Chapter Four

They settled the important details, and Whisper carried them toward the house. The man was older and likely about fifty-five with a face worn rough by salt and sun.

Sébastien took Remus's shoulder with such a grip, he would have been concerned something was truly wrong in typical circumstances. They'd decided to go with a pain in the side since a potentially contagious illness would have the fisherman running inside to lock his door.

"Are you lost?" called the fisherman.

"My husband's ill," Remus blurted since they'd forgotten to pick what kind of relationship they had. It'd be hard to pass themselves off as brothers. "There's something wrong in his side."

"I'm no healer, and I don't know why you'd come out here." The fisherman glared at Remus with suspicion all over his face. "Nobody out here is a physician."

"I know," Remus growled as he dismounted. "It started on his side a few minutes ago and came out of nowhere. We stopped to see if it would pass after a couple of minutes, but it's not."

The fisherman's mouth dropped slightly as he looked at Sébastien who was clutching his right side and looked to be in true pain. "Is it your stomach?"

"No…it's to the side. It just came on all of a sudden. I was fine earlier."

"Well… if you take a shit, that might help."

"It doesn't feel like that," said Sébastien.

"Can you let us come in just for a few minutes?" Remus shifted from foot to foot. "Maybe if he lays down and drinks a little water, that'll help."

"What do you expect that to do? He might got that thing where this bit in your side…I can't remember what it's called. It gets all fucked up and full of poison, and it can k-kill, er…" The man stuttered to a stop as Remus plastered pretend devastation all over his face, and he quickly looked at the Prince. "If you sit, have a drink, and you're not getting rocked around by the unicorn, you'll probably feel better. It's probably gas that got trapped in a strange way. I've got some mint tea, and that always helps me."

"Thanks. Louis, come on." Their fake names from the whorehouse trip would work fine.

Remus pretended to help Sébastien into the house. It was small, and the shutters were open for the breeze. A small fire crackled in the hearth, and the back door was cracked open. A nalcin about twice the size of a typical mouse lounged on the bed, and its cat-like face perked up at the sight of the visitors.

"Don't mind Killer over there," said the fisherman. "He's not actually mine, and he climbs through the window whenever he feels like it, so I give him tidbits. I guess I'm his. He's all fat now."

He gave a nervous laugh and was likely imagining Sébastien falling over dead on his floor. Most people don't plan their mornings for that. He limped over to the fireplace where a pot of water was already heating.

"I'm Bill."

"David. This is Louis. Good thing you're home," Remus added in a tight voice as Sébastien's eyes swept over the hut, taking everything in. "Or he'd be sitting in the dirt."

"I fish, but my knees hurt too much sometimes to go out there. I'm staying in today. I used to drift around, and I fought in the war too. That probably helped wear my knees down faster."

"Not at the table," Sébastien mumbled as Remus tried to steer him toward one of the chairs by it. "Let me lay down."

Remus helped him to do so near the fireplace and out of Bill's way. He was tossing leaves from a tin into the pot, and Remus caught a whiff of mint. The fisherman smelled like magnolias, which was a rather rare scent for a fairy.

"So…you fought in the war?" asked Remus.

"For Soleil. Biggest regret I've ever had, but I grew up there, and I tried to settle down in my old hometown so I figured I'd fight when the shit started. My Father was Soleilian, and my Mother was from Finkin."

Bill's accent had a hint of Soleilian and other things that Remus couldn't place. He must have spent a lot of time drifting before the war and finally settling outside of Biatano.

"If I could go back, I'd never join up even for the money. Both Kingdoms spent ages bitching before they finally went to war only to finally make a peace treaty. More people dead and nothing really solved. Waste of fucking time and lives."

Remus spotted a tiny miniature on the bedside table near the tiny bed. A young woman with purple hair smiled. She wasn't there, whoever she was, and the small cabin lacked any feminine touch. Bill gave the tea a stir and turned to look at Sébastien who was still pretending to be miserable on the floor.

"Any better?"

"No."

"Draw a knee up."

"Huh?"

"Draw a knee up to your chest on that side like they do to babies who got trapped air. Don't they do that to loosen it up?"

"Er…I don't know."

"It might help."

Looking deeply uncomfortable, Sébastien drew his right knee to his chest and held it there. Remus wasn't sure if that would help babies, not that he knew much about caring for babies in the first place.

"If the tea and rest don't help, it's best you go back to Biatano and find the physician on Torling Street. He's cheap and good."

Bill poured the mint tea, and Sébastien sat up to drink it. Remus declined a cup and eyed a coil of rope on the wall as Bill went to sit at his table. He wore no sword and didn't even have a dagger. If there was a sword anywhere, it wasn't in a spot he could grab in a few seconds. Some soldiers were known to put their weapons away after a war in the hopes of never having to fight again.

