Chapter 17: Talentless - Chapter 17

Rayden checked himself out in the mirror, trying to massage his messy black hair into a semblance of order. He had been told he was attractive before, but could benefit from taking better care of himself. That had been difficult to do when he was constantly traveling, but the excuse didn’t make him feel any less anxious, even knowing Quill had volunteered for this dinner.

He was wearing a cream colored tunic–the least wrinkled article of clothing he owned–and his nicest pair of brown trousers. He thought he looked nice enough, at least for a wandering adventurer who had no sense of style and the romantic history of a lonely nomad.

The vase he purchased on the way back from town sat on the desk beside him, filled with fresh flowers. He had been lucky enough to find a second meadow on the west side of town, rife with flowers and notably undisturbed by invading goblins.

Even though he had expected as much, the sight of another green anomaly had made him nervous. It was proof of the area’s increasing mana density and proof of the eventual danger they would have to face. Despite the brave words he’d given the mayor, it was still a scary prospect.

However, tonight, the kingdom's upheaval and his eventual peril could wait.

Tonight was about Quill.

Rayden gave himself one last look over before giving the self-conscious idiot in the mirror a thumbs up, grabbing the vase, and heading downstairs.

Arriving at the bar, he placed the flowers next to him and took a seat. Catching the eye of Cass, it occurred to him how stupid he must look bringing a vase of flowers to a tavern. He might as well bring his own table, and a candlelit dinner to boot.

Silly as it made him look, perhaps it was actually good for his image.

Hey, our Warden might have the ability to conjure lightning, but he’s a dweeb just like us!

“Greetings, warden,” Cass smiled as she walked over, winking at the flowers. “Are those for our new regent?”

He nodded shyly.

“News travels fast, huh? And yes.”

“Aw, how sweet. You seem cute together.”

He shifted his weight on his chair, a little mortified at how obvious he and Quill’s flirting had been to both the tavernkeeper and the chamberlain earlier. For whatever reason, the mage seemed to enjoy the public aspect of their courting a lot more than he did. Damn nobles...

Cass looked him over with a wry grin, lightly tapping the table as if waiting for him to say something.

“I’ll get you some cheese fritters and two glasses of ale,” she said eventually. “Be right back.”

“Oh,” he replied, realizing that he had been supposed to order. “Thank you. Sorry, I’m just nervous.”

“I can tell.”

She waved him off with a knowing smile, heading back to fetch the refreshments. Just as she returned, he heard the voice he was waiting for call out behind him.

“Good evening, Rayden.”

He turned and almost fell out of his seat. The auburn-haired mage was dressed in a beautiful ruby dress that fell just below her knees, accenting her curves in ways that made his heart leap. She made most outfits look enticing, but this was a showcase.

The red dress elegantly hugged her figure, gliding down the slope of her chest and over the slight bulge of her stomach, eventually stretching around her hips and down her thighs. And while that was hard to look away from, the smile on her face was just as alluring, beaming just for him. She had even tied her hair into a fancy bun, completing the outfit with grace and style.

He felt like a bum in comparison.

“Hey, Quill. You look beautiful.”

He did his best to sound more like a polite young man than a drooling imbecile, but it wasn’t easy. Right now, she was pacifying his skepticism of the ruling class just by looking at him.

“Thank you,” she replied, taking a seat. “You look cute.”

The moment she took her eyes off him, they lit up in surprise at the flowers in front of her. It was the first time he’d seen her caught off guard outside of combat, and he felt a swell of pride. He would have to remember to thank his benefactor.

“Wow. I’m actually impressed. These are so nice, thank you, Rayden.”

“I was just excited you agreed to dinner,” he said shamelessly. “I wanted to make you feel special.”

She held one hand to her chest and patted his thigh with the other, looking at him in a new light. Fuck, if we keep seeing each other, I’m going to have to become a flower guy.

“You did. Well played.”

“Thank you. Uh, feeling better than this morning, I hope?”

Quill blushed at that, possibly remembering her antics from last night. He was glad to have a reason to tease her for a change.

“Ugh, I still have a slight headache, but it’s better than this morning.”

She glanced down at the glass of ale in front of her with a queasy expression.

“Remind me to take it easy tonight…and thanks for dealing with me yesterday.”

“No problem,” he laughed. “You weren’t poorly behaved, just uh…a bit mischievous.”

