The tavern was crowded, and the rich aroma of stew hung in the air. The patrons were eating and chatting cheerfully, and the atmosphere was still calm.
It was nothing like the chaos that usually filled inns after sunset.
Alex looked around and spotted William at one of the tables in the back, near the windows. He was staring outside, doing his best to build a wall between himself and the rest of the world. What a strange guy...
The prince stopped a waitress, ordered food and drinks, and sat beside the mage.
"I think you should drop the formalities from now on. We're traveling incognito."
William shot him an annoyed glance. "Should I use another name, too?"
"Alex will do."
The mage pressed his lips together and shifted a little farther away. "Why couldn't you just sit across from me? The chair is free."
"If anything happens, this is the best spot to guard your flank."
"I don't see why someone would attack me."
Alex pretended to think about it, then gave him a sly smile. "Because you've got a terrible temper and you're moodier than a crow. I bet you could even make a priest angry."
"You really are annoying."
"That's what everyone says."
He turned toward the room, scanning the crowd for potential threats. A couple of burly men in leather vests glanced their way but didn't seem interested. The others ignored them.
The king had feared it might be a trap, but so far, the journey had been peaceful. Maybe he was just becoming paranoid.
The waitress approached and set a tray on the table: two bowls of vegetable and pork soup, two still-steaming loaves of bread, and a jug of water.
"Can I bring you anything else, mister?"
"This is fine, thank you." Alex winked at her, and she blushed, turned on her heel, and walked away.
William pulled the bowl closer and looked toward the girl. "You're good with… people."
"You were going to say women, weren't you?"
"Yes."
Alex shrugged. "I'm just polite to everyone. People tend to be more pleasant if you treat them well."
"So it's all an act."
"No, I just like it when others don't know who I really am."
William lowered his gaze. "Why do the nobles think you're a fool? You don't strike me as one."
Alex dipped his spoon into the soup and blew on it.
"Haven't you heard the rumors about me?"
"I heard you often sneak out to stay up late."
"Those are my favorites."
William frowned. "Do you enjoy drinking that much?"
Alex raised his eyebrows. "I don't go out just to drink."
"What else is there to do in an inn?"
"That depends on the kind of inn."
Alex gave him a knowing look, but the mage just looked confused as he swallowed a spoonful of soup. Could he really not get it?
The prince sighed. "I go to brothels. You know, those places where people drink and fuck."
William's eyes went wide, and his spoon slipped from his hand. His cheeks turned red.
"Your Hi—!"
Alex clapped a hand over his mouth before the mage could blow their cover and that tingling sensation run through his palm again. "Don't say it."
He pulled his hand away. William recoiled, looking utterly scandalized.
"Are you joking, right?"
"No. It's the only freedom I have. At least until my father decides to interfere." Alex tore off a piece of bread; the flavor melted on his tongue. "No one knows who I am, and that's just fine. It's only fun."
"Are you saying there could be little Alexes running around somewhere?"
Alex barely managed not to burst out laughing. What was that way of speaking? He sounded like a virgin!
"No, don't worry, I'm not that careless. I only sleep with men, so there's no risk."
"Do you… like men?"
"I prefer men." He rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his palm. "What about you?"
William flushed and buried his nose in the bowl. He didn't answer, but Alex hadn't expected him to.
From the way he always flinched when touched, he'd already figured out the mage didn't like people, let alone sex. He was probably a virgin for real.
"Maybe when we're back home, I'll take you to my favorite brothel. Consider it a farewell gift."
"Absolutely not."
The prince let out a half-laugh. "Just because people have sex?"
"Certain things should be done in a bedroom."
"Well, we do it behind closed doors there, too." Alex gave him an amused look. "What did you expect, orgies at the entrance?"
William's ears turned even redder. "You shouldn't mock me like that."
"I'm not."
The mage shot him a glare, and Alex raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, maybe a little. But not out of malice."
"It doesn't seem that way to me."
Alex smiled and leaned slightly closer, keeping his voice low.
"William, whether you have experience or not, whether you like women, men, both, or no one at all, you have the same worth as anyone else in my eyes. And I'd like this short time we'll spend together to be pleasant and fun for both of us."
