When The Mad Emperor Suddenly Becomes Sweet

With burning red cheeks and a little hiccup, Freya drained her glass and ordered Gemini for more.

Gemini lifted an eyebrow, looking at the petite girl in front of him, unsure.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” He asked with concern in his voice.

Freya laughed with another hiccup followed by, “why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got Archer, the beautiful wizard Herro, and the best knight in Morciani to protect me.”

Freya was chatty under the influence of alcohol, sputtering words she wouldn’t have said normally. Gemini blushed and fought furiously to hide it but the quick-eyed Hero caught it in time pointing it out jeeringly, “Aw, look, the best knight in Morciani is shy.”

Gemini bristled immediately, rejecting his claim while the wizard kept poking fun at him. “I am a respectable Knight, I would never act like a quivering maiden, do not compare me to the likes of you,” he slurred, the alcohol affecting him.

Freya stared at them dazedly, admiring Herro’s audaciousness at challenging the big knight. To her right, Archer sat with chicken grease on his mouth. It seemed that he didn’t have the best table manners while drunk.

He leaned forward, a chicken leg dangling from his greasy hands, and he slurred fussily saying, “I sliced five men behind the King’s back, I tried to relieve him of the danger.”

After a moment of silence, Gemini spoke out somberly, “I respect your skill Archer, you saved us from a lot of trouble.”

Archer’s eyes widened as he registered the words being said to him. “Hearing these words from you have made me truly happy, I can now die in peace.” When he finished, there was suspicious dampness around his eyes.

Watching the men converse in front of her made Freya weary, she wanted to go hide somewhere.

“Freya, are you dozing off?” Archer asked her and Freya scrunched her eyebrows before smiling. “Archer, you look like a chicken,” she said and giggled, her eyes threatening to glue themselves together. She nodded off eventually, her head hitting the table.

******

Freya opened her eyes slowly and her head hammered after the drinking bout she’d gone through the night before. When her vision cleared, she was lying next to a fire pit and smelled heavily of alcohol. It felt good only at the time she was drinking it, now she felt terrible.

She got up finally, looking around her wondering where Archer was. Did he not come back after the night? She was worried but she could barely handle herself. As she rose, her stomach protested and she felt a wave of nausea welling up inside her. She held it miserably but she knew she needed to get up. She was craving warm porridge.

Freya made her way out of the tent, feeling considerably better than she was a few moments ago. She ran a hand through her hair as she walked out and her foot landed on something big and soft. With a shriek, Freya leaped backward, looking at the thing she’d stepped on.

“Archer! What are you doing?” She demanded, holding a hand over her hammering heart.

“Freya, please be quiet, my head is screaming,” He groaned and he placed a hand over his eyes. He was lying in front of the tent when Freya had stepped on his abdomen but he hadn’t even flinched, only complaining at her voice.

Freya huffed and she nudged him towards the tent with her toe. “Go inside and sleep, you don’t have training today,” She ordered, nudging him again. Finally, with great exertion, she’d managed to get the big man inside the tent and on his bed. He threw himself on the bed and immediately fell asleep. Freya looked at the man slumbering like a child and shook her head.

“I’m glad he wasn’t too cold,” She thought as she made her way out of the tent again, making sure she didn’t step on any wayward drunk soldiers on her way. Why did Archer even sleep outside the tent? Come to think of it, she didn’t even remember when and how she made her way back to the tent.

She pondered over the idea as she drank and washed in the cool river water. Doing so immediately made her feel better and she sighed with relief. She wiped her face off with her sleeve and stretched slowly.

A sudden sound of a breaking branch behind her made Freya look back quickly. She looked at Count Adelion approaching her and cringed. “What can I do for you Count Adelion?” She asked, keeping the grimace out of her voice. Freya didn’t understand why he’d come here, of all places.

The Count smiled at her and Freya’s stomach turned at his nauseating stare. “So you bathe here?” He asked and his voice made the hair on the back of Freya’s neck stand up. She clenched her teeth and smiled as she replied, “No, I usually do the laundry here.”

The Count stared at her again, observing her face and everything in Freya wanted to run away from her spot and not see him again. “You have a cute little face you know?” He commented and Freya’s mouth fell as she stuttered, “Uh- thank you.” She’d hated his leech-like compliment but she’d nodded nonetheless.

“Do you have any place to go after this entire thing gets cleaned up?” He nodded towards the mass of tents in their background. Freya didn’t answer, not knowing how to navigate around this situation. “You do realize His Majesty will soon be emperor, he won’t be able to take a girl servant back to the palace.”

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