“Well, that’s something, I suppose.”

Still a little red, she sighed into her drink, then a slightly awkward silence settled in as the two of them began to pick at their food. Rayden took a few sips of his drink before wading back into conversation.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I’m really glad to have met you, and I’m even more glad you’re staying...but why are you out here?” He asked. “You told me a little before, but it's hard for me to understand why you’d give up the good life, so to speak. I half expected you to be betrothed to some young master or something.”

She glared at him for a second, as if offended, but eventually leaned back and groaned. He didn’t miss the way the motion made her dress strain against her chest.

“Ugh, the good life, you call it,” she said with a dismissive gesture. “I suppose in some ways it is. I certainly have never had to worry about the essentials, but it isn’t all just feasts, dances, and gold.”

“Most people in this town would kill for a single one of those,” Rayden said lightly, trying to suppress a grin.

“I know,” she frowned. “It’s just, everybody wants something from me, or rather, from my father. It was bad enough growing up, but the moment I became Attuned, life became twice as insufferable. I can never tell who actually likes me and who is trying to use me. Gods, my own mother wants to pimp me out like a glorified medium.”

“I’m sorry,” he nodded, assuming she was referring to the Talent he had glimpsed, but did not fully understand.

He planted his elbow on the bar, letting his chin rest in his palm as he waited for her to continue. He badly wanted to ask how exactly her power worked, but could tell it was a sensitive topic.

“I came out here because I was disillusioned,” she continued with a pout. “It was all becoming too much. My mother’s constant instructions, the rigmarole of court, and all the vainglorious upstarts trying to get a piece of my father. I just needed a break.”

She tilted her head to the side, lips curving into a sly grin.

“And yes, I did have suitors, some of them exactly the type of men you would imagine. Thankfully, my father would never marry me off against my own will. He’s a good man, perhaps too good, honestly. He didn’t say it, but I know he only agreed to my sabbatical because he thinks I’m safer wandering in the boonies than at home.”

“Why is that?”

Quill downed a glass of ale like it was nothing, apparently having forgotten her earlier trepidation. She played with her hair for a second, slowly shaking her head as if coming to a decision.

“I suppose I should just tell you,” she said, covering her eyes. “My father is Duke Layton Noel, and I’m his youngest daughter.”

He bit his lip before nodding wide-eyed, doing his best to look appropriately shocked. He knew dukes were bigshots in the peerage, but the exact details of their rule were beyond him.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You don’t know who that is?” She said incredulously, seeing right through him.

“Uh…I know Dukes are pretty high up, right? Like a general amongst nobles?”

Quill blinked at him, slowly shaking her head.

“Fuck, Rayden, it's one thing to hate the nobility, it's another thing to be ignorant. There are five dukes in the kingdom: two humans, two elves, and one dwarf. They are the most powerful people in Sepith, only bowing to the royal family and some of the very strongest Attuned.”

“Oh, I see,” he replied.

No wonder she’s unafraid of a baron

“So you’re almost a princess?”

“Shut up,” she said, he lips betraying her with a smile. “But yes.”

“OK, fair,” he laughed. “But why is it not safe for you to be home, presumably protected by the kingdom’s Knights and other bigshots?”

“I require another drink to answer that,” Quill said, flagging down Cass.

Rayden crooked an eyebrow, partly amused and partly concerned.

“What happened to going easy?”

“Talking about my family happened.”

The mage rolled her pretty brown eyes. Seeing a flicker of pain within their depths, he decided to knock off the teasing. Her drink arrived a moment later and she wasted no time imbibing most of it immediately.

“Duke Vazel, the other human duke, has been cozying up to the royal family. My father is seen as a reformist, and Vazel is a my clandestined noble birth makes me a superior type of guy. Nothing has happened so far, but my father fears he is trying to turn the king against him,” she said with a grimace, before averting her gaze. “I’m the only Attuned child in the family, so I’m the target that would hurt the most.”

Rayden tapped his finger on the table for a moment, watching her stare off into the distance. He, of course, felt terrible for her pridcacment, but the whole conversation just felt surreal. Who’d of thought he’d end up in Penrith talking with the daughter of a duke about her potential assassination?

“I’m sorry, Quill,” he said gently, risking putting a hand on her arm. “I apologize for being an ignorant asshole. I didn’t mean to dismiss your upbringing as easy, I just...don’t know shit, as you can tell. Thank you for telling me all that.”

