Masked Emotions // Dream6d

Chapter 13

Warning: Strong language, illness, mention of death, injuries

By morning, the storm had calmed down enough for the group to start their trek. They stopped only to cook a rabbit Clay had caught, and even then, it was only brief. Zak had recovered some. Darryl suspected it was because they had finally gotten out of the cold for a bit. Before they left, the chef collected a heap of snow in a sack and tied it around his apprentice's wound, as sort of a makeshift ice pack.

The snow had long since turned to water, but the group was approaching dangerous territory and couldn't afford to pause even for a second. Clay took into account Vincent's limp, which he assumed was because of the fight, and Zak's stumbling walk. Darryl suspected that the young apprentice's fever had probably spiked again, and predicted they had maybe half an hour before he couldn't walk on his own.

While the group was talking the previous night, the chef told them of the chaos that went down a moment before Vincent and Clay had left. Fire spread rapidly and smoke filled the room. Zak was injuried, but they still had to climb out a different window to escape. Once they had escaped the castle grounds, Zak had collapsed and Darryl had to carry him for the majority of the trip. That was when they met up with the other two, and thankfully none of them were in perilous danger.

" We're nearing the border," Clay whispered to Vincent. " Bandits and thieves are fairly common, so keep your guard up."

Vincent nodded and offered the blonde a small smile. He knew Clay was struggling to keep control of the situation. The weather was unpredictable and now theives were an issue, and to top it all off, most of them were injured. While Darryl seemed to know what he was doing, it was clear that Clay knew the landscape better. Vincent could tell by the tension in his shoulders that he was overthinking every little detail.

     The servant eyed the blonde's hand as it swung by his side. A thought came to his mind, and he felt the heat rise to his cheeks, despite the cold. Slowly, as if not to surprise him, Vincent intertwined their fingers. Even with the slow movements, Dream still jumped at the contact, but the brunette saw the pink in his cheeks and knew why.

      " You talk like a playboy," Vincent teased. " But you're really just a little teddy bear, aren't you?"

     The blonde didn't look at him, instead turning his face away, but he gave Vincent's hand a little squeeze. The servant laughed, amused at how flustered Clay was getting. They continued through the thick canopy of trees until they came to an open field. Dream told them all to stop and put a finger to his lips, letting them know they should proceed quietly.

The open field didn't seem dangerous, but Clay gestured for them to avoid certain areas in the tall grass, and the rest of the group obeyed. At one point, Zak stumbled off the path and Darryl had to yank him back before a bear trap snapped closed where he'd been standing. Vincent decided to he would stick very close to the blonde after that.

" Okay," Dream said after a suffocatingly long period of silence. " We've officially crossed the border! We are no longer in Trimid! The nearest town is about half a mile that way!"

" Finally! My legs are killing me," Zak complained. Darryl sighed, and in one movement, he swept his apprentice up bridal-style. The younger man yelped slightly, clinging to his teacher. " Jeez man, some warning would be nice!"

" I'll be carrying you for the rest of the way, there's your warning," the chef hummed. His apprentice huffed, crossing his arms, but not protesting at all.

Soon enough, they came upon the town Clay had mentioned. The houses were quaint and the overall feel of the place was rather nice. People minded their business, ignoring the new comers despite their ragged appearance. Vincent figured they probably received a lot of runaways since the new King had taken power. The servant hardly noticed when Clay stopped in front of a house. Darryl kept walking, promising to meet up with them after they'd seen a doctor.

Without a word, Dream rapped his knuckles on the door. It swung open and the two were pulled in quickly. Vincent's eyes took a minute to adjust to the light, while the owner of the house re-locked their door. The curtains were drawn, and only a few candles lit the room. Dream led Vincent to some chairs in the sitting room and they plopped down, the servant becoming very aware of the pain in his feet from all the walking.

After a moment, an old woman entered the room. She held her head high and adjusted the shawl around her shoulders accordingly. Vincent took note of her fancy clothing and flawless posture. This woman, whoever she was, did not belong in such a poor village. Vincent had thought it to be a rather well-off town at first, but comparing it to this woman, it looked like a dump.

Dream cleared his throat and held out a bag. No, not just any bag, the bag with the dead King's head. Vincent suppressed a gag at the thought, and recognized this woman as Clay's current client. Though, he couldn't imagine why such a prestigious woman was living there, or why she wanted the King dead.

Clay stood up and trotted up to the woman. He turned around and with a wave of his hand, he said, " May I present, Her Majesty, the former queen of Trimid."

     Vincent's jaw dropped as he stared at the two, and they stared back. Clay cleared his throat and made a small bowing motion with his hand. The servant jumped to his feet and bowed as low as he possibly could. This woman was once the queen of his kingdom. Vincent hadn't been alive for her rule, because she'd stepped down long before he was born so the former king, her son, could take over.

     This was the mother of the king that King Dave had killed. That was a mouthful. Either way, she was famous for being the second ever widowed Queen to never remarry, and the first ever ruler to step down so her son could take power. She looked as regal as her portraits had suggested. But... why was she here? With Clay? Expecting the head of a the new King?

     " Charmed, I'm sure," the old lady said. She didn't smile, but she had a little twinkle in her eyes that made Vincent feel safe. " If I had known you were coming, I would've made another cup of tea. Apologies."

     Vincent smiled awkwardly. " It's absolutely fine, Your Majesty."

     " Oh, just call me Elizabeth. I haven't been a Queen in 37 years," the woman sighed, draping herself over one of the couches. " Frankly, I'm just glad you made it alive. I heard there was chaos after you killed the King."

     " Oh yeah," Clay laughed sheepishly. " That's my bad."

     " I thought you were known for being sneaky," the Queen tutted. " But it's okay, my spies reported the failed attempt, already. I do wonder, though, what could have stopped you if everyone was asleep?"

     Clay smirked at the brunette, who looked away. If Elizabeth noticed the exchange, she didn't say anything. " Fine, it doesn't matter anyway. I'm glad you made it before the deadline, I cannot stress enough how important timing is for this!"

     The hitman nodded, sitting down once again. " Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."

     " Let's hope I never need to ask this of you again," the old woman said. " I'll get you your money in a few days. Don't let me forget about that."

     Vincent watched in amazement as Clay and the old Queen exchanged friendly conversation, occasionally asking the servant questions to keep him in the loop. At one point, the woman cracked a joke about an elderly man down at the library that was hitting on her, and they shared a good laugh.

     Eventually, Vincent built up the courage to ask a question, " So, why was there a time limit exactly?"

     Clay opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by the clicking of the door, signifying someone had entered. Darryl walked into the room, carrying Zak on his back. He set down his apprentice and brushed himself off. " Okay, so the doctor says he just needs some rest and-"

     Elizabeth stood up, smiling softly. Darryl stopped dead when he saw the old woman.

     " Hello, Mother."