The bartender named Alphy approached their table, setting several tankards down while other bar staff brought their food.

Adrian was delighted to see a plate of mixed bulgar with a side salad and yogurt placed in front of him. He had grown very fond of the dish; his thoughts turning to when he cooked it side by side with Boden. The memories lifted his spirits as he dug in. 

Boden taught him how to slouch a little more while eating. Before, his rigid posture and delicate manners would have surely turned heads. He was finding himself repeatedly grateful for the older man.

The others dug in as well, Jacques immediately going for the alcohol.

“What are the plans for tonight then,” Adrian asked between bites, looking at Jacques who frowned in response. “Are we leaving in the morning or—”

“Listen, Sweetheart,” he cut in, “take a breather. We just got here and you’re already wondering when we’re leaving? We’ve had a stressful day. Unwind a bit, won’t you?”

Adrian only stiffened at the suggestion. “Oh… sure.” He ate another bite of food then began downing his ale with gusto. He’d drunk plenty of alcohol during his days as king, missing it greatly. Now that he thought about it, this was probably his only way of unwinding.

When he set the tankard down more than half empty, three pairs of eyes blinked at him.

“What?” he inquired, wondering if he had something on his face.

Andre, who sat on his right, patted him roughly on the back, booming with laughter. “Alright! I like you better and better, Ian! Finally, a man who can hold his liquor.” 

He blushed slightly, strangely flattered by the compliment. Zuri was laughing as well, but Jacques... Jacques had a slight pink in his cheeks as he looked at him, trying to hide the obvious jealousy behind his eyes.

“Hey, I can hold my liquor too!” he protested, folding his arms.  

“Oh, yeah?” Andre mused. “I distinctly remember carrying your ass out of the last bar.”

“Woah, hey!” Jacques hissed, leaning towards his adopted brother. “Don’t tell him that!” 

Zuri burst out laughing. “What happened to all the bluster?” 

Jacques’s face fell then a determined look replaced it. “You know what, fine.” He picked up his tankard and began chugging away. When it was empty, he slammed it down, his cheeks flushed. His glare was directed straight at Adrian who only blinked in confusion.

“Woah ho ho!” Zuri exclaimed. “You’re really going for it, Jacques! I can’t wait to see you embarrass yourself again.”

“Again?” Adrian asked, eyeing him.

“Hon, you may have gotten us out of prison,” Jacques said, the liquid courage already taking hold, “but I’m still the leader here, make no mistake.”

Adrian blinked again. “I never said you weren’t. Aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously?”

He scoffed. “Maybe you’re not taking it seriously enough.” He flagged down one of the bar staff and asked for more drinks to be brought.

“Jacques,” Zuri asked as soon as the waiter left. “We’re running low on coin. We’ll need more soon.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. I already talked to Alphy and he had some work lined up for us. I have some spare change I’ve been saving up anyway that we can use for a bit. If all else fails, we can always pay some water lords a visit.”

Adrian felt increasingly more guilty with every word as he realized he could easily cover all of them with the money he’d brought. He didn’t know if he should make them aware of that level of cash just yet though, since he had only met these people the day before.  

“What kind of work is it, exactly?” Adrian asked curiously.

Jacques laced his fingers on the table, cocking his head to the side. “The kind of work your fancy ass probably wouldn’t approve of.”

“What makes you think that?”

“The jobs usually include delivering water some way or another,” Zuri chimed in, sipping their ale between words. “The methods are not always the most uh, how do I put it, lawful. We take whatever we can get wherever we happen to be staying.”

“Oh, right,” Adrian said. “You guys move around a lot?”

“Sure do! It’s nice being on the road, always seeing new places, though it’d be nicer if we could stay put for a while. Carnadine makes it hard. That bitch is always on our tails.”

“Well, maybe you can after this journey.” They all stared at the blond. “I can assure that she leaves you three alone after I get my replacement relic.”

“And why would you do that?” Jacques said, suspicion clear on his face.

