fall sick and miss an exam entirely. Such things are known to happen.”

His companions chuckled on either side of me. Well, these threats didn’t mean much, since excluding me would require shrinking the quotas to nothing. That, and I didn’t plan on giving him my name. Perhaps he intended to get me blackout drunk and ruin my exam scores with a hangover? In that case, good luck.

The waitress returned carrying a large bottle of wine, along with four empty glasses on a serving tray that she could barely hold steady. You can do it, honey. Just take a deep breath.

“Would you like me to pour your drinks, my lord?”

“No thanks. I’ll handle it.”

The waitress placed our glasses down in front of us and then bowed after leaving the bottle in front of the ringleader. He removed a large multipurpose knife from his pocket and used it to uncork the bottle in a swift, violent motion. Oh, you’ve got a temper, don’t you?

He proceeded to fill his glass halfway and then fill mine to the very top before handing the bottle to one of his companions, so they could pour their own drinks. This was to be a drinking competition.

“Let’s begin our new friendship with a toast, shall we?” He lifted his glass into the air and gestured in my direction.

I nodded and raised my glass to match his. “A toast… to the bright future of the baron’s noble lineage.”

I felt his companions flinch on either side of me. This was a sore subject, and he would vent his frustration on them later. 

He narrowed his eyes and laughed. “To the baron’s noble lineage indeed! A fine sentiment.” He emptied his glass in one go, then gestured for us to do the same.

Our impromptu drinking party continued through the afternoon and into the evening, with a brief interruption for dinner (though his companions were barely coherent enough to eat). When he wasn’t regaling us with tales of his wit or physical prowess, he tried to coax personal information out of me, like my name or hometown. I refused, naturally, since it wasn’t yet time for him to know those details.

In any case, the end of this incident was within sight. By this point, he was clearly tipsy, and the others were napping on the table and the floor respectively. (When lackey #2 passed out and toppled off his chair, I couldn’t help but laugh. At least lean onto the lady you’re meant to intimidate, you chump.)

“I must confess… I underestimated you.”

I did my best to feign surprise. “Oh? How so, my lord?”

“I hadn’t expected such a monster hidden in…” he hiccupped. “… a frail visage like yours.”

I smiled. “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the first person to mistake a beast for livestock.”

He grinned and drowsily responded, “I’ve always wanted to tame a beast…” before collapsing face-first onto the table. I was able to grab his glass before he landed on it – the last thing I needed was to be accused of injuring a noble’s face. In any case, my role was complete, so I excused myself and headed to the counter with the half-finished bottle of wine in tow. I could finish it off in my room to calm my nerves before bed, and try to forget it was her favorite kind.

The waitress regarded me with shock. “Um… will you be settling the check?”

“Oh, heaven forbid. My companions will probably leave without paying, so you can send the bill to Baron Rydberg. Just note that his son visited and you’ll be paid promptly.” I reached down to add a tip to the bill’s total – 80% ought to be enough, I think – and smiled. 

I looked back at the baron’s now–unconscious son. You’re twenty years too early to out-drink me, kid.

She glanced over at the table and then back to me. “Okay… should I… do anything else?”

“You may want to close up and head home before they wake. They’ll be sore and irritable, for certain. Perhaps they’ll learn something from this? In any case, you did well.”

She nodded and walked over to open the entrance for me. “Thank you very much, madam. Please be safe as you head home.”

Well, that wasn’t too bad. I can get through this.

How My Fresh Start Began (1)

The proud screeching of my neighbor’s rooster woke me at the crack of dawn. I opened the window and took a deep breath. The morning dew hung in the air like fog and had condensed on the windowsill, a reminder that winter had finally passed even if spring weather in these parts was cold enough to demand long sleeves and lit stoves.

As expected, Helian hadn’t returned since our sudden farewell. In the weeks since, I stayed busy to distract myself: keeping up with my sword practice as much as I could without a sparring partner, refining my agenda, and looking after my uncle’s animals while he waited for his broken leg to mend. While I had mostly failed to distract myself, I knew that if I succeeded, I would, at the very least, get to see her again.

As I approached the goats’ pen, a stern voice called out to me. “XXXXX! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Uncle.” I gave him a polite nod. “Your limp is almost gone – is your leg doing better?”

“It hardly hurts at all! I fear Expy and Reci will miss your care and attention, though… are you sure we can’t convince you to stay?”

Uncle’s two goats owed their peculiar names to Helian. She was the only other person in the village who could pronounce them correctly, so poor Exponent and Reciprocal had to settle for nicknames. Not that they seemed to mind.

“I’d really like to, but I promised Papa and Helian that I’d live a vibrant life. I’ve still got dreams, so I’d like to chase after them while I’m still young, if only for a little while. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone special and the two of us will come back here to settle down?”

Not that I had time for that. I had more important concerns.

He nodded. “Well, I can understand that. This place will be a little boring now that most of you kids are off to start your big city careers, but it would be a shame to waste all that talent. I still can hardly believe that three little geniuses grew up here in one generation!”

While Uncle was prone to exaggeration, he was right about this. Helian was obviously a world-class talent due to her status as a heroine, but the local kids had all learned a lot from her. Until recently the two of us had spent a lot of time with the baker’s son, Julian, but he moved away to become a librarian thanks to his prodigious talent and hard work. I had to admit that things had gotten boring without him around, even if sparring with Helian and discussing novels over tea was pleasant. In any case, I couldn’t blame him for his lack of interest in bread, so I wished him well.

After some contemplation, I had decided my path forward was to apply to join a knightage. While knighthood was still restricted to members of the nobility, the king’s egalitarian decrees resulted in a policy of universal admission to the knightly orders if the applicant could meet their exacting standards. Thanks to Helian’s patient instruction, my soft skills were nearly on par with hers, and with the sword, I could easily call myself her match.  This all meant I could hope for a comfortable administrative role after distinguishing myself during training and enlisted service.

In any case, I wouldn’t be able to achieve my goals by staying here. I decided to travel to the western county and enlist with Countess Solana’s order. Most other orders were less selective, which meant more competition for a limited admission quota. With any luck, I might be able to catch the attention of the countess – herself a famed swordswoman – and leverage that to sharpen my skills and form connections. I certainly wouldn’t be out of place there, as she made a point of welcoming talented young women to a predominantly male profession. 

It didn’t hurt that she was Helian’s favorite character; I was curious to learn more about her.

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After strapping my suitcase to the back of the saddle, I went back inside to take a last look around the family home and grab the rest of my things. After making sure I’d emptied the hidden compartment, I took the sword we found in the cave out of the closet and strapped it to my hip, put on the earrings she gave me, and took my cloak off the wobbly coat rack, knocking it over. Let’s pretend that’s not a bad omen and move on.

A carriage ride would be a more convenient way to reach the county, but I decided to take the family horse, so that I’d be able to travel freely in the future. It wouldn’t be a problem to keep her in the stables of a typical knightage – if anything, it should increase my appeal as a candidate.

As the sun rose, I gave Uncle a farewell hug and mounted Rime, setting off for the west.