“It’s OK,” she nodded, turning back to face him.

The mage took another drink, then looked down at the hand he was resting on her arm.

“For now, I’m willing to be the regent of this town and one of its champions, because that’s what I feel I’ve earned so far. Someday I’ll have to reckon with my birthright too, but not yet.”

“Sounds reasonable to me,” Rayden replied. “Penrith is lucky to have you.”

She responded with her brightest smile of the night, before placing her hand on his and giving him a light squeeze. He felt butterflies in his stomach begin to take flight.

“Thank you. Um, just so you know, my real name is Jacquelyn. However, I’d like to be Quill for a while longer, the capable mage who followed a cute adventurer to Penrith, took a fancy to the man, and lured him to the dingiest tavern in the kingdom.”

“You lured me, huh, Quill?” He chuckled.

“I’d say so,” she grinned, having regained her confidence. “I’ve been gauging your interest since we left for Penrith. Did you not notice?”

“It took me a while,” he admitted, feeling his face redden.

“That’s alright,” she said sweetly, leaning in closer to his face. “Now, can you tell me a little more about yourself?”

He took a bite of food, thinking her question over for a second. While she hadn’t asked him to share anything specifically, Quill had just lowered a major wall between them. Why not reciprocate?

“I think you’ve gotten the gist by now,” he said eventually. “But here’s the short of it. My mother was the mayor of the town I grew up in, Arvus. The place wasn’t that much better off than Penrith until some miners discovered a Slipsilver deposit. Things went well for a while, until a merchant guild called the Blue Girdle got involved.”

“I know of them,” Quill said quietly.

“They wanted the mine for themselves. It took a while, but they eventually earned the favor of the baron and patiently squeezed my mother and the town dry. When things got bad, their guild head, a knight named Ivo, visited my mother at our home.”

“The golem summoner, right?”

“Yes,” he answered, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “My mother defied him one last time, and the next day, his golems ransacked Arvus. She must have understood what was coming, because she hung herself before it happened. There was an investigation, but, of course, nothing came of it…”

Rayden looked down at his hands, surprised to find them trembling. It occurred to him that other than his questionably consensual conversation with the Mother, he had never told anyone the story of his childhood.

This was the first time he opened up to someone simply because he wanted to.

“I’m sorry, Rayden,” Quill said, steadying his hands with hers. “What a bastard. I’ve met him, actually, but I had no idea of his deeds. I’m sorry the kingdom failed you, and I’m sorry if that makes things awkward between us. I know it's been a long time…but I could ask my father to investigate."

“That’s OK,” he said, wearily shaking his head.

She looked at him thoughtfully, her freckles scrunching into little bunches.

“Let me know if you change your mind, because I mean it. Having finally seen a glimpse of the kingdom my father helps to rule, I’ve begun to understand how its people suffer. I do not know what injustices my family is or isn’t responsible for, but I hope to do better…and I wouldn’t blame you if you resented my station or my family.”

Doing his best to shake off his dour memories, Rayden managed a grin.

“I might have, when I was younger…” he shrugged. “Or if you weren’t a beautiful woman interested in my company.”

She giggled at that.

“But I won’t now. You’ve helped me immensely, and you’ve pledged yourself to Penrith as well. That's more than enough.”

“Glad to hear it,” Quill nodded. “You know, my dad likes to say that, rich or poor, men become tyrants when they climb to the top by stepping on others. The bandits we killed, and the baron who hired them, are good examples of that.”

Rayden leaned to the side, not fully disagreeing, but wanting to offer a slight contention.

“For sure, it’s just people like the baron have a lot bigger boots.”

“Do they?” Quill hummed, tilting her head.

“Yeah. I mean, the expression is fine, I just think it conflates things a bit,” Rayden said carefully. “The bandits were dogs nipping at the heels of the kingdom. A nuisance, but easily dealt with. The baron’s willingness to succumb to corruption and throw his weight behind them is what led to the greatest evil. If not for his greed and the way he mistreats his subjects, there might be no bandits in the first place.”

Hoping he wasn’t coming off as patronizing, he took a bite to eat, then continued, “I don’t mean to say that the bandits were merely victims of circumstance; I just think the distinction is important. When it comes to stepping on others, nobles and Attuned like us have the biggest footprints.”

