The Axe Falls 2 -ch 18-

Sara and Jessie’s argument had petered out into a discussion of blade sharpening.

The different grinds one would put into them and how often. As well as what they felt were better blade shapes for certain applications.

All of which really didn’t much matter to Nick.

His poleaxe maintained it’s own edge, just as The Fall did.

He’d changed clothes and walked the grounds with Julie. It’d been a nice walk and they’d had a far more normal and natural conversation.

“Well, shall we discuss the letters if you two are done?” asked Nick as he came back into the living room.

Seating himself lightly in a recliner, he folded one leg over the other, and looked to the two started Elves. Each of them seem surprised at his sudden sentence.

“Oh, uh… hm. Sorry, Nicky, the Queen of your Rod wasn’t being very attentive,” mumbled Jessie, looking cowed. “I didn’t… you even changed? I’m sorry.”

Sara was nodding her head now.

“I’m sorry, your highness. I just got carried away and-and lost my awareness,” Sara added.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all. I spent the time in a worthwhile way,” Nick said with a chuckle. “Besides, you two seem to genuinely enjoy your little fights. I thought I’d have to step in but I see I was wrong.

“Though, goodness, the two of you really do think up some intricate insults for one another.”

Julie sat down in the love-seat that was directly beside Nicks’ recliner and held up the same slip of paper she had displayed earlier.

“My letter is more or less what I expected because it isn’t from the Dukes. Their own reply was yet to arrive. This one is from my family. Which more or less asked me in no uncertain terms to please become the concubine of his highness so he could protect our family,” announced Julie with a straight face. “That if I were able to secure a position in his bed, it would protect everyone. Given that we’re disreputible dark magicians, it makes sense.

“Your highness Jessie, I would ask your permission to become a Royal Consort or Concubine.”

Jessie blinked, her mouth was hanging open, and she looked at a loss for words. To the point that she finally turned her head and looked to Sara.

“Aren’t… aren’t you going to be the Royal Consort?” she stupidly asked.

Sara smiled woodenly, put a hand to Jessie’s face, and pushed on it till she was facing Nick and Julie again.

“His highness will likely have more than one Consort or Concubine, your highness,” Sara said in a neutral tone. “Though you should most certainly reply to the Court Wizard as she’s made a direct request of you. It is incredibly impolite to address someone else, other than the one who asked you your favor.”

“Urp… uh… uh… yes! Yes. You’re right I should,” Jessie whispered almost to herself as her eyes went back to Julie. “You-you-it… would being the Royal Consort truly be something you wished? In addition to being the Court Wizard? Wouldn’t this… people might speak poorly of you?”

“I don’t think it’ll be an issue,” Julie responded with a smile for Jessie. “Though I thank her majesty for worrying over me. Besides, they can attempt to speak poorly as they attempt to speak poorly of you.

“Then we can just poison their tea and wait for them to go to the bathroom to shit out their insides.”

Jessie’s confused face immediately snapped into a wide smile.

“Yes. Yes! You’re definitely the Royal Consort. Sara is, too,” Jessie said, throwing a thumb at the still completely facially masked Sara. Who only responded with a slow blink as if she wanted to slam a fist into Jessie’s head. “Two down, hopefully no more to go! Cause uh… I’m a jealous nasty bitch and I really don’t like the idea of sharing the King of my Bits. At all.”

“I had no idea I would be given such a position today and without any say-so, how delightful,” Sara said without any tone or inflection at all.

“Wait, we talked about this?” Jessie asked, looking back to Sara. “You’d be the consort and me the Queen. You’d teach me and shit and I’d help you—”

Who promptly clamped a hand around Jessie’s mouth.

“Do forgive my queen. We’re working on the etiquette. She learns well and quickly, she just… she can be very stupid,” Sara apologized, nodding her head even as Jessie dug at the Elf’s fingers that were wrapped around her mouth. “Isn’t that right, my Queen?”

Jessie gave up and prying the stronger woman’s hands off.

“Mmm!” she said and nodded her head once, then folded her arms beneath her breasts. It struck an oddly ridiculous pose given her mouth was covered.

“Wonderful. I’m so glad that’s settled,” Sara continued. “As to my own letter. The nation of Wretin would like to establish a deep connection with his highness. They were unsure of how to do it, but merely asked that I make it happen.

“It would seem that the connection is now made and I can present to them all the trade possibilities that are now open to them, given our relationship.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jessie said with another nod of her head. Then promptly turned her body partly to the side, pulled a hand back, and slammed it home into Sara’s side.

Right about where the liver should be.

Groaning, Sara took the hit, partially crumpled over to one side, but didn’t take her hands off Jessie’s mouth. Instead, she smiled again, her jaw flexing.

