The Heir of Red and White

Chapter Four: Greyson

I wasn't sure what disturbed me more. The fact that the condition of the tavern had worsened while I was away, or the fact that I liked it this way.

              I had been living in the manor for over a week, and although I could appreciate the marbled stairways and tapestried walls, I preferred the run-down atmosphere of Lexi's Tavern.

       Sodden dirt crunched beneath my boots as the door slammed shut behind me, and a few shoddy lights flickered fervently overhead, complimented finely by the drops of murky water that fell from fissures in the ceiling, each with a strategically placed pale beneath it. Several guests lounged around the bar, seated on a chipped stools or broken chairs, each too inebriated to notice me as I strode toward the bar. The sound of their conversations fused into a cacophony of drunken stupor as I neared, and the scent of ale and wine wafting from their breaths stifled the hairs at the back of my nose.

     The noble manor may have been beautiful, but Lexi's Tavern was home.

              "Greyson! You're back!" Alexa shouted from behind the bar. Even in the darkness, I could see the grin on her face as she lifted herself over the counter and rushed toward me. Before she could ensnare me in an embrace, she caught sight of the boy I held in my arms, her eyes dimming as she noticed the bright glint of his hair. Her own dark waves were knotted at the back of her nape, her brown eyes a sharp contrast to mine. She'd never know what it was like to have colored eyes, but from the crease in her forehead and frown on her lips, I knew she sympathized.   

       I smiled grimly at her as she reached to stroke the boy's hair, confirming what she already knew. "Another one?"

     I nodded. "Is there any room left for him?"

     Alexa reached out and grabbed him, cradling him close to her chest, just as the Giver had. He barely stirred in her arms; his breath shallow as he curled into her.

      "Yes. We've always got room. Leanne will take him." I followed Alexa to the bar, where she handed the boy over to another man whose features were vaguely familiar. He took the baby without a word, nodding at Alexa before disappearing behind the back door.

        I frowned as I watched him go. Unfortunately for the babe, this was only the first of many obstacles to come. But at least he'd have a home. And Leanne was the most affectionate woman I knew. She would raise him well.

       "Where'd you find him?" Alexa asked as she reached below the counter and pulled out a rust-colored mug. I took a seat across from her, content with the way the stool creaked beneath my weight.

       "The Giver found him."

       Alexa paused; the bottle of wine clutched in her hand motionless above the cup. I dipped my head toward hers and lowered my voice so that I wasn't overheard. "I was on my way back when I was caught removing my disguise."

      Alexa's eyes widened in alarm, but I shook my head at her. "Don't worry. There's no way she could've known who I am." Or at least I hoped not.

The Giver had been sighted all over New Rose, but the rumors that depicted her as a young woman with a white mask had surfaced in the villages near the castle and the noble villas. I didn't think it was a coincidence that I had found her near the Azurian estate, where a variety of nobles and staff members resided because of the Rose Royale, and I believed it was likely that she was a guest staying in the manor.

      I suspected she was a performer because of how reluctant she had been to speak as if I could recognize her voice or guess her identity the moment, she said a word. But even if I was wrong, I wasn't concerned. Her discovery would only be dangerous if she were a noblewoman.