Adrian considered him. “To pay you back for taking me clear out to Mermortiva and back, I suppose.”

“That doesn’t sound like a substantial enough reason. Everyone has an angle.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it or not, that’s my answer.” 

Jacques considered him, then shook his head. “Pfft! I don’t know why I even waste my breath with you.” 

Another round of drinks was set down and Jacques immediately went for one. Adrian finished his own tankard, accepting the new one placed in front of him, but his mind was elsewhere. Was he overstepping with such a generous proposition? He hadn’t thought so, but everything he did seemed to disagree with this blusterous leader. 

He was shaken from his thoughts when Andre promptly cut Jacques off, sending back the extra booze he had ordered. “We have to travel in the morning. It won’t do us any favors having a leader that’s hungover.”

“Andre, I’m barely tipsy.”

“Let’s keep it that way. We need you in tip top shape tomorrow, Boss.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. As always, Andre, you are the voice of reason. Guess we should head to bed then.” He stood from his chair a little unsteadily. “I’ll cover the tab, you two show the blond to our room.”

“Wait,” Adrian said, and brown eyes found him. “Let me pay, I insist.”

Jacques grinned. “Don’t think you’re something special, Sweetheart. I always pay for everyone. It’s my pleasure.” He winked, swaggering off with his head held high.

Zuri snorted. “Yeah, he’s like that,” they said as soon as Jacques left. “Such a fucking showoff. We’ve tried paying for years, but he insists.”

“Does he always get into a drinking contest too?” Adrian asked, watching the shorter man approach the counter as they all three stood and walked away from the table.

They laughed. “Nope. I think it’s just cause you’re with us. He probably feels threatened after you broke us out of prison. You were extremely cool, and he’s got a fragile ego.”

“He’s a great leader though,” Andre added. “I wish he could see that.”

Adrian knew all too well the feeling of not being enough as a leader. Even if he’d been constantly reminded by his people how well he was serving the kingdom, he could never bring himself to agree with them. Glancing back at Jacques, he felt he understood him a bit better.

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

“You really made all these?” Adrian asked, picking up one of the little inventions Zuri had set out. 

He held a miniature mechanical carriage that, when the little key on the back was turned, sprung to life, all its little gears would rotate as it slowly moved across a flat surface. Setting it on the small table in the room, he watched it drive itself across the length of wood, catching it before it fell off the edge.

Zuri grinned. “Yup. Just little projects I like to mess with.” They held a sac full of more little metal devices and contraptions. “I mostly like to study old tech. I rarely find Alchemist tech, but oh, I love it so much. The black glass they use can conduct such high levels of energy. It’s amazing!”

“Are you two going to get ready for bed?” Jacques asked as he walked over, digging through a large bag he’d set on the table. “We’re leaving early tomorrow, and I’ll drag your asses out of bed if I have to.”

“More like Andre will,” the inventor mumbled. 

There was a grunt of agreement from across the room where Andre was laying on one of three twin-sized beds, his body taking up almost the entire mattress.

“Lighten up, Jacques,” Zuri continued. “Ian just joined our group, and he’s actually interested in my ramblings. Most people don’t let me talk this long.”

“He’s just being polite.”

“That’s not true,” Adrian corrected. “All of your creations are so inspiring,” his words were directed at Zuri, “and Alchemist tech is so mysterious and strange. I’ve only ever seen a few other relics, but the green energy crystals that are always used are so complex.”

Zuri’s eyes sparkled. “They’re perfect too! The crystals have perfect proportions, not a single fault on them. I’ve checked. It’s magic.”

Jacques smacked their arm with the back of his hand, frowning.

“Oh, right,” they muttered quickly, closing their mouth.

“You get the far bed, Hon,” Jacques said, directing his words to Adrian. 

He blinked. “Are you sure? There’re only three beds.”

“I’ll sleep with Andre, and don’t you dare argue with me on this.” Adrian closed his mouth, promptly cutting off the protest he’d had ready. “I swear, you’d think you were royalty with how polite and well-mannered you are.”