“Do forgive my queen, she’s quite frustrated at the fact that she just resulted to violence in front of his highness, and is only now realizing just how much of a violation of etiquette that’d be,” Sara got out in a pained voice. “I’m sure she’ll be quite apologetic later when all that settles into her angry little brain.”

Jessie had froze in place, only for her hands to flop uselessly in her lap.

Sara released her death grip on Jessie’s face and  then leaned to the side, stretching out the side she’d been struck on slowly.

For his part, Nick was staring at Jessie.

He had no room for violence like that amongst what he would call his family.

At all.

There was a part of him that wanted to immediately yell at her and demand she apologize to Sara.

Instead, he only stared at her, wondering just what in the world that was about.

“I’m… I’m a very… dumb… Dark Elf and would ask for forgiveness,” Jessie said, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I tend to act out rather than think and-and I need Sara there to help guide me through this.

“I’m really sorry, Sara. That was incredibly and deeply uncalled for on my part.

“I’m not… I don’t-I don’t want to share Nicky. At all. It makes me want to throw up. I know I agreed to it, but it still makes me feel sick.

“I acted poorly and took it out on you. I’m really sorry.”

Jessie had turned halfway through her statement to face Sara. Even going so far as to take one of her hands in both of her own.

“I’m sorry, Sara. Your queen is an idiot and just… needs… help,” Jessie muttered. “You can hit me back if you want. I really am sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Sara got out in a strained breath. She was still leaning to one side. “Just stunned. It’ll fade.”

The silence afterward was deafening.

“I detest hitting amongst family,” Nick said finally when it seemed like no one could add anything. “I won’t tolerate it. I can handle you two bickering and fighting as you do, but not… physical violence. I expect it to never happen again.

“I’m not your father, but I’m at the very least someone you care about, if not your future king. If you can’t deal with one another without coming to blows, one or both of you will need to be separated and that’ll be that. Even if it pains me.

“I don’t have room for that kind of thing in my life. I just don’t. I’ve seen what it does to families and I’ll not let it in my own.”

Nick had seen a lot of family abuse in the other families in his village. It happened quite often.

His own family had been extremely tight-knit and he expected the same from the people around him.

“I know, Nicky. I know. I fucked up. It’ll never happen again,” Jessie promised, still holding to Sara’s hand. “Sara, can I get you anything? I have some minor potions on me for like scrapes and things… and… other… things.”

Jessie reached to a pouch at her waist and pulled out a small vial from it.

“Here, Sara, just-just drink this,” insisted Jessie, holding it out to the other Elf.

Who took it and looked rather reluctant to do so. He imagined she was taking it if for no other reason than to get Jessie to back off a touch.

Sara, a pained smile on her face, took the top off the vial and then drained the smile as requested. Only to hand the empty vial and top back to Jessie.

She finally released Sara’s hand to take those back and cap the vial.

“Thank you, my Queen, I appreciate it. I accept your apology,” Sara said, meeting Nick’s eyes. She gave him a strange smile, shrugged her shoulders, then shifted around in the love-seat.

He couldn’t place the look, the smile, or the general feeling she was exuding, but she didn’t seem bothered.

If anything she seemed pleased.

“She won,” suggested Lucian with a deep chuckle.

Oh.

Got it.

Jessie acted out after screwing up that badly with her etiquette. Even going so far as to strike Sara.

Only to be scolded by her king while being forgiven by Sara, the one she wronged.

At every possible turn, Jessie lost.

Over and over.

Sara is that pleased because she gets to look perfect.

In front of me and Julie as well.

Nick looked to Jessie, who had picked up Sara’s hand again and was holding to it again.

He didn’t miss the fact that Jessie genuinely looked upset and frustrated.

Not angry.

Though, I think I can answer the earlier question.

Jessie considers Sara very much a friend.

One she loves to verbally spar with.

In fact, let’s just… do away with this stupid facade.

“Don’t hit your best friend in the future, Jessie,” Nick demanded, then looked to Sara as the Dark Elf flinched. “Don’t hold this over your best friends head, Sara.”

Immediately, the High Elf’s smile collapsed and she looked down at the ground.

The two Elves sat there, not saying anything, under the weight of the label.

“Okay,” Jessie mumbled finally

“I won’t,” replied Sara.

“Now, if you two are done… I’m glad that that’s resolved. Now we just need to find out what’s going on with the Dukes and the dungeon,” Nick remarked, making a gesture with his right hand. Only to suddenly have Julie thrust her hand into his as it came back down. Trapping his fingers with her own. “Once we know what’s going on with them, we should know which way to go.”

“I should be getting a letter from the Dukes today. It’s already surprising it’s this late,” stated Julie, who promptly squeezed his hand. “Should we make a stop to the Wretin embassy with another letter?”

