Mark of the Fool

Chapter 470: In the Aftermath of Disaster

Chapter 470: In the Aftermath of Disaster

And then! And then! Thundar slammed his fist on the table. She said that drinking water is bad for you! Can you believe that shit?

Alex froze, looking up from the spell-guide for greater force armour. Areare you serious?

As death! Thundar moaned, reaching for another glass of rum with a shaking hand. She said it blocks the suns effects on your aura or somethinKhalik, this isnt that funny!

The prince had fallen from his chair, howling with laughter, so consumed by mirth that he couldnt find the strength to stand. No, its even funnier! By the gods, this is incredible! Tell me, tell me, did she try to sell you strange herbs, or anything of the sort?

I honestly thought thatd be next! Thundar downed a shot of rum, making a face. Ugh, and the staring at the sun

No! Isolde could no longer resist, tearing herself away from her textbook. No. What? No. You are lying to us. Thisthis must be a joke.

By now, Khaliks laughter had deteriorated into full blown sobbing.

Listen, listen, Thundar said seriously. If this was all a joke, then Im the punchline and the only ones telling the joke were fate and the gods! I am not lying to you! She said that she stared at the sun so she could get all its good energy right into her eyes! Right into her eyes, Isolde!

Ohoh my goodness. The young noblewoman began to shake, covering her mouth.

And! On! Top! Of! That! Thundars voice boomed. She said that her eyes got bad after first year! And that it was probably from reading too much.

Alex burst out laughing, surprised when Isolde joined him.

The young woman was bent at the waist, giggling uncontrollably while trying in vain to cover her mouth. Nonot that! That is too much! She threw her head back, her laughter echoing off the walls of Alexs apartment.

Claygon looked between the members of the cabal, his gaze lingering on Thundar as the minotaur began to giggle, then chuckle, until he too was roaring with laughter.

Fatherbad things can sometimes be funny? He asked. Thundar was just saying his date wasbad, but now hes laughing with you.

Yeah, buddy! Alex barely managed to squeak out the words through his own hysterics. Sometimes bad things canbe funny! Not all the time, but sometimes they can!

Easy for you to say, Thundar rolled his eyes, chuckling as he poured himself another drink. You werent the one dealing with all that madness!

I would say that you are actually quite fortunate, Thundar. Isolde wiped tears from her eyes. Your amorous focus of affection showed you hereccentricities early. When I had my bout of poor luck in love, my mistake did me the discourtesy of hiding his figurative boils and warts until I was fully committed to the relationship. Bah! She shook her head mournfully. I would have given much for such a bad first date with Derek. I had many months of grief thanks to him, while all you have for your trouble, Thundar, is an amusing story. but I have to ask, how are you doing? I can only imagine the disappointment.

Me? Disappointed? Naw. He waved away her concern. Way I see it is that it coulda been a lot worse. Like you said, I couldve gotten deeply involved andnext thing you knowbam! Im living in a cabin up in crazy-land. No, in the end, this isnt too bad. I went out with her, got to know herlike I said I wouldand what I found made me run for the hills. Thats nothing to regret. Better than carrying a crush for someone who wouldve been a disaster for me.

He snorted in amusement. Imagine how sad that would be? I couldve floated through my full four years here with this big, stupid crush. Maybe I wouldve put her on a pedestal too: built her up in my head until I thought she was this untouchable goddess. Maybe I wouldve turned down other opportunities: gone through my university years pining for a goddess thats less goddess and more common garden variety weirdo.

Isoldes eyebrows rose. Thatsrather mature, Thundar.

The minotaur shrugged. Its practical. I saw one of my older cousins pining for this one girl for like three years, imagining her as this perfect He made a vague gesture. ...thing.

Very descriptive, Alex said.

Indeed, Khalik agreed, climbing back into his chair. You would make for a fine poet.

Hey, Im a wizard and a warrior, not a damned bard, Thundar grunted.

Fair enough, but I am curious, Thundar. Khalik cocked his head. What happens now? Is she interested in a second date?

Dunno, and I aint thinking about that for a bit, he said. Im gonna tell her when classes start up that I had fun butdont think we work too good together. Hope shes okay with that. Last thing I want is for things to get awkward during our Cleansing Movements sessions. I really like those.