Sword or not, an ex-soldier wasn't what Remus hoped to go against. Depending on what magic Bill had, the fight could grow nasty, and neither of them were healers. Luckily, he was older and appeared pretty comfortable with them.

"So where are you heading to?" asked Bill.

"We were taking a ride to see the area and pass the time. We'll be heading to Rowland, but the passenger boat doesn't leave until tomorrow."

"Ah. You look Rowland."

"Yeah, my sister lives in Morin. Have you heard anything about Rowland lately?" It'd be better to get information then instead of later when Bill might fib.

Bill scowled as Sébastien blew on his hot tea. "You mean besides their damn King betraying his twin?"

"I think everyone's heard of that."

"Quintus is a piece of shit. I heard that Remus supposedly stabbed Regent Lupo in his sleep and went back to bed as if nothing happened. He was going to blame his twin the next morning." Billy smacked the table. "That's the most retarded thing I've ever heard. I thought some real details were going to get around, but that's it. Quintus just happened to get up, check on him, and got the whole guard together while Remus snored in his bed? What a crock of crap." He shook his head. "If they finally revolt, it'll serve him right."

"Finally revolt?"

"Your sister didn't write?"

"Erm, most of our last letter was travel plans and stuff about...Mum. She's getting up there in years and wants me to come home."

"Oh, well, some of the southern region in Rowland is…" Bill scratched his chin. "They're not exactly ready to tell Quintus to stuff it, but I heard from a traveler at the tavern that they might end up in a civil war in two or three years. I bet they will because some of those lords got to use their brains and not swallow such crap. Those more north and closer to the King are pissing their trousers at the thought of disobeying him. I bet some are dumb enough to believe him, but there's no way the whole Kingdom does."

"I know the story sounds too stupid to be true, but what if Prince Remus did do that and hoped to get away with it?"

"Pfft. There's no way."

So Remus would have support and wouldn't be trying to force everyone to believe his side of things. The problem was that he couldn't tell from that bit of news who to trust, especially with Sébastien at his side. Some did believe Quintus's tale or were simply afraid to say otherwise. Others were unhappy to the point where the words civil war had been spoken, and that meant volumes.

If he was open about who they were, a lord could attempt to turn them in for a reward. Telling who was honest wouldn't be easy.

"But that was just rumors I heard," added Bill. "Who knows what'll really happen? That guy could have been talking out of his ass. Maybe everyone will settle down. Same shit, new ruler, right?"

"People were loyal to Prince Remus. He and his Father were liked."

"True, but he's not around now. King Quintus is. Prince Remus is with Prince Prick of Soleil. I heard he was released, but that sounded like bullshit too. Either way, we'll see when our Duke finally gets his ass to Biatano. Whatever happened, I bet Prince Remus will eventually return and set shit right. Maybe that's what the southern lords are waiting for."

"I heard he's free too. The Soleilian Prince was never really into slavery, you know? His Father was-"

"I bet he realized how nice it is to have someone else getting him things or bending over because he says so. Or he's bending over to get plowed whenever he snaps his fingers. He's a nasty bastard who didn't even want the last treaty. Probably thinks his shit is gold."

What a sour man.

"I think my side is feeling a little better," Sébastien said in a neutral tone as if he hadn't just been insulted.

"If you need the privy, it's in a stall outback," Bill hastily said. "Don't be farting or whatever in here."

"I'm not. I need a minute."

It was time, and Remus approached Bill with his hand out so they could clasp arms. "Thanks so much for allowing us in so he could rest. I was so worried about bringing him back because he said the riding was making it hurt worse."

"No problem."

Sébastien dropped the cup and flew to his feet to grab the rope from the wall as Remus grabbed Bill by the neck. Instead of instinctively trying to pry off his hand, Bill went for Remus's sword.

If he did that instead of using magic, he likely needed a weapon to channel his magic or he only had healing powers, and Remus wouldn't have to deal with an injury. He punched Bill in the nose.

A slug there usually makes a man's eyes water and distracts him enough. It works better with a little lightning added in to make it pack more of a sting. Bill also swore as he grabbed at his face, and his hand glowed. Remus grabbed his wrist next and twisted it before he let go of his throat. He took a half-step back and kicked Bill in the chest hard enough to tip the flimsy chair back. The nalcin squeaked from the bed.

Remus fell on Bill and wrestled him on the floor. The chair scraped as it was kicked aside by one of them. He forced the older man onto his stomach.

"For fuck's sake, if you want my stuff, just take it and go!"

Sébastien was there with the rope, and they didn't waste time on words as they bound his hands. Bill wished real sickness on Sébastien as he thumped his boots on the floor and tried to twist away.

"Just behave." Remus stood. "We don't want your savings or whatever you got in here."

Sébastien righted the chair. "Get him up."

