Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 66: Variables

The room was quiet as Alpheo munched on dried fruits , walnuts and various other fruits .A chalice of wine was at his right.

One day passed since he carried Ratto in the palace.The various guards and courtiers raised highbrows at the sight of a child walking beside him . Some thought it was his little brother or some relatives.Other instead thought that little children were of his preference.The issue went down as it went up.And no one raised more than an highbrow at the information,deciding instead to let the mercenary do as he want as long as he does not concern them.After all many nobles had such disgusting tastes

Jarza, mirrored Alpheo's actions, partaking in the bounty of nuts and wine with equal gusto. His eyes, however, betrayed a silent exchange with the others in the room, a wordless acknowledgment of the unspoken question hanging in the air.

Finally, it was Clio who dared to voice the query that had been lingering on everyone's minds. Clearing his throat delicately, he spoke, his tone tinged with curiosity and a hint of accusation .

"So, why exactly did we bring a petty thief into the palace?Do you like to take in small boys now?" he demanded, his tone sharp as he punctuated each word with a bite of his apple.

Alpheomerely shrugged in response, his demeanor calm and collected despite the brewing storm of questions. "I gave a beautiful speech ,have you not heard it?" he replied nonchalantly, his fingers idly toying with the last remnants of a dried grape. "But if you'd like, I can deliver another one . It was rather good, if I do say so myself, I think I have a knack for them "

Clio scoffed, unimpressed by Alpheo's flippant response. "I'm not buying your poetic nonsense," he retorted, his voice laced with skepticism. "There has to be more to it than just a sudden whim."

Alpheo's lips curled into a sly smile, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Ah, but you underestimate its power," he countered, his tone light yet tinged with underlying seriousness. "Sometimes, it's the heart that leads us, not the mind."

''Those are the bullshit of a poet.You are not one''

''I am no poet, but I am a philosopher''

The tension in the room mounted as Clio bristled, clearly unsatisfied with Alpheo's vague explanation. But before he could press further, Jarza interjected, his voice a calming presence amid the escalating conflict.

"Trying to decipher Alpheo's motives is like trying to tame a wild beast," Jarza remarked, his tone tinged with resignation. "It's a futile endeavor. Better to accept it and move on.You gain nothing by holding the horns of the bull "

Clio sighed, conceding defeat as he leaned back in his chair, his frustration giving way to resignation. "Fine, he is mad though, that has to be said .One moment he is sane and logical, and the next it as if voices in the sky tell him what to do" he muttered, his gaze flitting to Egil, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange.Quite a rare thing from him

But Egil,rarely the voice of reason, suddenly burst into laughter, his booming voice filling the room with its infectious energy. "You two just don't get it, do you?" he exclaimed, his laughter bubbling forth like a wellspring of mirth. "Alpheo is as daring as an eagle and as dangerous as a wolf. Calling him mad would be a disservice to the greatness within him.Isn't his madness the very reason for how we are living now?Every man has a bit of madness, and Alpheo has the amount of one hundred men in him "

Alpheo raised an eyebrow at Egil's proclamation, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "How many drinks have you had, Egil?" he quipped, a smirk playing on his lips.

But before Egil could respond, he leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. "Speaking of daring," he continued, his voice low and secretive, "did something happen between you and that royal bitch?I wonder who is playing whom?"

Alpheo furrowed his brows momentarily at the probing questions, but the expression vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. "Nothing happened between her and us," he stated firmly, his tone brooking no argument.

"But you were gone for quite some time," Egil persisted, his laughter subsiding as he leaned forward with curiosity gesturing vulgarly with his hand . "It's hard to believe that nothing occurred during your absence.You must have done this or that..."

Alpheo took a sip of his wine, contemplating his response before speaking again. "True, she was sent by her father to tempt me with her beauty and perhaps distract me with matters of our contract. Needless to say, it didn't work. However, she proved to be more than just a pretty face. She asked questions that a maiden should have little concern about, and instead piqued my interest as something more , maybe an employer " he admitted, acknowledging the need for outside perspectives on the matter.

"And what exactly would she want from us? To guard while she admires the flowers?" Clio interjected, skepticism evident in his tone.

"She's been rather elusive about her intentions," Alpheo replied, his gaze distant as he considered the implications. "But it doesn't sit right with me. Why would a princess take such a keen interest in recruiting a mercenary band?"

Egil's laughter continued, though Jarza appeared deep in thought. "Do you think she's planning something?After all we have a strong presence near the city, one pouch of gold and any other mercenary would give the city to the highest bidder . " he affirmed, setting down his wine glass with a contemplative expression.

Alpheo hesitated for a moment before responding, swirling the wine in his cup as he spoke. "It's possible," he admitted. "But I'm not convinced it's worth pursuing to stay more than we have . The current prince is losing favor with the nobles, except for a few die-hard loyalists. If something were to happen to him, I doubt many would rally behind a female ruler.Always if that is what she wants... And given the current political turmoil, the aftermath would be nothing short of chaotic," he explained, his mind already calculating the potential outcomes. "Chaos may offer opportunities, but it also presents risks that I'm not entirely comfortable with. Too many variables beyond our control, and the payoff may not be worth the gamble." He fell silent, lost in his thoughts as he weighed the current situation , useless to say he was reluctant to bet on the losing side of an already falling state.

Egil, ever the optimist, chimed in with a grin. "Perhaps we should entertain the princess's inquiries,just to know more obviously " he suggested, his eyes alight with excitement. "After all, opportunity often presents itself in unexpected ways. Who knows what doors might open if we play our cards right?"

Alpheo considered their varying perspectives, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. "We can't afford to act rashly," he cautioned, his tone serious.''We are new-comers in this land, one wrong move and we fall in the abyss.We still not ready for whatever thought she has.Albeit I believe I already know what she wants.The paybacks is outweighed by the risk, is too bad of an investment, end of the story?''

While there were stories of female rulers taking the throne, most of those stories rarely ended with a good story for them.Much less for a simple mercenary supporting a far-fetched claim to the throne.Always if she was aiming for that.