Bonus Short Stories
Drunk and Disorderly
“Got that? Hm? Or should I beat it into you?”
One of Aura’s petite hands held a glass while the other smacked the man’s bald head over and over. Her drunken grin didn’t quite reach her eyes, and the contempt in her gaze would strike terror into anyone’s heart.
“Lady Aura, you will not slander my magnificent person so!”
The man glared up at her in between smacks, but kneeling submissively as he was, he didn’t come off quite as intimidating as he might have liked.
Pathetic, Hiro thought, to think the third prince would be reduced to this...
“‘My magnifishent pershon,’ is it? And what would you be without me? A headless corpsh, thatsh what.”
The four of them were alone in a private chamber reserved for powerful nobles. That was the only reason Aura’s tirade had gone unpunished, but that only seemed to embolden her.
“You are insulting the mighty Third Prince Brutahl, soon to be the...the mightiest emperor of the mighty Grantzian Empire!” A vein throbbed on Brutahl’s forehead.
Aura smacked his bald pate again. “And if Third Prinsh Brutahl had any sensh, he would shut up and shtop calling himself ‘mighty.’ Or at least exshpand his vocabulary.”
The man ground his teeth. “I will not stand for this impertinence!”
“Please forgive her, Your Highness.” The long-suffering von Spitz bowed his head in Aura’s place. “She has had a little too much to drink.”
“I fixshed the war that you shtarted and I reshtored the Third Legion’s reputation that you ruined and now you’ve shpoiled all my hard work, you idiot, you imbeshile, you king of all boneheads!” Aura didn’t even pause for breath. Her open-handed chop caught Brutahl square in the dome.
That was the final straw. The prince stood up, glowering with indignation. “You will not address your commander so! I did only what I believed would benefit the western houses!” He fell to his knees and began to weep, smacking his fist against the floor. Apparently, he was a sad drunk. The chiseled set of his face only made the sight more pitiful.
Aura’s tirade was unrelenting. “Then you thought wrong! And if you think shaving your head in penansh will win you any favor with Hish Highnesh, you don’t even know your own father!”
Smack smack smack smack smack. Brutahl’s head was turning red as a tomato, but still he protested. “My aides advised me to demonstrate my remorse through action!”
“By winning victoriesh, you dolt, not by shaving your head! Nobody wants your shtupid hair!”
“I-Is that what they meant?” Brutahl’s jaw hung slack, as though he had been slapped across the face. He hung his head.
Aura’s gaze swiveled to Hiro. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you!”
“Me? What did I do?”
She set a finger to her chin in thought. After some time to choose her words: “You try to carry everything on your own shoulders. Shtop it.”
Hiro chuckled. “I guess you’ve got me there.”
Not that her warning would stop him. Wherever plunging into the fray would save lives, he would do it. To watch others suffer on his behalf was painful. To watch them die for his cause was intolerable. His power was not yet absolute, but someday, he would be strong enough to save everyone. That was the reason he had sought strength in the first place.
Aura sighed heavily. It seemed that she’d read his mind. “That’sh shtupid, and you know it. You’ll bring shorrow to the same people you’re trying to help.” Her eyelashes quivered as her eyes hardened with conviction. “Shomeday, I’ll fix those boneheaded ideas. But until then, don’t do anything recklesh.”
“I’ll try.” Hiro smiled sheepishly. He was dodging the issue and he knew it.
With another exasperated sigh, Aura turned back to Prince Brutahl to find the man sprawled on the floor, muttering to himself. He had thoroughly passed out.
“And I had the perfect chance too. All washted.” Aura glared at Hiro with naked accusation, although it had been her who had pushed the man to the brink. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Another time.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” Hiro nodded. Turning her down seemed like more trouble than it was worth.
“A toast, then, to our future reunion.” Von Spitz approached, wine in hand, an amiable smile on his face.
Aura took up her own drink. Hiro was too young for liquor, but he raised his water high. The gentle clink of their glasses pealed through the room.
“To our reunion!”
The night grew later, and the stars shone brighter, as though blessing the hopes and dreams of men.
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