He lifted a hand, intending to touch his shoulder, but changed his mind and lowered it again.
"So try to be a bit less stiff and formal when you're with me, alright? We're comrades under His Majesty's orders, nothing more."
"That's not true. You're the prince — and I'm just a nobody."
"No. For this short while, you're a royal official, and I'm your bodyguard."
William frowned and buried his face in the bowl again. He still looked a little uneasy, but maybe Alex had managed to ease him up a bit.
And for a fleeting moment, the prince felt that faint sadness again — the one that came from knowing they'd soon part ways.
-------------------------------------------------------
After breakfast, they got back in the saddle and kept up a steady pace to make up for lost time.
William didn't complain, but Alex was fairly certain he was starting to feel pain in his legs and ass. Still, they couldn't stop; they had to reach the hunting ground before sunset.
He guided Tempest close to the mage. "Do you think you can make it?"
"Of course."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "It's your first ride, it's normal to feel some pain—"
William shot him a sharp glance. "We can't stop anyway, can we? What's the point of worrying about it?"
"It's just a courtesy." His embarrassed reaction at the inn had almost made Alex forget how cold the mage could be. "But if you don't want me to worry about you, I won't."
"I don't see why you should. You're the prince."
"And you are my Court Mage."
William looked him in the eye. "No, I'm not. And I never will be. Have you forgotten our agreement?"
"No, of course not, but…"
Why did the thought of never speaking to him again make him feel sad?
By the spirits, had his father manipulated him into wanting the mage's company? Or had it been William all along?
He gave him a suspicious look, and the mage squinted back.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"Earlier, when… when I grabbed your arms, did you happen to…" He paused. How could he even ask? "Did you feel anything?"
"No."
Alex raised an eyebrow. Too blunt an answer to be true. He hadn't even thought about it. "You're a terrible liar."
William pressed his lips together, and a strange shadow flickered in his eyes. It seemed like annoyance or something else Alex couldn't read. Usually, he was good at reading people, but the mage remained an enigma.
"I'd rather not answer," William said, his voice flat. "Is that a problem for you?"
"Yes, actually. Because I felt something and I'd like to know what it was."
"Nothing dangerous."
"Did you cast some spell on me?"
William pressed his lips tighter. "Of course not."
"Then why do I—" Alex bit his tongue. Was he really going to say out loud that he's enjoying his company? "Nothing, it's not important."
It was just embarrassing.
William looked at him for a long moment. "Now you're the terrible liar." He turned his gaze forward. "If I were ever to cast a spell on you, I assure you you'd notice."
Alex let out a small sigh of relief. Fortunately, the topic had changed.
"So it's not magic?"
"It is magic. Its essence."
"But I'm not a mage. I shouldn't be able to sense it."
"You sense mine."
Alex frowned. That was a lie.
"That's impossible. I know a mage. We've been friends since childhood, and I've never sensed his magic."
William lowered his gaze to the reins; his eyes darted away.
"I don't know what to tell you, Your Highness," he murmured.
Another lie. Would he have told the truth if Alex had demanded it?
Probably, but the prince hated to use his authority to extract confessions.
After a moment, the mage looked back at him.
"You are not in danger, I can assure you. And once I am gone, you won't sense anything anymore."
Alex tightened the reins. That was fair — he didn't want to be bound to a stranger.
He lifted his gaze toward the tree canopy intertwining above their heads and the pale wisteria buds hanging from the branches. They were still closed and small, and their fragrance was faint.
Ahead of them, bathed in the warm afternoon light, the road wound through the gentle hills and groves of Astya, one of the few regions under the direct administration of the crown. They were almost there; soon they should catch sight of the castle.
Alex couldn't wait to dismount, stretch his legs, and take a hot bath. He wondered if the bathing chambers were available… and if the mage would keep him company or if the prince'd be ended up talking to himself.
He turned to William to ask, but caught a silver flash among the foliage.
He tensed instinctively. He grabbed the mage by the sleeve and pulled him close. The arrow whistled barely missing them and lodged in a nearby tree trunk.
The tingling crawled along his skin once more, but this was not the time to interrogate William.
"Ambush!"