Then I hope all goes well. The prince poured himself a drink. And I hope your next date is a better experience.

Well, the bars been set pretty low, Thundar chuckled, before his smile faded. ...but, Ive been thinking about her pet a bit.

Yeah, Alex said. Its a good thing you told your story while Theresa was out walking Brutus. I doubt she wouldve seen the humour from the moment you mentioned that she only fed that bilogar vegetables.

Yeah, well, I dont think theres anything I can do about it, the minotaur said sadly. Im not exactly gonna go and steal her pet. But, thats the thing, you know? She means well. I can tell she lovesPuppyby the ancestors, I still cant believe thats his nameand Id be kind of a jackass if I just petnapped him.

I dont know, man, Alex said. Some people would just look at it as a rescue.

The animal might disagree, Prince Khalik said somberly. We have a story in Tekezash. He rose to his full height in his chair. There was once a soldier on his way home from war. In this war, he saw many terrible things and had done many terrible things. His dreams were blood and the guilt made his waking hours into horrors.

He glanced at Najyah, who had her head tucked behind her as she slept. On his way back to his village, he saw a hawk by the road, feasting on a cat that had a blue piece of twine around its neck as a collar. Nearby, he saw a child crying. And so he asked the child if that was his cat.

Khalik put on a voice. And the child turned to him in tears, and said: It is not my cat. It is my fathers cat, but I let him escape. Now the hawk has killed him and my father will beat me, and the soldier asked the boy: why will your father beat you for what the hawk has done?. And the boy said to him: because I am a bad boy. This enraged the soldier, and so he demanded that the boy lead him back to his house. There, the soldier beat the father terribly.

Khalik slammed a fist into his hand. He said to the father: I will take your son and raise him properly, away from your violent ways. And so the soldier raised his spear to slay the manbut he felt a sharp pain in his back. Surprised, he turnedand found the boy. The boy had stabbed him with a pitchfork. And as the soldier died, he asked the child: why? I was trying to save you. And to this, the boy told him, because you are an evil man and you hurt my father. So, the soldier died.

Jeez, thats a dark story, Thundar winced. Whats the moral?

Let me see if I can guess, Alex said. That not everyone who you think you are saving will see it that way, even if their circumstances are utter shit.

Khalik snapped his fingers. You are correct. It can also be said that the soldier never lost his violent ways, despite his grief over them. After all, his way was to beat the father in front of the child. He spread his hands. My father told my brother this story, and my brother told it to me. When you are ruling a countryand you are a good monarchit can be tempting to muster your armies to crush any tyrant you see. But, when your armies are striding over borders, crushing and gutting soldiers, you might find that the people see your liberation as something else.

We have similar tales among the nobility in the Rhinean Empire, Isolde said grimly. I can imagine thatif you were to take this animal away from his mistress, he might not appreciate what you have done. After all, a bilogars loyalty is foremost to its master.

Thundar jumped in. Ya know, thats true, which makes this situation even worse. The more I think about Kohana and that poor skinny pet of hers, the more the way shes feeding it doesn't sit right with me. Predators need meat. He paused suddenly, seemingly struck by inspiration. Ive got an idea that doesnt involve pet theft. Maybe I can tell her that Puppys eyes looked dull, and his aura seemed out of balance to me, like he needed to see a healer! I think shed go for that. Any healer with eyes would take one look at him and see that theres something definitely wrongthen bang, problem solved! Thundar looked very pleased with himself as he drained his glass.

That should solve the problem nicely, Thundar. Isolde said.

Yeah, Alex agreed, with a hint of worry in his voice. What you said about loyalty earlier; thatssomething I think about a fair bit. I mean, when I think about Thameland.

How so? Khalik asked.

Well, lets say in the worst case scenario that keeps playing through my head Uldars actually evil, or somethingthen lets just say for a moment that he gets stopped. The cycles end and the Raveners gone. Everyone is supposed to live happily ever after, right? Except maybe a bunch of regular folk in Thameland arent so happy about that, eh?

Ah yes, that. That is true Khalik murmured. I have some hope that perhaps things will not be so grim, butif they are

Silence fell over the room.

