Bk 2, Chapter 14: Good Deals

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bp4tbpt1KevRUF_zplnKimTJIO6Lo0cWN3xDoX7IzXc/edit?usp=sharing

--

Cayden had never gotten around to finishing the conversation with Tiana about her offer of employment from the princess. There'd never seemed an appropriate moment; their time together walking to and from the dungeon had been pleasant, and Cayden hadn't wanted to ruin it with another argument. He knew it was foolish, but a part of Cayden had hoped that, as long as he didn't bring it up, Tiana might just...forget about it.

He was now regretting that decision.

"It was one of the conditions she set on my employment," Tiana explained. "She'd already been planning the expedition when she talked to me, and I'd need to join her at the tournament if I accepted the offer."

"She's been planning it for that long? Why is she so desperate to go to the tournament, anyway? And why would she want you there with her?" Cayden asked with a frown.

Cayden couldn't see it, but from the small, familiar scoff Tiana made, he could imagine her rolling her eyes. "The same reasons we've already talked about. In the politics of Valtane, she's a major piece on the board right now. She 'killed' the duke and is next in line for the throne. But compared to most of the other players, she has hardly any personal power – she's still just a sixteen-year-old princess. Supporters of the former duke might want revenge against her. Her sister might see her as a threat to her rule. And any other nobles who might support her, she has to be wary of them turning her into a puppet for their own agendas." Tiana shrugged. "Going to the tournament is her way of removing herself from the board. And as for why she wants me to come with her...she didn't say. But I think it should be obvious. I'm pretty awesome."

Cayden snorted a laugh despite himself.

"Really though, the fateweaver skills are amazing, especially when in a foreign environment," Tiana continued. "Even here they're strong, but for someone like Princess Valeria, who has threads of fate tying her to practically every single person in the capital, my skills are only good for those threads I've taken the time to memorize. But in a place where the princess has no preexisting connections, my [See Fate] skill is much more powerful."

"I guess..." Cayden said with a frown.

"So, does that mean you approve of me working for her? If we're joining the expedition, I'd already be doing a lot of the work she'd expect from me, so I might as well get paid for it."

Cayden sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Tiana made a good point, and it wasn't like he had any problems with Valeria on a personal level. She'd dealt fairly with them previously, and as far as Cayden could tell, she had no nefarious motives. But the whole decision to work for nobles...it felt too similar to what got them into the mess with the duke and fateweaver compound in the first place.

"Let me talk to her, first."

--

It wasn't until the next morning that Cayden returned to the academy and got his chance to meet with the princess. Which was still too soon, in his opinion, but it couldn't be put off any longer, not if they planned on joining the expedition. So, with only a small amount of trepidation, he knocked on the door to the princess' dorm.

"Yes?" a familiar voice asked as he heard the door swing open. But just as quickly, it slammed shut in Cayden's face.

Cayden grimaced as he stood in the empty hallway. Should he knock again? Considering how close she and the princess were, he'd figured that Henrietta would also be joining the expedition, so avoiding her in the long term would be impossible. But he'd hoped to avoid running into her for at least a few more days.

But what else could he do? He didn't know how to contact the princess aside from at her dorm, and with Henrietta also living there, it was even odds she'd be the one to answer.

The door opened again and a different, though still recognizable, voice spoke.

"What do you want?" Marrianne asked.

"Is Valeria here?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you want to know about Princess Valeria?" the angry dark elf snarled at him.

"I'm hoping to speak to her about the expedition," Cayden said, keeping his voice level. "And my sister."

He was sure Marrianne was preparing another scathing reply, but another voice called out before she could speak.

"I'll speak to him."

There was a short pause before Cayden heard the squeak of the door opening further. "You can come in," Marrianne said, her words sounding forced.

Cayden had caught glimpses of the common area of the princess' dorm in previous visits, but not enough to be familiar with the space. Thankfully, all of the rooms in their shared building mirrored each other, and he was able to feel his way forward until he found the back of a chair and used [Inspect].

High-quality cushioned chair.

"Have a seat," Valeria said, and Cayden carefully stepped around the chair and lowered himself into it.

He turned his head as he sat, listening for Henrietta, but heard nothing. He hoped she had retreated to her room, but he had no for-sure way of knowing without asking. Between [Awareness] and [Other Ways to See], he could hear the princess breathing from where she was presumably sitting in a chair across from him, but he couldn’t hear anything from Marrianne despite hearing no other doors open after she’d following him in.

Altogether though, Cayden considered his lack of sight a good thing when dealing with the princess. Even when wearing her shapeless armor, Valeria was beautiful enough to be a distraction to Cayden's teenaged body. He'd never learned exactly how many stat points the girl had in charisma, but he guessed it was at least equal to his own vitality, plus whatever boosting skills she might have. Despite that, she rarely smiled or showed any other emotion, so reading the princess' face while they talked had never been an option.

A few seconds after Cayden had settled into his chair, the princess spoke. "You had questions about the expedition? Are you and your sister intending to join?"

"Probably, but that's not the main thing. I'm here to talk about your job offer for Tiana."

There was a pause. "...what do you want to know?"

"What do you have planned for her?"

Marrianne's voice cut in before the princess could answer, originating behind him and much closer than Cayden would have expected. "That doesn't have anything to do with you – it's between her and Tiana. You need to buzz off if you think..."

Her voice trailed off.

"Marrianne makes a point. As much as I can respect your desire to watch out for your sister's wellbeing, she has already reached the age of majority – I am under no obligation to tell you any of the details of the proposed employment with Tiana."