“I already sent it,” Sara answered, her eyes slowly moving up from the ground and meeting Nick’s eyes. “I told them that a trade agreement has been offered as well as reasonable prices. To please send back a list of goods they want as well as a sample sheet of goods and prices.

“Jessie suggested doing it all.”

Jessie nodded her head quickly at that and turned to face Nick again, releasing Sara’s hand in doing so.

“Sara’s lying, I made no suggestion. Bright Tits is still stunned, please ignore her.

“I also sent off a letter to my own family. The Dark Elf nation isn’t a formal country, but we do have a kingdom. It’s just not the normal way topsiders look at it,” Jessie put in quickly. “Sara was the one to tell me to do it.”

“Are… you two going to compliment and flatter each other now instead of fighting?” Nick asked, suddenly wary. “Whatever. Good. Thank you. Well. I guess… that’s that for now. Maybe we should mosey over to the guild and see what they can tell us about the Dungeon.”

“I admit I didn’t go to the guild,” Julie offered up when Nick turned to look at her. “I just went to my contact to see if there was anything new, then got the letter when I stopped off at my room to change.

“I was ah… after I got the letter I ran off to find a house and then talk to you, your highness.”

“Okay, enough with the highness shit,” Nick stated, his frustration with the whole of the situation bubbling over. “It’s Nick, Nicky, or Nicholas. Or if you really want to be funny, you can call me Dominic. The highness thing can happen after I take the throne.”

Quest!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by six people!

“What?” squawked Nick before anyone could reply, gesturing at the window that appeared in front of him. “Why? I don’t need to be called ‘your highness’! It’s silly!”

Quest updated!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by twelve people!

Reward Added: One chosen skill upgraded.

“You can’t just bribe me with a reward,” Nick argued, glaring at the window. “And before anyone asks, the land wants me to have people call me ‘your highness’.”

“Oh, that’s easy, your highness,” Jessie quickly put in. “Ahem, as the Queen of Dolphin, I respectfully ask the land to please forgive my king. He’s a humble man that doesn’t like to show off. Do forgive his highness?”

Quest updated!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by ten people!

Reward Added: One chosen skill upgraded.

“Hm. It reduced the number of people to call me ‘your highness’ after you said that, by two, instead of one. Seems like the land likes you,” Nick grumbled, then sighed. “I accept then. Anyways. We should go to the guild.”

“Yes, your highness,” Sara and Julie said at the exact same time.

“I agree, your highness,” confirmed Lucian.

Quest updated!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by seven people!

Reward Added: One chosen skill upgraded.

“Ah, also, may I submit that his highness looks particularly regal today? As a Royal Consort, I must confess I cannot quite contain my excitement to serve him in the bedroom,” Sara purred from where she sat. “I’m most certain that such a noble and lordly man such as yourself will most certainly immediately provide me with an heir.

“I look forward to being able to serve the lands of Dolphin in such a personal and familial way.”

Quest updated!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by four people!

Reward Added: One chosen skill upgraded.

Reward Added: The Shield of Randolph, a Rapier.

“Geeze, Bright Tits, that was some grade A suck-up right there,” Jessie muttered, looking at Sara, who didn’t even look back at her. She was currently staring at Nick.

“It… the quest has changed, it would seem,” Nick said after a pause. He realized in that moment that Sara was testing something and had gotten an answer. “A new reward was added and the number of people needed has decreased. The reward is, ‘The Shield of Randolph’, which is apparently a rapier. It’s rather comically misnamed so I have to assume it… it was generated this very moment.”

Sara’s smile bloomed wider and her eyebrows went up, then looked to Jessie and nodded her head quickly at the Dark Elf.

“I-I as well find the king to be absolutely stunning in his magnanimity today,” Julie put in before Jessie could say anything. “A true stately person that would deserve an equally impressive land, like Dolphin. To be able to add to the princely family tied to such a proud and noble land is a pleasure.”

Quest updated!

Proper address: Be called “your highness” by four people!

Reward Added: One chosen skill upgraded.

Reward Added: The Shield of Randolph, a Rapier.

Reward Added: Stave of the Lady, a Staff.

“That-it… Stave of the Lady, a staff, has been added,” Nick said with a small shake of his head.

At this point, he almost felt guilty.

These rather intelligent women had quickly worked out that complimenting Nick, and the land, could bring about positive changes.

“Oooh, I get it,” Jessie said with a laugh and turned to look at Nick. “He’s so kingly that when he pushes my face down in the bed I can barely contain myself. Especially when he dumps his majestic baby batter in me and—”

Groaning, Nick tuned the rest of it out. Not wanting to hear this in front of the others.

Doubly so because once Jessie got on a bit of a tangent, she wouldn’t stop till she ran out of steam.