A Scholar, a Pirate, and The Bastard Son of The King Walk into A Tavern...

Chapter 1

Jean nervously laughed as they were dragged along the streets of the city by their fellow scholars.

"I-I really don't think this is necessary..." They anxiously muttered.

"Of course it is! You've finally been given permission to research the Ancient Texts! You've been working towards that since you were a mere child, and here you are now! Completing your apprenticeship and becoming official scholar of the Tower!" One of the other scholars grinned.

"Yeah! I think it's fine to let loose every once in a while! The Violet Embers is the best tavern in the city! Its really pricy though, so you'd better appreciate the amount of money I'm spending on you, Jean!"

Jean didn't have the heart to tell the other scholars that they didn't like to go to taverns when they first entered the Academy, and now that they had graduated, they were beginning to regret that decision very much.

It seemed as though time had sped up, because somehow, they had already arrived at the Violet Embers. The tavern was certainly a lively place. A bard was playing a jaunty tune near the center of it all. Warriors were laughing heartily as they shared stories of great battles against monsters and conquests of enemy kingdoms. The brewster was chatting amicably with a group of students from the Academy, who probably weren't supposed to be there because of Academy rules. Of course, nobody took that rule seriously, anyways-not even the headmaster.

One of Jean's group smiled broadly and tossed a bag of coins at the counter, loudly declaring, "That'll cover the cost of the night! Give us your strongest stuff, Lianne!"

"You got it, kid! But are you sure you can handle it? The friend you've brought looks like they can't even take our mildest ale!" The brewster, presumably Lianne, shouted back.

The boy who had brought the money turned to Jean, laughing as he spoke, "Well, how about it? You think you can handle it?"

"Absolutely not," Jean shuddered.

"Pretend he said yes!" He yelled, clapping Jean on the back.

Many of the tavern's patrons got a good chuckle from that one. Lianne shook her head as she poured a small shot of a concerningly unlabelled drink into a cup. She slid it over to Jean.

Jean looked down at it dubiously, finally deciding that it probably wouldn't kill them, and gulped it down in a single swallow. Someone in the back whistled appreciatively.

For a moment, nothing happened. In the next few moments...nothing happened. Jean looked blankly back at Lianne.

A warrior spit out her drink, incredulously asking, "How in the world did a skinny lad like you manage to handle Lianne's most powerful drink?"

A crowd formed around the poor scholar, bursting with questions. Nobody had been able to take more than a tiny sip before wailing in pain and requiring an immediate trip to the local apothecary.

Suddenly, the door of the tavern was opened, slamming against the wall. Everyone turned to see who had abruptly intruded upon the scene without warning.

The culprit here was a young man with blonde hair, his arms crossed. He was certainly well-dressed, showing that he was surely part of the nobility. Jean was sure they had seen this person before, somewhere. The man surveyed the crowd for a few moments, looking as though he were about to say something, before someone else interrupted.

"Well, ain't it the bastard son of the king, ey? You sure you don't belong on the streets like a half-breed mutt, Viktor?" The woman jeered.

Everyone looked on excitedly, holding their breath, waiting to see the man's reaction. However, his reaction wasn't one of anger, as they had expected. Instead, the man threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"A bastard son I am! I am not one to shy away from that the world labels me to be! If I am to be known as the illegitimate child of the king, then so be it!" Viktor declared haughtily.

The woman seemed lost for words. Jean couldn't really blame her, either. Had they been insulted in such a way, they probably wouldn't be able to act with such confidence.

Suddenly a different girl spoke up, sounding like she had had one too many drinks, "Aay, I like you, pretty boy! Say it louder for the folks in the back!"

The girl jerked a thumb behind her at a group of nobles who were grumbling to themselves. She then proceeded to bang her head against the table, and she stayed there. Concerned, Jean pushed past the crowd and headed over to her.

"Ehm..are you okay, m'am?" They asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeaaaah...." She slurred.

"...Do you have somewhere I can drop you off?" Jean questioned doubtfully.

"Hmmmm....? Oh...my capt'n...she's somehwere 'round here..." The woman waved a hand around in seemingly random directions. "Or not...said this was my...vacation time...eegh..."

Jean was really worried, now. This woman obviously didn't have an actual residence in the city.

"...How about I just take you to my place and let you stay the night?"

One of the scholars they were with opened his mouth.

"No, Jason, not like that. I don't like women. I don't like people in general."

Jean helped the woman up, who then slung her arm around their shoulders, making their job considerably more simple. Together, they stumbled to the door awkwardly.

Much to their surprise, someone else had come over to assist Jean and the woman. When Jean looked over, they saw it was no other than Viktor.

"Allow me to assist," Viktor offered.

Jean nodded, "Thank you."

Together, the trio made their way through the streets of the city. These three would become the most famous (or perhaps, infamous, in the eyes of the king's supporters) people in Iri. They would be the ones to start the rebellion. They would be the ones to save the kingdom from the ruin that nobody would expect.

But for now, these three are merely a scholar, a pirate, and the bastard son of the king who walked into a tavern.