Finn
Finn yawned. He was tired. Thanks to Mads and Levi, he barely had gotten enough sleep. According to Levi, he had only massaged Mads. Finn wasn't sure he believed him. If it was a massage, then Levi had to be a real master at it. Because Mads had liked it loud and clear.
That was until Marko angrily snatched the blanket from the two of them. At least they had been fully clothed. Maybe it was really just a massage...
Sighing, he looked at his own boyfriend. Marko looked at him with pleading googly eyes. "Finn? Where are you with your thoughts?"
"Oh. Sorry... I... It's nothing. And yes! I'm sure of it!" Smiling, he stroked Marko's soft curls. Finn had wandered off with his thoughts in the middle of a little discussion between them.
"Sure?" Marko pouted. "I wouldn't mind!"
"Yes!" Finn sighed.
"Sure, sure?" Marko sat on the floor in front of him, resting his chin on Finn's knee. "Sure, sure, sure, sure?"
"Marko!", Leopold groaned in annoyance and pulled his pillow over his head. "We’re in a city! Finn can walk on his own. The floor is paved almost everywhere and at ground level."
"But!" Marko pouted. "What if someone bumps into you, Finn? I'm happy to carry you!"
Yes, this was the topic of the discussion that took place in the early morning in the boys' 'guest room'. Finn was starting to get annoyed. He could walk on his own. He didn't have to be carried forever. Not everywhere! He may have been weak, but his legs worked!
"Marko? You've carried me enough. No one's going to bump into me!", growled Finn. "And it would look weird if I rode on your back in a city! Yesterday we were looked at with suspicion! We definitely put Julia in need of an explanation! And we don't want to stand out! Here the ground is firm. I can walk."
"I could carry you in my arms!" Marko grinned mischievously. "Like a princess!"
"Carry Julia like a princess", Finn replied, rolling his eyes. "Marko? Thank you! But no. Carry Julia if you want to carry someone."
"No! That's my job!" growled Leopold, from under his pillow, and held out the middle finger to Marko and Finn.
"How polite!" Mads, who had just woken up, looked at the said finger. "Shouldn't a future king behave better?" He stretched contentedly. "In this bed, you get a backache. I guess I'm going to need another massage!"
"NO!" scolded Benjamin immediately.
"Huh?" Levi came out from under the covers. "What... King? Massage?"
"King Leopold!" Mads declared, kissing Levi's forehead. "Good morning."
"What?" Surprised, Leopold sat up. The pillow fell to the floor. "What kind of future king, please!? I'm not going to be a king!"
"You?" Levi yawned. He played tiredly with the hem of Mad's tunic. "You're dating Julia. I'm sure you'll get married someday. And she's going to be Queen."
"But that doesn't mean I have to become King", the elf murmured with red cheeks.
Finn smirked. "Usually, it does."
"Definitely", Benjamin agreed, crawling out of his bed and shaking open the covers. "Get out of bed, all of you, or we'll be taken for bad servants!"
"How do you talk to our King!" Mads protested immediately but climbed out of bed. Or rather, he tried but failed. Levi clung to Mad's tunic and pulled him back, then showered his boyfriend with kisses. Finn watched the two of them a little enviously. He and Marko would never be able to do something like that. Not so stormy and impetuous.
"Once again, I'm not going to be king, even if I marry Julia. We've talked about it." Leopold sighed, climbed out of his bed, and smoothed out his clothes in annoyance as if she had offended him. It wasn't the crumpled clothes that were the problem, but his stubborn curls. Leopold's hair stood out in all directions. He looked funny.
"Will that work?" Benjamin raised his eyebrows. "You'll probably still be considered King. Or as..."
"As a villain who seduced the Queen!" Mads finished the sentence. In the meantime, he was hardly to be seen under Levi.
"Hey!" grumbled Benjamin. "I said, get out of bed!"
"I'd like to be King! When Finn becomes my Queen!" mused Marko. He stood up and held out a hand to Finn to help him out of bed.
"Marko?" Finn grinned.
"Yes?"
"You know I'm not a girl?"
"I noticed. You've got a sweet little..."
Immediately, Finn covered his mouth while Mads and Levi burst out laughing.
"I'm going to wash!" Benjamin rolled his eyes and left the room. For the servants, there were two small, functionally equipped bathrooms. One for women and one for men. There was an outhouse and a washbasin. They had to fetch water themselves. From a small well behind the house. There was no way to heat the water. "I hate it here!" they heard the elf growl in the hallway.
Mads had also been terribly upset about it the night before. Cold water was bad for his delicate skin. At least that's what he claimed. Finn couldn't find any problems with the wolf's skin after washing his face with cold water.
Julia
The breakfast was lovely.
She was sitting in the large dining room of the inn. She was served scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and pancakes with sugar. There was also coffee and hot chocolate. She hoped her servants would also be well cared for.
She hadn't seen any of them yet. Even in the dining room, especially the bound servants were not welcome.
"Woe betide them if they don't get anything to eat!" grumbled Lea.
"They're not going to let them starve", Fritz tried to reassure her. "Otherwise, this inn would quickly get a bad reputation!"
"Are you sure?" Paul looked around. The dining room was almost empty.
"There's a travel ban", Julia reminded him as her brother's gaze darkened. "That's why there are few guests here. There are rooms for servants. For all servants. Then there's food, too."
"You're only allowed to stay in the main room? To wait for us there, right?" Lea grumbled softly. "There's an area where bound people are allowed to wait."
Fritz nodded. "As long as we don't call for them to do things for us. Then they are allowed to go almost anywhere. But only almost. We have to let them call, though." There was extra staff for that. People who led the bound servants to their owners. Via hidden stairs so that the servants would not disturb the other guests with their sight. Julia felt sick at the thought alone. "Only three days, then hopefully we'll be out of here and on our way to Cleo and the others!" she whispered. After breakfast, they planned to leave in search of the rebels. They had paid for their rooms for three nights. Julia didn't want to stay any longer unless it turned out to be necessary.
