Sins & Virtues

Chapter Four: A trip to a brothel to collect a King

Cairn

Laurel's Rise, Brynn

The rider pulled his horse to a stop outside the tall, four-storey building, its windows decorated with stained glass and its sandstone walls adorned with purple carnations, freesias and coral roses climbing up vines. The young women standing outside preened and fluttered their eyelashes, posing to accentuate their wares, as the rider dismounted, tying up his horse and ignoring their advances and offers. He walked inside, wrinkling his nose at the familiar scent of incense and flowers that surrounded him.

The foyer, past the curtains that separated it from the threshold, was filled with customers; soldiers, nobles, farmers, merchants, each with a beautiful woman or handsome man on their laps and filling their goblets.

' Good afternoon, m'lord, haven't seen you for a while.' The proprietor glided over to him, all smiles and perfume. She was a buxom woman with dark hair streaked with silver, known as Lady Incana, though she certainly wasn't a lady. ' Lele will be pleased to see you, want me to find him for you...?'

' Regrettably not today, m'lady. Is he here?'

' Since last night,' Lady Incana chuckled, leading him up the stairs, past loud amorous rooms, and scantily clad employees. They climbed three flights, all the way up to the top floor. ' His Grace isn't taking any of this very well, is he?' she sighed, opening one of the doors into the penthouse.

Tadhg Reed shook his head, looking inside at the circular bed in the centre of the dimly lit room, the only light streaming in through the flower shaped slats of the window shutters. The object of his search was on the bed, with two bare young women and another young man, limbs entangled and hands wandering, gasps and moans encompassing them all.

' No, he isn't,' Tadhg said, kissing Lady Incana's hand and pressing a pouch of coins into her palm. ' Thank you for your discretion, m'lady, I'll be taking him home now. Please tell Lele that I'll see him soon.'

He left her by the doors, approaching the bed, completely unnoticed by its occupants, picking up a metal tankard from a spindle table and dropping it. It clanged on the hard stone floor, the sound echoing around the room and making them all startle.

Cairn glared up at his friend, dropping his head back onto the mattress in exasperation.

' Tadhg, your timing, as usual, is impeccable.'

' You have now missed three council meetings, a citizen's address, and five different luncheons with five different possible matches.' Tadhg said. ' Cairn, you can't keep doing this.'

' I can do whatever I like, I am King now.' Cairn smirked, sitting up, not bothering to cover himself. Tadhg had seen it all before anyway. ' Come on Ti, lighten up. Come join us?'

' Not today, Cairn.'

' Aw come on, why not?' he laughed.

' Cairn, get the hell off the bed, now!'

The newly crowned king rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically, but swung his legs out of the bed, leaning over to kiss one of the girls when she handed him his clothes.

' Sod and Aster should be around here somewhere,' he commented, waving to Lady Incana as they passed, ignorant of the sympathetic look she followed him with. Tadhg ignored him. 

' How did you even get here in the first place?' Tadhg complained, his friend leaning heavily against his back, head on his shoulder. They rode together on Tadhg's horse, back along the streets to the palace, none of the citizens paying any mind to either of them. Nobody expected to see the king sharing a saddle with one of his lords.