"Take my boat. I hope it sinks and you drown. That'll serve you right for stealing. I'm practically an old man, and-"

"We are taking your boat, but you're coming with us," said Sébastien.

Bill went pale once Remus plunked him on the chair. "I'm not going nowhere with you or helping you escape. Whatever crime you're running fro-"

"With all of those rocks out there in the water, I bet we can't simply go straight, so you're going to guide it," said Remus. "You'll do most of the work to get us to Rowland's shore as fast as possible. We want to reach the most northern tip, which is pretty much a straight run south from he-"

"Fuck you. I'll sink us all."

"We might make it and cling to some wood, but we'll make sure you don't," Remus said in his commanding tone. "You'll get us out of here and to Rowland, and that's an order."

"You're not my Commander, and I'm not a soldier."

"We are now, and you'll do what you're told if you enjoy living."

"If you behave, I'll pay you afterward, and you can take your ship back once we're ashore in Rowland," said Sébastien. "One of us will stay awake at all times to watch you, so don't get ideas. Remember what he said. If we sink, we might survive by hanging onto some wood. We'll make sure you don't make it."

"It's about three days from here to get to the most northern point! Or a little more. It's morning, and we'd likely arrive at night-"

"That's fine. We can handle three or so days."

"I'm not running a damn passenger ship!"

"We can leave you tied up here in a rather…uncomfortable position. I imagine it'll be days before anyone comes here, so think about how painful your death will be."

Bill gritted his teeth. "Whatever crime you're running from, it's going to bite you in the ass."

"We're quite innocent," said Remus.

"Oh, really? You could have asked and offered money. Made up a lie about family-"

"Would you have taken us if we asked nicely?" asked Sébastien. "Since you're not running a passenger ship business."

Bill's expression said no.

***

They collected water, food, and a few supplies. They also permanently borrowed some of Bill's clothes. He wasn't nearly as muscular, so his shirts weren't big enough for Remus who'd look like a sausage if he tried to stuff himself into one. After ten seconds of wearing it, the buttons would ping off the walls and possibly take out one of Sébastien's eyes. Forget his trousers. Remus's balls would go numb from lack of circulation.

They'd work for Sébastien who was slimmer, and he went out back to change his trousers since he'd been wearing the same pair. He looked odd in brown with the new, black shirt Remus had bought for him the night before.

Once they had some supplies including water tucked in the boat, they found the winch handle under the bed along with Bill's sword. He probably wished he hadn't retired it. The nalcin was nowhere to be seen. Remus left the window cracked just in case he was hiding somewhere in the house.

Sébastien squinted at Remus who scooped water into a shallow bowl and left it on the floor. "What's that?"

"For Killer, the nalcin. If he comes back looking for tidbits to eat, he'll at least have some water. Bill's not going to be around for a while to give him anything."

Bill shot him a murderous glare from his chair.

They finally untied Bill, gave him a couple of more threats, and forced him to walk ahead.

Remus didn't like the dock since it felt like it might collapse into a pile of toothpicks under them. The boat was in much better shape, showing Bill took care of it.

The fisherman's face was bright red as he put together the winch and hauled up the anchor. The entire rope wasn't done with copper.

"I guess someone stole your boat before," said Sébastien.

"Yeah," grunted Bill. "And now you're fucking robbing me again. I'm trying to save what I got from the war and supplement it, and you two are fucking me over."

"You'll have your ship afterward plus pay as long as you don't screw us over."

The boat didn't have a proper cabin, but a three-sided structure with a roof so one could have a break from the sun. Whisper had feed and water, and he appeared content while he munched on oats and stared at Bill.

Bill adjusted the sail and worked the rudder as they slowly left the coast. Rocks lurked in the water, and he knew where to go to avoid ramming the hull. Once they were safely in the open sea and gliding along, Remus took a deep breath. They'd gotten that far, and Bill hadn't sunk them to be a dickhead.

They'd still have to be careful. Remus had been watching what he did in case they had to get rid of him and do it themselves. Sébastien settled on a water barrel. Bill kept giving him odd looks and glancing at the unicorn.

"See something you like?" Sébastien snarled at him.

"I bet your name's not Louis," Bill said after a moment of hesitation.

Sébastien rolled his eyes and lightly applauded.

Bill might have heard about the Prince's mount and probably knew in general terms what the youngest heir looked like. All of Sébastien's hair was hidden under his cap.

A man might have a silver unicorn. It was very unlikely he'd have silver eyes too, be the right age, and happen to have a muscular friend from Rowland with yellow eyes. It wasn't the sort of thing one might guess at first, and some might never put two and two together, but Bill seemed to start wondering.

Sébastien took off his cap. Remus gave him a look, and the Prince lightly shrugged one shoulder as if to say who was Bill going to tell now?

"I need some damn air. I'm tired of keeping it up."