The king tried not to look too affected by this comment, his face paling slightly.

From his bag, Jacques pulled out a bundle of clothing and tucked it under his arm, walking towards the bathroom.

Adrian turned back to Zuri. “Is he really fine sharing a bed with Andre?” he whispered, knowing it didn’t take a genius to realize just how snug those two would be in the small bed.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. They’re used to sharing a bed. They’re brothers after all.”

“Oh, right.” He’d nearly forgotten Jacques and Andre had grown up together. “I guess we should get ready for bed then.” He searched around for his bag.

“Aww! I wanted to talk to you more.”

He gave a small smile. “We’ll have plenty of time during our journey, don’t worry. Tsk! Where is my bag?”

“You mean this?” They took their hand out from behind their back to present the brown shoulder bag.

He gaped, taking it from them. “How do you do that? You’re so quick. I can never detect your movements.”

“No one can,” came Jacques’s voice as he returned from the bathroom in nothing but a nightshirt that ended just above his knees. His hair was out of his ponytail, and long, black curls fell over his shoulders. “That’s why I always keep my stuff away from them.”

They shrugged, smirking. “I just have quick hands I guess, plus, you’re very easily distracted, Ian.”

The blond exhaled quickly, more impressed than anything else. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”

“Earlier, when I took your book.” They sat on the edge of the nearest bed as they spoke. “I saw a little trinket-type-thing in your bag that had dried flowers in it. Is that a gift from a romantic partner?” They wiggled their eyebrows suggestively, and Adrian suddenly felt his face grow hot.

“Uh, well... she’s—”

“Oh ho ho!” they jeered. “A she huh?” They shot a glance Jacques’s way who in turn rolled his eyes. “You didn’t tell us you had a sweetheart.”

Adrian rubbed the back of his head, looking down. “She’s uh... she’s not mine. Not anymore, at least.”

The three other group members stared silently at him, and his cheeks grew in color. 

“Oh, shit,” Zuri said, looking utterly ashamed. “I’m so sorry, Ian. How did she die?”

“Zuri,” Jacques hissed. “Don’t ask him that!”

Adrian blinked in confusion. “Huh? She didn’t die.” He let out a short laugh despite himself. “Things didn’t work out between us and she… married my brother instead.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling them all this, but the expressions on each of their faces were almost worth it.

“She did what?” Zuri demanded, eyes wide.

“That’s rough buddy,” came Andre’s voice from the bed.

Even Jacques looked stunned by the news as he blinked several times, obviously trying to process what he’d just heard. “And you’re still carrying those flowers around? Why?”

A wave of shame flooded through him and a pang of hurt stabbed his heart. “Well, I suppose I should get rid of them.”

“Yeah, you should,” Jacques insisted. “She doesn’t deserve that sort of reverence after turning you down for your brother.”

“It didn’t really happen that way. She’s still my friend.”

“For real?” Zuri exclaimed.

“Yeah, we all three lived together.”

“Your brother and his wife lived with you?” Jacques asked. “Fuck, that sounds awful.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” he lied, looking away.

“I don’t know. Sounds pretty bad,” Zuri chimed in. “How long ago was that, since she married your brother?”

He bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to admit it was years. “What does it matter?”

They shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t. Why did she turn you down? Was she blind or something?”

“No, my brother was more persistent.”

“What a dick.”

His chest heaved at the insult. “He’s not—” he shouted, then exhaled, his next words in a quieter and yet still furious tone. “Enough. My love life is none of your business.” He angrily rummaged through his bag for his night clothes, then stalked off to the bathroom, brushing past Jacques’s shoulder as he did. His expression must have been murderous because no one had moved to speak or stop him.

He closed the door behind him, leaning up against it while closing his eyes. Hot, furious tears burned in his eyes, and his chest heaved as he tried to regain his composure. Why was he so upset? He shouldn’t be this upset.

