Chapter 1331: Gifts(1)

There were a great many things in this world that Laedio thoroughly enjoyed. He liked the soft, desperate sound of a woman’s moaning in his ear after a long night, just as he liked the steady, rich music of a silver pitcher pouring spiced wine until a cup was filled to the brim.

But above all else, better than women and wine combined, was the fierce pride of a job well-fucking done.

He looked around the grand hall. The old, gloomy grey walls of the Oizenian ancestral seat appeared a sight more dandy now that they were draped in the golden falcon of Yarzat and the stark black-and-white banners of the iron legions. Laedio hadn’t possessed the good fortune to gaze upon the hall back when the Oizenian prince last sat upon the high chairs, before he was so kindly and abruptly dislocated from his power, but it wasn’t a long shot to guess the place looked much improved.

Was there a single thing in this wretched world that didn’t look better when you stamped the dear chicken of Yarzat on top of it?

Ah, I’ve found another thing I like, Laedio mused, a roguish grin spreading across his face.

He truly was on a roll today.

Of course, he was likely the only bastard having any semblance of fun in this miserable province. He knew for a fact that the poor bastards stuck patrolling the muddy roads, constantly scanning the tree lines for any sign of the bandit lord and his bloody minions, were about as miserable as men could be.

Their days were long, grueling, and staggeringly boring, packed with the unsung, filthy work of occupation. Thick mud clung to their boots after leagues of patrolling, ugly rations had to be forced down their throats, and the very smallfolk they were supposed to be protecting constantly threw ugly scowls at their backs. To top it off, there was the burning frustration of being unable to catch a phantom enemy, a chore that was frankly beneath their pay grade.

And, of course, how could he forget? The rain.

Laedio actually liked the rain quite a bit, provided he was sitting safely inside a warm room with a roaring hearth heating his bones, a spiced cup of wine in hand, and a clear view of the gods’ tears falling harmlessly outside. Rain was most certainly not a pleasing thing when you were on the wrong side of the window.

"Salutations, friends!" Laedio called out cheerfully as he approached the guarded solar.

"My lord," the two sentries replied in unison, their heads bowing in a rigid military salute.

"Come now, no need for all the stiff formality," Laedio chided, waving a dismissive hand. "Tis a happy day!"

"If you say so, my lord," one of them nodded, his voice flat and entirely unconvinced. The man was likely running a quick inventory of his wet socks, wondering what in the five hells there was to be happy about.

"Would you like us to announce you to the legate?" the second guard asked, clearly proving himself a great deal more useful than his sullen partner.

"And spare him the sudden surprise? Perish the thought," Laedio gasped dramatically. "A man shouldn’t deprive his brother-in-arms of pure joy. That simply ain’t right."

Both the useful sentry and his unconvinced companion stood frozen, thoroughly confused by the sunny, radiant expression glowing on the blue-cloaked commander’s face. It was probably the most sun they had seen in weeks.

Gods knew they wouldn’t see the actual star in the sky for another seven days at least; the most they could hope for these days were uniform gray skies. Still, a gray sky was always a hell of a lot better than seeing thick columns of black smoke rising from another frontier camp burnt to a crisp.

All in all their lots were rather easy and comfortable.

"Now, if you would kindly..." Laedio gestured with his fingers.

The guards took the meaning immediately and parted, stepping away from the heavy oak threshold and leaving Laedio alone, fully prepared to deliver the surprise of the month to his dear friend on the other side.

Just sitting in there, waiting for me and my grand news, he thought with a crooked smile as he pushed the door open.

He didn’t know what the chamber had been used for before the conquest, but now it served as the lair for the most powerful man in Oizen, for the time being. The space was neither small nor overly grand, but rather cozy. Crimson drapes fell in heavy waves around the walls, doing their absolute best to hide the depressing gray stone behind them. Gray was such a wretchedly sad color; red was a sight more vivid, at least.

