CHAPTER 22 You!

CHAPTER 22

You!

Brownie

It took a while for Brownie to get to sleep, worrying that her final encounter might happen that evening. But it didn’t. She had an uneventful night and woke up to a beautiful but windy June morning.

She was nervous all the way to Heatherfeld, the castle village ruled by Duke Wyldon of Servalt.

They’d arrived a day earlier than she’d anticipated, but instead of finding room at an inn and waiting until the morrow, Rufus had convinced her to join him at the castle.

“It will be fine,” he assured her as they rode up to the front gate of the estate.

“You know I’m the entertainment, right?” Brownie reminded him. “I’m supposed to use the side door.”

“So? I’m the commander general of the Dark Lord’s armies, and you are my guest.” Rufus jumped down and offered her his paw. “Shall we?”

“Alright.” Brownie couldn’t resist the urge to hold those squishy paw pads and accepted his escort, jumping down beside him. The beanies were just as soft as she’d imagined.

She reminded herself to focus on the rest of the beastman holding her hand.

Two castle attendants hurried out to greet them. One took Donna’s reins and led the mare off to the stables while Brownie sent her horse a small plea to behave herself. The other attendant accepted Rufus’s letter of invite and led them inside.

“Please wait here while I inform the duke of your arrival,” the woman said, bowing them into a comfortable sitting room off the castle entry. She was midsize for an elf, with pointed ears and a greenish tinge to her otherwise pale skin. Her hair was honey brown in a tight bun with some strays. “I’ll have the kitchen prepare a light refreshment. ”

The attendant paused, giving them time to declare any preferences or allergies, but the only thing Brownie had trouble with was watermelon, and that just made her tummy gurgle.

When they said nothing, the attendant bowed and backed out of the room, leaving the door open.

Brownie took off her instrument case and delicately leaned it up against the chair before settling into the very comfy seat. She’d left behind everything else—red shoulder bag, belt pouch, and knife—for this meeting.

Rufus leaned in across the space between the two chairs and whispered, “Actually, I may have been given a small side mission while visiting this particular event.”

Brownie raised an eyebrow.

“Keith is miffed with Duke Wyldon at the moment,” Rufus confided. “And I’m to make it known that the king of the Dark Enchanted Forest is displeased .”

“Ah.” Brownie knew there must have been a reason for Rufus to travel to this particular event. It didn’t make sense when Servalt and Nilheim weren’t close allies, and she’d rarely seen anyone from the Dark Horde at any of the events she’d performed here previously.

Excepting the Servalt queen’s Milestone celebration three years ago, of course, when King Keith himself had made an appearance.

But that was different.

The queen had further cause to celebrate her birthday then because she had held on to a magical amethyst Milestone for the full year. It had granted her a permanent +1 to any attribute. The queen had chosen Constitution, a great choice for her Royal Barbarian class.

Brownie had been humbled to get to play at the birthday banquet.

“Do you know why King Keith is angry at Duke Wyldon?” Brownie eyed the innocent-looking Rufus, who was patiently waiting for their host.

“Apparently,” Rufus said, stretching out his legs and crossing one over the other, “Duke Wyldon propositioned Henrietta.”

Brownie gasped. “No?!”

“I most certainly did no such thing !” Duke Wyldon declared, standing in the doorway. His face contorted in an affronted frown. “I proposed to the princess. It’s not the same thing at all .”

“Your Grace.” Brownie jumped to her feet and bowed while Rufus took his sweet time standing up. Brownie was certain that Rufus had already known that the duke had arrived.

“Wyldon.” Rufus nodded. He raised an eyebrow at the man. “As I understand it, Henrietta was happily engaged when you proposed marriage. And you didn’t believe her like a reasonable adult when she said as much, ignoring her opinions and going as far as to announce publicly that she must be under mind magic. ”

Duke Wyldon stiffened. “I was worried for her.”

The duke was a half elf, with an ashen gray complexion and raven black hair that he kept in a low ponytail. He was clean-shaven with a stern disposition, and a pair of scholarly glasses on his nose. Proper, sophisticated, and well respected.

Brownie was almost surprised that he had chosen her for the entertainment. Currently, she was trying to not appear entertained herself.

“And my king found your worry insulting,” Rufus stated, matter-of-factly.

“ He’s the Dark Lord ,” Duke Wyldon said through clenched teeth. “He should be pleased that people consider him dangerous.”

Too bad the duke had joined them before the tea service. Brownie wished she could sit back down in the comfortable armchair and watch the proceedings with a snack and a glass.

“So?” Rufus shrugged. “Servalt was caught in kidnapping and trading slaves. I can’t see why being the ruler of a Dark Enchanted Forest is any worse?”

The duke sighed. “Must we discuss this now? If you are fishing for information on the investigation, then you can just ask .”

Suddenly, the duke turned to Brownie. She stood straighter and gave him a polite smile. He surprised her by saying, “If anything, you should be the one I explain this to. On behalf of my countrymen, I do apologize, Minstrel Bronwynn. Again.”

“Think nothing of it, Your Grace,” she told the man. Of course, if King Keith hadn’t gifted her a new instrument, then she would have had much more to say on the matter .

As it was, she was just happy everyone was safe.

“I’ve had spies within the Assassin’s Guild, and I’ve ordered them to do everything in their power to find the responsible parties,” he tried to assure her, and Brownie felt her smile strain against her cheeks.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“One of my operatives is actually here for this event. I wanted you to meet them in my presence so that there will be no … misunderstandings.” Duke Wyldon looked over his shoulder toward the door. “Jack?”

An all too familiar face stepped through the door. His clothing was tasteful, a tunic and vest and tight leather pants. His face was clean-shaven and attractive, and his hair swooshed to the side with a very manly swoosh.

Brownie immediately recognized the man. “ You! ”