He’d never spoken to anyone about his frustrations concerning Princess Madeleine save for very briefly with his own brother. He knew it was pointless carrying around those infernal flowers, but after three years he still couldn’t bring himself to stop thinking about her and how he’d messed up so badly. If he’d just chosen her back when she was open to the offer, they’d be together right now, maybe he wouldn’t even be on this journey at all. Maybe he’d be happy.

He allowed a few tears to fall as he began to strip. When he was finally dressed in the long nightshirt that went past his knees, he shamefully opened the door, stepping out. 

Zuri was waiting for him. They walked forward and wrapped their arms around his neck. He blinked, not expecting the gentle touch.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to pry,” they said softly. “Sometimes I ask too many questions.”

The gesture almost made him cry again, but he held his composure as he wrapped an arm around their waist in reply. “Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have snapped. I have a short temper sometimes.”

They pulled out of the hug, grinning. “Yeah, our little group wouldn’t know anything about that, right Jacques?”

Jacques sat at the edge of the bed Andre was occupying, his face falling into a glare. “Careful, I buy you food. I can stop doing that if you want.”

“Like you’d allow anyone else to pay,” Adrian found himself saying, his hand now on his hip. 

Andre chuckled while Jacques narrowed his eyes at the blond. 

“This guy,” Zuri said, placing a hand on his shoulder, laughing as well. “I’m so glad you’re in our group.”

Adrian smiled shyly, the words meaning more to him than they could ever know. 

Jacques stood, facing him. “Hey, Sweetheart.” Adrian blinked up at him and the shorter man hesitated for a moment. “I shouldn’t have asked so many questions either. No hard feelings.” He patted him roughly on the shoulder before turning back to the bed and cramming himself under the covers next to Andre.

 Adrian stared after him, unsure why this group of people who’d just met him were being so considerate. There didn’t seem to be any ulterior motive for their kindness either. 

“Well, lights out then,” Jacques said, snuffing out the lantern on the side table next to him.

“Hey!” Zuri shouted. “I haven’t even changed into my night clothes yet!”

“Should have thought of that earlier.”

“Asshole.” 

“Love you too.”

As Adrian’s eyes adjusted, he made his way over to his bed, climbing in. A little green light suddenly shone in the darkness, and he looked curiously over at Zuri who held a mini lantern made of scrap metal with a small green crystal in it.

Their bed was right next to his, and they walked over to it.

“Is that a relic crystal?” he whispered when they were nearby.

The strange green light illuminated the manic grin that spread over their face. “It sure is. Found one and figured out how to use it to my advantage. The crystal never stops glowing, so all I have to do is pull this little lever and it gets covered by the moving metal panels.” They pulled the referred to switch, and he heard the sound of little gears moving as the light went out. It flicked back on, and they showed off the item dramatically with their hand. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah! How innovative!”

“Will you two know-it-alls go to sleep already?” Jacques complained.

Zuri sighed. “Yeah, yeah, fucking little baby.”

“Thank you.”

They looked at Adrian, shrugged, then whispered, “Goodnight!”

He smiled, replying, “Goodnight,” then slipped under the covers.

Adrian slept more soundly than usual. He didn’t know if it was because he’d slept on the floor of a jail cell the night before, because the stress of the day had finally caught up with him, or because he was sleeping surrounded by these new companions who he felt more comfortable around then was probably wise. 

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

The group of four were sitting around a table in the tavern, eating breakfast while Jacques detailed their plans for the day.

“Alphy found a job for us that we need to complete before tonight if we want to get paid.” Jacques leaned back in his chair, one arm resting over the back of it, his posture very casual and yet assertive.

“Another water run?” Zuri offered, finishing what was left on their plate.

“Not exactly. We need more cash than usual for a trip to Mermortiva and back. There’re a few towns on the way over where we can earn coin, but it’s better to be over-stuffed when traveling through the dunes. Water prices can be fucking atrocious out there. We want to be prepared.”

Adrian’s attention was turned to the pressure in his boot, and he again felt guilty for not chipping in the money that could easily get them to their destination and back. Not yet, he thought. Once they found out how loaded he was, this group might turn on him or learn too much about his background. 

