Kings Game

Chapter 15 - Favors (2)

Morena grabbed Roran's shirt, pushing him against a wall and pulling a knife out of his belt. Pressing the knife into Roran's neck, Morena paused. He looked down at Roran, appraising him in the faint starlight.

Pulling back, Morena said, "You scared the shit out of me kid." He glanced downward. "Looks like I startled you too. You've got a quick hand, kid."

Roran's new dagger was in his hand, just inches from Morena's kidneys.

Morena let go of Roran and stepped back, sheathing his knife. "What are you doing skulking around in the dark?"

"I heard a friend of mine yelling. It sounded like she was in pain."

"Oh, you know the little trollop. She's fine, though I didn't leave much for you if that's what you're after."

Roran kept his dagger out. "What are you talking about? Where's Karyn?"

Morena jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "The little gypsy is back there. She's alive and well. You're awfully jumpy for a small-time celebrity. I thought you would be over the moon after killing Duran."

"I got lucky."

"No you didn't. Are you fighting in the next round?"

Roran nodded, neither lowering his blade nor taking his eyes off Morena.

"Guess we'll find out whether it was luck or not. I'll see you in the finals, kid."

Morena sidestepped around Roran and departed, his swords clinking softly against his legs as he walked. As soon as Morena was out of sight, Roran ran down the direction Morena had come from.

"Karyn?" he called.

"Roran?"

Following the sound of the voice, Roran turned a corner and almost ran over Karyn. She jumped and startled backwards at his sudden appearance.

Roran grabbed her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I heard you swearing. It sounded like he was hurting you."

"I mean, he sort of was but it wasn't...It's not like...look, can we talk about this in the street. I can't see and I want to fix my clothes."

"Yeah, sorry." Roran stepped back and let Karyn put herself back together. She adjusted her dress and slipped her shoes back on her feet. Finally, she bent down and collected a handful of coins off the ground.

"Let's get out of here," she said, and they walked back onto the main street together.

In the light, Roran saw that Karyn's hair was a mess and bruises covered her arms. Karyn tried to readjust her dress again but saw that it was ripped and swore.

"That bastard is always rough but he was in a mood tonight," she said. "Did something happen?"

"What did he do to you?" Roran asked.

"Come on, you're not this dense."

Sighing, Roran forced himself to relax. "Sorry, you're right. Are you okay?"

"More or less. He usually leaves me with bruises but tonight was worse than normal."

Roran blew out a breath, trying to exhale his anger.

"Hey, I don't mind a little roughness," said Karyn, trying to calm Roran. "Just ask Kell."

The last line took the heat out of Roran's anger. This was Karyn's job, one that he could never judge her for. Relaxing, he asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Well...I wouldn't say no to some food. Maybe we could stop at a tavern or go to the bakery. Oh, I know-" she turned to face him, excited and smiling, but as she moved her dress ripped further and slipped off her shoulders, falling to the ground.

A look of panic and horror crossed Karyn's face and she dropped to the ground, trying to cover her nakedness with one hand while attempting to grab her dress with the other. Without hesitating, Roran pulled off his shirt and handed it to Karyn. She quickly pulled it on and wrapped the remnants of her dress around her waist.

Flushed and humiliated, Karyn stared at the ground, refusing to meet Roran's eye.

Looking away, Roran asked, "How about we stop at a clothing store?"

Karyn nodded and led the way, heading down a couple alleyways and taking Roran back to the shopping district. She led him to a small store and pulled him inside. The walls were lined with premade dresses and skirts while the back had shelves containing bolts of cloth.

Karyn perused the dresses quickly, grabbing a handful that were close to her size. Heading towards the back, she threw her marker medallion at the store clerk and disappeared into a small changing room. The clerk looked from the changing room to Roran, who only shrugged.

"She's had a rough day," he said.

After a few awkward minutes of waiting, Karyn yelled for Roran to join her in the changing room. Slipping inside, Roran found Karyn half dressed and staring at the ground. The dress had a lace up back that was partially undone, the ties hanging at Karyn's sides.

"This is the only one that fits," she said, "and I can't tie it on my own."

Stepping towards Karyn, Roran grabbed the dress and helped settle it into place. Fresh bruises covered her back, ribs, and neck. Wincing, Roran started lacing up the dress, careful not to tie it too tightly over the bruises.

"Karyn, can I ask you something?"

"I already know what you're going to ask, and yes, I'm a girl. I may not be like other girls, but I'm a girl in my own way. I don't care what anyone else says, I'm comfortable with who I am. Being unique makes me a commodity in my line of work. Sure, people are mean and hateful towards me because of it, but that doesn't make me any less of a person!"

"That's not what I was going to ask," said Roran.

"Oh...um, this is embarrassing. What did you want to ask?"

"I wanted to know if you'd be mad at me for killing Morena."

Karyn turned, facing Roran for the first time since her dress had torn. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to fight Morena in the Iron Gauntlet, it's going to be a fight to the death. One of us is going to die. Would you be mad at me if I killed him?"

Slowly, Karyn shook her head. "I wouldn't be mad. I'd almost be grateful. I mean, he's a steady customer, but I wouldn't mind losing him. He's almost more trouble than he's worth. Almost."

Roran nodded. Unsure of where to take the conversation, he asked, "Do you need another dress? One you can tie yourself, I mean."

"No, I have others at home, and I should be able to tie this one once my bruises heal. My shoulders are just a little sore and it's hard to reach behind me."

"Okay." Roran finished tying up the dress and settled it into place.

Karyn looked up at Roran, her expression uncertain. "Look, Roran, about my um...uniqueness. I uh-"

"It's none of my business," said Roran. "I'm happy to listen if you want to talk, but you don't owe me an explanation."

"Thank you."

"How about we go get some food."

Karyn smiled at him. "I'd like that."