The apartment fell into silence as Cayden rubbed his bandages.

She was right. On both a personal and legal level, Cayden had no control over Tiana's decisions. Sure, he could try and forbid her from doing something she wanted, but he knew how useless doing so would be. But neither could he simply stand by when he saw Tiana doing something that he thought she might regret.

"...I just want to know that she'll be safe."

The princess sighed.

"Tiana has shared with you the expected payment for her services?" she asked, and Cayden nodded. "I'll tell you what – instead of the original year-long contract I proposed, I will shorten the contract to the next three months, or until we have returned from the tournament, whichever comes first. And I will promise to never ask of Tiana something that I would not be willing to do myself – though that was already my intention."

"That...would probably work." If they were already going to be on the expedition, even he had to admit that those terms were generous. Too generous, if he factored in price tag of the skill-stone Valeria would be giving up in trade. "What's the catch?"

"Tiana has indicated that she was not intending to use the...payment...for herself. I don't know why – and I don't intend on asking – but I can only assume that you would be the one to receive it, instead?" Slowly, Cayden nodded. "In that case, treat it as a payment for your actions several weeks ago, as well, since I was unable to provide the promised healing for your eyes. It is unlikely we will encounter anyone who can regrow them during the tournament."

"I suppose that's fair," Cayden replied. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. If he was going on the expedition – which was looking all but inevitable – it was unlikely that one of the few healers capable of restoring his sight would be available before they left Valtane.

"And I would also ask..." Valeria began, and Cayden tensed. "...that we renew our previous agreement."

"Which one?" he asked with a frown. In the months since he'd first met Valeria, they'd had multiple agreements, each with their own levels of loyalty and obligation between them. All of them had been made for the purpose of reuniting with Tiana, but after Cayden killed the duke and Tiana was freed, those obligations had ended – or so he'd thought.

"The first," the princess said. "Nothing formal. I just ask that you think favorably of me and, should I ask it, give my words a fair hearing."

Beneath his bandages, Cayden's eyebrows rose. That was so much less than what he thought the princess would ask. Less than most would argue she deserved, and even less than what Cayden would have agreed with. Evidently, Marrianne thought the same, because he heard a quiet choking sound coming from her position just behind him. But he didn't give her time to interrupt or the princess a chance to change her mind.

"I agree," he said.

--

The next few days passed in a frenzy of frantic preparations. Tiana was formally employed by the princess, and though she still wasn't allowed access to the academy, Valeria made full use of her new employee. Tiana was sent on non-stop errands around the capital with Marrianne or Henrietta, securing everything that was needed to ensure the expedition's success as she went through a crash course of what it meant to be a princess’ attendant. Cayden offered to aid his sister with her tasks, or at the very least act as her bodyguard while moving around the city, but he’d been refused. Even if Marrianne or Henrietta were willing to tolerate his presence, a blind gargoyle would have been little help.

Elise spent every free second of her days training her class skills, hoping to eke out the last few levels needed to upgrade her class before their departure. They had no idea when they might have access to a class stone on their journey, and she wanted Basura's advice on her next class upgrade. When she wasn't training, she was either crafting potions they might need or packing those same potions and potion-making supplies in one of the several spatial storage bags Basura lent her for the journey.

Jeremy spent the days with his team. His teammate he was rooming with – the one who finished his final year with Delver's Academy a few weeks prior and was less than a month under the twenty-year-old age limit for the tournament – had decided to come, but the rest of his teammates would be remaining in Valtane. Cayden didn't begrudge him the time spent, as the expedition was expected to last for at least a few months, during which he'd see his formine friend on a daily basis.

But it unfortunately left Cayden alone to occupy himself. He'd never been much of a hoarder, and in just forty-five minutes, after a few modifications to his normal delving backpack, he was fully packed for the journey. He resumed his daily training, and without his friends and Tiana to talk to and guide him where he needed to go, that training extended to fill the entirety of each day. He worked himself to exhaustion in his usual arena, fighting dummies and stumbling across obstacle courses, and then simply lay on his back in the sand until he regained the energy to do it all over again.

Once more he contracted a lesson from Instructor Barry, attempting to get advice on how he could compete in the tournament without his sight. Barry had given him directions on how to best make use of his 'gift' of temporary blindness as a training aid, but stubbornly refused to offer any direct advice on the tournament itself.

"That's not fer me to give," Instructor Barry stated, his voice as loud as ever despite it just being the two of them in the arena. "Teams, strategies, everything like that – that's fer the instructor who's guiding you to decide. Don't worry, though – Instructor Mynar knows what she's about. Yer in good hands."

Cayden attempted to glare at where he thought Instructor Barry was standing, hoping his [The One Who Watches] would somehow activate to show his displeasure. That was the only direct information he'd been given: the name of the instructor leading the expedition. She was apparently one of the instructors who worked exclusively with older students, specifically the mages.

"But how much strategic help can she give if she's not a frontliner? I'm already blind – if I want a shot at winning, I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Barry barked out a laugh. "Hah! Yer gonna need more than that if you think you'll win anything." Cayden's attempts to blindly glare intensified. "Yer a good frontliner, I'll give ya that. Maybe the best pure tank for yer age that I've ever trained. But the world is wide, and if you think that little bit of praise means much in the grand scheme of things...well, at least you'll learn something on yer trip."

It was to those ominous words circling in his mind that Cayden fell asleep later that night. And he was still thinking about them when he woke the next morning, the first bell tolling out over Valtane.

The day of the expedition had dawned.

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Was 75% of the way through this chapter before I realized I had miraculously healed Cayden's sight without noticing...