A massive fireplace crackled to the far right, its acrid smoke thankfully being funneled straight out through a wide stone chimney. A ridiculous number of candles, some half-burnt stumps, others freshly lit and full, filled every available inch of the tables and shelves. There were so many wicks burning that if you lit them all at once, a man could easily believe dawn had broken right inside the room.

Laedio had seen this exact sort of obsessive lighting before. Indeed, he had. He had seen it with a different man, in a grander palace, whose glory was currently being built directly atop the ashes of those who fell. He just hadn’t expected Edric to resemble their king on that particular account.

As if to prove that point,a pair of tired, gray-circled eyes slowly peered up from a cluttered desk.

"Brother!’’ He called ’’Ready crank open those bottles for I am sure am thirtsty !" Laedio bellowed, his legs striding across the room in wide, enthusiastic steps. He threw his arms out broad, completely ready to deliver a bone-crushing hug.

All his hands grasped was empty, candle-lit air.

The dear commander of the Fourth Legion, and Warden of the peace-keeping forces in the Oizenian province, was very clearly not in the mood for a fraternal embrace. Perhaps it was because the man was actively eating. Laedio could respect that; he too despised being bothered when there was a meal in front of him. And the winter pear in Edric’s hand looked about as succulent and sweet as a fruit could be in these blighted ridges.

"Laedio," Edric allowed, his voice sounding even more exhausted than his eyes looked. He swallowed the piece of fruit down with a heavy sigh. "It’s been days since I last saw you."

"A week, give or take."

"A week?" Edric paused, his hand freezing halfway to his mouth. He looked genuinely surprised by the revelation. "Has so much time passed already?" He took another sharp bite of the pear, as if trying to ground his failing perception of time onto the fruit. His tired eyes tracked up and down Laedio’s dry, clean cloak. He swallowed the juicy morsel down. "You look insufferably happy."

"I would love to say the same for you, old friend."

But Laedio wouldn’t lie. Edric had clearly seen far better days; the entire grueling business of this occupation was aggressively rattling his nerves. The King had sent him down here under the firm impression that he would be dealing with a few hidden moles. When Edric arrived, however, he quickly discovered the pestilence consisted of thousands of ravenous rats rather than a few quiet moles.

Luckily for him, the premier rat-catcher of the realm was standing right in front of him. At the very least, after two months of brutal, grinding work, they could finally take joy in knowing the rats inside the city walls were growing remarkably scarce.

Edric let out a low grunt, beginning to munch quietly on the core of his pear. "I suppose I have seen better days. So... what can I do for you, Laedio?"

"Well, almost nothing! I am here to share exceptionally happy news with my dearest friend," Laedio said, flashing a blinding smile. "Still, I would not begrudge you if you were so kingly as to share a bit of fruit with me. A man of my charms is always in the mood for some sweetness."

"Mmh," Edric hummed around another watery bite. He chewed thoroughly, taking his sweet time to clear a path for his tongue to move. "I don’t think, however, it is within my legal right to share it." He took another savage crunch, practically reducing the core to pulp. "Can’t bloody well give away what isn’t mine, right?"

He nudged his chin toward a small wooden fruit-chest sitting on the corner of the desk.

"And whose fruit is it, then?" Laedio asked, stepping closer to inspect the box. He peered inside, only to find that the glorious, succulent pears were entirely gone. The only things left rolling around the bottom were a few lonely, slightly wrinkled oranges.

Edric swallowed the last of his pear, wiped a trickle of juice from his chin with the back of a ink-stained hand, and deadpanned, "Well, why, yours, of course."

’’What?’’

’’The fruits. They are yours. And of course there was also a letter. Though that I did not read.’’ he smiled , a piece of the core stuck in his front teeth ’’I am not an insensible man after all.Man got to respect another man’s privacy and rights’’

’’Though clearly that of ownership did not, uh?Still fruits and a letter for me, now that’s new.’’