Adrian folded his arms thoughtfully. “What if we went south and around the mountain ranges, traveling through Cappeland and Nebrasia instead? There aren’t any water laws out there to worry about.”

Jacques shook his head. “No, that will take twice as long, and plus, I know Venwick like the back of my hand. I have connections throughout where we can restock and do small jobs here and there for money. You have any connections in Cappeland or Nebrasia that would offer the same?” Adrian looked away. “That’s what I thought. We do this my way.”

“What’s the job then, Jacques?” Zuri pressed. “If it makes more money than usual... you’re not saying we’re going to have to—”

“Yeah,” Jacques said quickly. “It’s going to be a bit more rough than usual. The man who offered the job works as a guard for Ruisseau—”

There were two gasps. “Jacques,” Andre said in a weary tone, “we aren’t robbing Ruisseau, are we?”

The leader shrugged.

“That’d be suicide!” Zuri protested.

“Listen. This guard will bring us through several checkpoints right to the heart of his water stores. We’ll be disguised as prisoners. We bring a cart out back, take our fill, and leave before anyone knows what’s happened.”

“No way,” Zuri said, shaking their head. “I wouldn’t rob that man in a million years.”

“Who is Ruisseau?” Adrian asked.

“He’s one of the most brutal of water lords,” Zuri explained. “Jacques has had dealings with him in the past and he’s just not someone you want to ever mess with.”

“It’ll be fine, Zuri,” Jacques reassured. “I have all the details and a strategy figured out already. As long as everyone follows my orders exactly, we’ll make it out just fine and with more water than we’ve stolen in a long time.”

“What strategy might that be?” Adrian asked, and Jacques gave him a stern look.

“Just to clarify, this isn’t something that will be under discussion, Sweetheart. Once I give you your assignment, you will follow it to a t if you don’t want to die a slow and painful death at the hands of that water lord bastard. Do I make myself clear?”

Adrian was not used to being given orders and the command left him blinking. He simply stared back in response then finally gave a reluctant nod.

“Good. You’ll be with Zuri, following what they do. The two of you will be responsible for emptying the water tankard into the readied cart. They know what they’re doing, so listen to everything Zuri tells you to do. Andre,” the leader finally tore his eyes away from the blond to look over at his brother. “You’ll be our eyes and ears as well as our backup.”

“S’what I’m good at,” the large man replied.

“What about you?” Jacques’s eyes flicked back to blue. “What will you be doing during all this?”

The leader cocked his head to the side challengingly. “Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I’ll be making all the arrangements for this to be made possible while also disguising myself as a second guard.”

“I don’t know, Jacques,” Zuri said, twiddling their thumbs as they spoke. “This is a pretty risky plan. We usually only do stuff like this when we’re desperate.”

“It’s not as bad as you think. It’ll be significantly less risky now that Carnadine isn’t on our backs.”

“It’s so weird to think she’s not tailing us anymore.” They sounded very thoughtful then. “I never thought I’d see the day where we completely shake her.”

“Surely that wasn’t the last time we ever saw her,” Andre said. “She’s too obsessed with Jacques.”

Zuri sighed. “I can’t help but agree. She wouldn’t just halt her life’s work no matter what you did to her, Ian. Eventually, she’ll find a way to try and get him in her clutches again.”

“About that,” Adrian said, and all eyes were on him. “What’s her angle anyway? She told me Jacques is dangerous, from some kind of ancient family or something. What did she mean?”

Jacques folded his arms, his expression impatient. “You know we aren’t going to answer that question, just like how you’re never going to tell us anything useful about yourself or why you’re actually here.”

Adrian considered him then exhaled in defeat. He wanted answers more than anything, but Jacques had a point. He couldn’t exactly demand all their secrets when he couldn’t even tell them basic information about himself. 

Jacques glanced out the tavern window and stood up from his chair. “If no one has any questions about the heist, then we need to get going to meet that water guard.” 