With his white hair loose blowing in the wind and glinting silver where the sun touched, Bill seemed sure of himself as he looked at Remus again. "Fuck."

"Do I look like a damn slave to you?" asked Remus. "Watch what you say because you don't know shit about him, and he's not a bastard who rapes slaves. Asshole."

"Oh, and my name isn't Prince Prick," said Sébastien.

Bill hastily averted his gaze.

"Do your job well, keep your mouth shut, and you can have a reward later," added Sébastien.

Bill didn't reply to that. The day passed slowly, and the wind was good. No storms lurked in the distance, and Whisper got to rest and eat all he wanted. They'd put blankets under the covering for themselves, and Remus told Sébastien to get some sleep.

He needed it more than Remus after his morning.

Bill barely spoke, and the hours passed in a cycle of one sleeping or resting and watching Bill so he didn't stab them in their sleep or try any funny business. At night, he prepped the boat to go on its own and said to wake him if it started to drift off course. He slept on a blanket away from them.

They had plenty of water. Dried fish and bread made up their meals. Bill had clearly guessed who they were and still didn't like them. On the second day, he asked what they were doing and why they needed to leave Midland. Sébastien's glare made him stop talking.

Most would assume Sébastien was fleeing and would try to find a ship in Rowland to go elsewhere such as Finkin, or back to the mainland and away from Soleil.

On their second night, Bill was fast asleep by midnight. The ship was going along smoothly with a decent wind, and Remus was supposed to be sleeping since it was his turn. Sébastien was sitting on a crate by the railing and staring up at the stars.

With the lanterns out, nothing detracted from their light. Sébastien's hair was pale streaks shifting in the breeze as he observed the sky. Remus watched him, wanting to know what he was thinking about and if he'd found a few minutes of peace for himself without the past and uncertain future pressing on his mind.

He wanted to bring Sébastien under the blanket and watch the starry sky with him until they both fell asleep. Except if Bill woke up, he might go for their weapons and try to off at least one of them. No thanks.

He forced himself to close his eyes so he could catch some sleep before it was his turn to be up. One day, he'd do that with the Prince.

With good wind and the fisherman's skill, they made it in about three and a half days. It was night, and the shore was dark in the distance.

"I don't know this area, so if there are hidden rocks, it's not my fault," said Bill.

"Let us down as close as possible."

"I'd like to go back in my ship. Not swim back."

"Just do it." Sébastien had taken coins from his money belt. "You can have this, and we'll take the few things we've decided are ours and be on our way. The pay will be sufficient enough for your time and the cost of shirts, the waterskins, and the food. You have enough to eat and drink on the way back. Keep your mouth shut, and maybe I'll give you a nice bonus later so you don't have to fish to supplement your savings and eat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Bill snarled.

Sébastien raised an eyebrow, and his eyes glinted in the light of the crystal lantern hanging from the edge of the open cabin. "Consider it a service to your country."

"The country I fucking left. I don't give a fuck about Soleil anymore. I damn near lost my life and watched people die only for you assholes to surrender."

"How about if you shut up?" asked Remus.

When Bill had edged the ship as close as possible to the shore, the Prince approached him and held out the money. "I had nothing to do with the war. In case you forgot, Remere took over after Father for a short time, and the Regent followed. Nobody listened much to whatever I thought, so I had no decisions to make. Now, take your money and shut the fuck up because you have no idea what's going on."

Bill glanced at Remus before accepting the lans and dins.

"You'll wait until we get everything down," said Remus.

They rolled up their trouser legs, took off their boots, tied the laces together, and slung them around their necks to keep them dry. Whisper didn't like the gangplank that led into the water. With no dock, it wasn't like they had a choice, and the Prince soothed him with words and pats. They carried their stuff down next and splashed through the shallows to the sand where the unicorn waited. Since they had everything, Bill immediately started pulling the gangplank back up.

They stood in the sand and watched the boat move away until the dot of light in the distance vanished.

Remus turned with the lantern he'd decided to take. "We should stay here for tonight and sleep. No one is going to come out here."

"Are you sure this is the northernmost tip?"

"I'm pretty sure. Maxo is nearby. We can head there tomorrow."

"Anything dangerous in the woods?"

"Er, not usually this far north. We'll sleep closer to the tree line, and Whisper will wake us up if anything gets close."

"I need to piss, and I'd rather some wild animal not eye me for dinner." Sébastien fixed one trouser leg that was trying to unroll itself before taking the lantern. "Give me a minute."

If he didn't want to whip it out to piss in the water, that was his choice. Remus waited until the Prince's light had gone far enough and stood so the surf wouldn't reach him before he pulled himself out to piss. They could set up the blankets in the sand, eat a little, and have a good sleep with neither having to stay awake. It was unlikely anyone would come out here, and a solid rest would do them both good.