“I see,” she said, examining him. “Point taken.”

He wasn’t sure if she completely agreed, but that was fine for now. The two of them came from very different worlds, but he could tell she was trying her best to take his feelings seriously. He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes.

“Do you think we really can prepare this town for what’s to come?” He asked.

“What happened to your fire from earlier, Mr. Righteous Retribution?”

“Humor me,” he laughed. “My commitment isn’t wavering, I just...wonder if there’s any chance of Penrith and us coming out of it alive. Am I a sucidal maniac?”

“You might be,” she hedged, looking through him for a second. “But you have my help, and though Boh might be an irreverent buffoon, we’re going to be well on our way if he truly is the craftsman he says he is. The three of us can make a lot of gold fast, and if we get Ivy and Jim back, that’s real power. As long as we earn our first Profundity before things come to a head, I suspect we can take on whoever the baron can throw at us.”

“I see,” he said, realizing exactly how important her guidance was going to be moving forward. “But what about after, let’s say we defeat Gustav and draw the ire of a count, or whoever the fuck is next in line, what then?”

“It goes baron, count, earl, marquis, duke,” Quill explained with a snicker. “And, we probably either swear fealty to someone who hates them, or we all die.”

He raised an eyebrow, but she just shrugged at his expression, grabbing the last couple of cheese fritters and popping them in her mouth.

“We’ll get there when we get there, Rayden, who knows. As much as it will piss me off, we can reveal my identity if things get dire enough. For now, focus your pretty little head on helping the town one step at a time. I think you’re quite good at that, and it’s partly why I like you so much.”

Suddenly turning red, he broke away from her gaze and took a long drink.

“I like you too, Quill.”

“I know,” she giggled, pointing to the flowers with a teasing smile. “You brought flowers to a tavern. However, I hope you’ll forgive me, but it's getting a bit late. I’m exhausted. Is it alright if we end things here for the night? I’d love to do this again tomorrow.”

He tried not to show his disappointment, but it must have been obvious enough for her to laugh.

“Don’t mistake my intentions, you will be having dinner with me tomorrow,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m just still feeling it from last night's... festivities.”

“I’m just not quite the drinking partner Boh is, am I?” he said with feigned sorrow.

“You lack his subtle charm, but believe it or not, I prefer both your company and looks.”

Satisfied with her appeasement, he finished the rest of his drink and pushed the empty mug to the edge of the bar. Quill did the same, then flagged down Cass to pay the tab. He was going to offer to pay for their meal until his tawny-haired date casually left three silver coins on the bar, which was more than enough to pay for several weeks of lodging in Penrith.

Given that Rayden had only two silver coins left to his name, he chose to politely accept her generosity. It didn’t escape his notice when Cass greedily scooped up her tip with a wicked grin. Eventually, he was going to have to teach his fair Lady about fair prices, so she could better learn exactly how quickly she was helping the town develop. But that could wait for another night.

Suddenly a little shy, he followed Quill up the stairs in silence. Just before they reached the door to her room, she suddenly turned around, smiling hungrily. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like minutes, then she pushed him against the wall, pinning his shoulders between her arms.

“I thought you were tired,” he said, surprised, but not unhappy.

“Tired of just looking.”

She bit her lip, then leaned in until her face was inches from his and said, “I’m just warning you, I’m accustomed to getting what I want.”

Rayden did not quarrel with that.

“Then let me give it to you.”

He reached around her ample hips and pulled her in, pressing her softness against his wiry muscles. She kissed him fervently, and he responded in kind. He didn’t think she was wearing perfume, but there was a floral scent in the air, and it wasn’t until a minute had passed that he noticed she had placed one of the flowers he’d gifted her behind her ear.

Cute. He almost blurted out that they had forgotten the vase, but had the decency to tell himself to shut the fuck up.

Time seemed to blur as they not so subtly felt each other out, until she eventually relented, gently pulling away from his lips. After one last peck on the cheek, she playfully ran her hand through his hair, then sauntered off into her room without a word. They hadn’t spoken since their kiss started, but their feelings had been made clear.

He leaned against the well for a moment, looking like a giddy mess, until footsteps made their way up the stairs. Boh entered the hallway and misinterpreted the goofy smile written all over his face.

“Rayden, I’m a bit drunk, so I’ll ask, just to make sure. Are you making eyes at me?”