The others stood as well, making their way out of the tavern. Adrian followed. 

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

Adrian, Andre, and Zuri walked with their hands tied behind their backs while a disguised Jacques and the aforementioned water guard prodded them forward with sharp swords. 

Adrian wished Jacques wouldn’t prod quite so aggressively, and wondered if the shorter man was perhaps using this opportunity to exact some petty revenge on him. He wouldn’t put it past him.

Ahead of them was what looked like a massive, abandoned palace. It was obviously a structure originally built for royalty, but it was worn down with water guards stationed all around it. Whoever this Ruisseau guy was, he definitely had a lot of influence, probably more than any of the actual Venwickin monarchs. 

Adrian stared as they were led through the massive front gate. He glanced over at Zuri and Andre who were currently putting on some pretty pathetic looking faces, not looking Adrian’s way. 

Right. He should be playing the part, following Jacques’s instructions if he didn’t want this to end badly. He jumped slightly as the heavy gate closed behind them.

Gulping, he realized there was no going back now. 

After several minutes of more walking and being forced forward, they came to an inner wall. Their second checkpoint. The guards waved them through, and Adrian breathed out a silent sigh of relief. They only had one checkpoint left and that was the entrance to the holding cell. 

More walking. They finally stopped, Adrian and the others halting in their tracks. The water guard with them relieved the two guards standing in front of the entrance to the dungeons. There was barely any hesitation as they left their post, and Adrian exhaled again.

Looking up, he saw a massive water tower. From where they were positioned, no other guards were around to spot them. He felt his bonds being cut. Rubbing his hands over his now freed wrists, Adrian silently followed after Zuri towards the tower. They wasted no time climbing up the ladder rungs, so he quickly climbed after. 

He nervously looked down, feeling slightly woozy at just how far above the ground they were. He nearly crashed into Zuri when they suddenly stopped, hoisting themselves onto the rickety metal platform at the top of the tower. They rummaged in their pockets for something before pulling out a strange little mechanical device with a mini drill attached to the end. 

They placed it against the side of the tower, flicking a switch on the back of it. The device sprung to life, the little drill spinning and piercing the metal container. It made hardly any noise and soon, it was fully clamped onto the side. 

Zuri began pulling out several feet of tubing hidden in their pants and Adrian did the same. Once the two chords were put together, Zuri attached the piping to the device then gave Adrian a nod.

With the piping coiled, he gently tossed it down into Andre’s outstretched arms. The large man caught it and took it through a backdoor in the wall that the water guard opened for him. From his vantage point, Adrian could see a large cart with water barrels in the back of it waiting for them.

Andre attached the piping to the end of one of the barrels, locking it in place before giving a thumbs up. Adrian turned, nodding to Zuri who lifted a lever on the little device. A rushing, whooshing sound rang out as the water traveled through the tube and down into the barrels. 

After several tense minutes, the first barrel was full and Adrian gave Zuri the signal again to close the valve, then open it again when the next barrel was hooked up. They continued this process for a while until all twelve barrels were full and Andre began gathering up all the piping, coiling it around his arm then placing it in the back of the cart. 

There were five spots in the back of the cart intended for Jacques’s group and the water guard. All that was left for them to do was make their way to it. Adrian began his descent when Zuri gripped the front of his shirt, stopping him. 

They put a finger to their lips, pointing down. Adrian’s eyes followed the movement, looking below to see that a group of guards fifty or so feet away were marching down the dirt path they’d taken, straight for Jacques and the water guard. At the head of this group was a flashy looking man with long, bleached white hair and bronze-colored skin around Adrian’s age. Impressive cloaks were draped around his shoulders.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who that may be. 

Adrian made eye contact with his companion. Zuri blinked away, trying to motion down to Andre, but by the time he saw the warning, the impressive looking leader and his guards were approaching the two men below. 

“Jacques, Darling,” the white-haired man said in a thick, syrupy voice. “Long time, no see.”

“Hi, Ruisseau,” Jacques replied grumpily.