Its something to talk about with the Heroes, I think, Alex said. If we lose the church and our faith in Thameland, theyll be who people are probably going to listen to.

Yeah well, Thundar grunted. Youll get a chance to ask them soon enough. Which reminds me He looked at Isolde. Youve got me rooting for you and Cedric. I hope your first date with hims a hell of a lot better than mine with Kohana.

The young noblewoman went beet-red. I-I have no intentions of asking him out!

Ah, a traditionalist, eh? Thundar chuckled. Well, hes bold. When he gets a chance, hell ask.

II do not wish Isolde paused, looking away. Ihope not.

Wait, what, why? Alex asked. You like him, and hes a lot better than your last pick, I gotta say.

Her lips thinned. It isimpractical, Alex.

How so? An eyebrow rose.

I am a noblewoman. A member of the aristocracy of the Rhinean Empire, she said, raising her chin. Her eyes flashed as she held Alexs gaze. I have responsibilities to my empire, my grandfather, my parents, the fiefI cannot irresponsibly choose just any partner.

Oh come now. Khaliks frown deepened. Do not tell me your parents insist on choosing your marriage partner for you. Or even who you choose to court in your youth. Even mine do not engage in such a practicethough, they will make their opinions known. He winced. Very known. So, I have that to look forward to.

My condolences. My parents are similar, she said. They do not insist on choosing a marriage partner for me, only because they have full trust that my choice will be one that does not bring trouble or shame to the family. They trust that I will pick well.

Wouldve been real disappointed if youd brought Derek back, then, Thundar said.

Thundar! Alex looked at him sharply.

What, its true! The minotaur frowned. Think about what Theresas mom and dad would do if she brought Derek to their threshold.

Oh, by the Traveller, even I dont want to imagine that much violence. Alex shuddered.

Isolde laughed bitterly. Well, you are not as correct as you think you are. My parents would worry about that choice on a personal level, but would not interfere from a political standpointif I were foolish enough to make such a choiceas Derek would not be a terrible choice, on paper. He is from a fine family in the realm with wealth and clout behind them.

Ugh. Alex rolled his eyes. Glad I wasnt born into nobility, then. Dont have to worry about that kind of stuff. But, whats wrong with Cedric?

Cedric is she paused. Cedric is a valued member of his clan, within your kingdom, Alex. But, he is not a member of the nobility. He has no great holdings in your lands or mine. It isdifficult.

Well, what about the fact that hes a Hero. A Chosen, no less. Alex said. Thats about as important as you can get in Thameland. After every Ravener defeat, Chosens have gone on to be generals, some married Thameish princesses, others were given fiefs. Cedrics no bloody titleless bumpkin. In some ways, hes got one of the greatest titles in the realm.

Indeed, and I have accounted for that, Isolde said. When I was at home, I took the liberty of proceeding to an archive in the capitol. I discovered that there have been instances of Heroes of Uldar marrying Rhinean nobility before. It is not unheard of.

Right, thats good, then! Alex said. Problem solved, right?

It is not simpWaitThundar, why are you cackling like an old witch? Isolde glared at the minotaur suspiciously.

He was fighting back laughter. And failing. Well, I was just thinking I gotta tell Cedric to run. Or go fight the Ravener and then justlive in the wilderness somewhere where no one can find him.

And why is that? Isolde asked.

Well, I mean he giggled. You two havent even gone out on a date yetand youre already looking up ancestors-damned marriage precedents! Hah!

Isolde went stark white.

Khalik and Alex slowly looked back at her with twin evil grins on their bearded faces.

I-it is not like that! She yelped.

Is it not? Khalik asked innocently.

It is not!

Are you sure about that? Alex asked innocently.

Yes! Isolde cried. I am not some wretched madwoman who would cling to someone like a drowning sailor to a piece of driftwood! I-it She turned away. I-it just pays to be prepared for eventual possibilities, is all.

Alex looked at Khalik and Thundar. So were going to make sure we give Isolde and her fiery-haired prize plenty of alone time when the Heroes get here, right?

Of course! Thundar and the prince said in unison.

I hate you all! Isoldes scream echoed through the insula.