"Holy cocksneeze. I think he heard us," Clare said, trying to sober herself up. "We'd best be out of here," Leland urged. "No. We can't leave now. If we did that, we'd only paint bigger targets on our backs," Meliss said sternly. "Ok, then, mastermind; What the actual fuck are we supposed to do now?" Leland hissed as he shook with fear. "Nothing we can do besides acting as naturally as possible. Keep drinking," she replied.
The Zebura was brought out at the royal table, and Truls rose from his chair to whack the rim of his mug on the wooden table. The loud knocking sound immediately got everyone's attention.
"I'd like to propose a toast," he slurred his words a little and rocked back and forth as all eyes were on him. The three servants swallowed hard, concerned about their knowledge having leaked out to the last person it shouldn't have.
"On this most auspicious of evenings, I would like to have it known that I am glad to have such good and loyal company to share this with," he said. Everyone clapped and cheered unanimously.
He raised his hand to calm them.
"Tonight, we, the rulers of the countries of the Continent, have gathered here to celebrate peace amongst ourselves. That is not to say that we don't have the very real threat of the monsters lurking just outside our castles and citadels. However, we are celebrating something that has not happened since before my father's father was king. We are gathered here as friends, and brothers in arms to rid ourselves of those ugly bastards who take our husbands, our wives, and our children," he aimed his mug toward the end of the hall with another cheer.
"As an expression of this friendship, my lovely queen, Leona, suggested we partake in this Zebura to bring us all together, regardless of our cultural differences as we strive for peace," he gestured to the haunches before him, getting a thunderous applause as he did so.
Elhael pulled the servant who had brought the meal to them aside. "How long did it take to prepare this?" he asked quietly. "According to the master chef, it was three hours exactly," the servant replied. Elhael burst into laughter and pointed a finger at the color-flushed Mads.
"Told you, you drunken bastard! Now, pay up!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Mads sighed deeply and removed the coin purse from his side. "Take it," he mumbled just before the elven king snatched it out of his hands and tossed it in the air with a chuckle.
Truls cut the first slice of the dark, steaming flesh, then handed it to Leona, who sat immediately next to him and nodded deeply with gratitude. The next slice went to Bashir, who also nodded, and gave thanks in his native tongue.
Leona looked at him, wondering if he knew about what she and his son had done just a few short hours before meeting them in the market. He caught her eye, smiled, and nodded to her as well, but as he did so, she saw Bashaa, who sat just beyond him. He followed his father's example, and she felt a nervous stir in her belly.
"Fuuuuuck, he knows," Clare whispered after seeing the short exchange, prompting Meliss to glare at her to shut up. Clare noticed, immediately taking her eyes off the two and promptly gazing into her emptying mug.
In the meantime, Truls continued cutting the steaming meat before him, passing the slices down to both Mads and Elhael, who nodded and gave thanks. "To peace!" Truls called out, raising a slice of the flesh in one hand and a mug of ale in the other. "To peace!" the others in the hall returned, and the kings proceeded to bite into the Zebura's meat.
Everyone cheered except for Leland, whom Fulco noted.
After the feast, the three left the hall and went their separate ways towards their dormitories. Meliss went into her room, only to find a folded nightgown on her bed with a note on it. "Thanks for being the best lass I've had the pleasure of meeting in a long time," the note said, and was signed with only the letter L at its base. She smiled, briefly forgetting about the possibility of her and her friends dying for having been overheard.
This fits as if she had it made for me, she giggled after putting it on and giving it a quick twirl.
The following morning, Fulco did his habitual rounds about the castle, ensuring everything was in order. After completing his checks on most areas of the palace, he found himself in the kitchen where a brunch was being prepared.
Smelling the fresh pastries and fruits being prepared and sliced, he smiled at the scent of it all. Washing the fruit to be prepared was none other than Leland, who could think of nothing other than the previous night.
Between the hangover and anxiety I feel, I don't know which one is worse, he thought.
"A late start today for all of us, I imagine," Fulco said, stopping beside him. The dark circles around Leland's eyes grew wide, and his heart began to race. "Lucky to have survived after last night's festivities, wouldn't you say?" he asked, getting a curt nod in response.
He didn't dare look his interrogator in the eye.
Fulco noticed that he was nearly unresponsive, save the nodding. "Might I have a word with you in private, Leland?" he asked quietly. Leland felt his heart stop for a moment, and broke into a cold sweat. He nodded again, and followed him to the large, nearly emptied pantry.
"I'm not going to mince my words and just be done with it," Fulco began. Leland managed to raise his head to look at Fulco, but could barely withstand his gaze. "Do you, or do you not confirm that Her Majesty had some form of physical… interaction with Bashaa during their little expedition yesterday afternoon?" Fulco asked sternly.
Leland's face paled even further than it already was. "Answer me," Fulco said calmly, but in a voice that chilled the very air around them. Leland looked for some form of escape around him, but found nothing. "Answer me, Leland, before I have to ask you a third time," he said in a threatening, sing-song voice.
He knows. Fuck, he knows, Leland thought.
"Alright, alright!" Leland finally broke down in tears. "I hadn't any clue he was with her before last night when the ladies and I were talking about the kings. I saw him entering the cellar yesterday, but I swear I didn't see who he was with," Leland said through bubbling spit. "Once I saw him enter the cellar, I figured he had gotten lost somehow. I went to investigate whether he was lost, and I heard noises," he nearly flinched as Fulco's brow furrowed.
"What noises?" he asked in a tone that belied his usual nature. "I-I don't know. Like he was having his way with someone down there. At first, I thought it was just a servant girl, but after Clare's comment, Meliss and I figured there was no other option than Her Majesty to be the one with him," he stammered.
"Clare and Meliss, correct?" Fulco asked, getting a quick nod in response. "Yes, b-but they have nothing to do with it, I swear on my life!" Leland stammered. "Oh?" Fulco raised an eyebrow. "She tried to shut us up before we had gone too far, but it was too late for that. We figured you had overheard it since you walked right past us," Leland explained.
"And you're sure you didn't tell anyone else about this?" the head servant asked coldly, getting another silent nod from Leland. "Very well, but if I find out you lied, I'll have you hung by your prick off the castle ramparts, is that understood?" Fulco leaned in closer, causing Leland to flinch and nod out of fear.
"Good. Clean yourself up and get the fuck out of here; you're making a mess," Fulco sighed and pulled a handkerchief from his doublet pocket and threw it at Leland as he darted out of the pantry, wiping the snot from his nostrils before starting to wash the fruit again.
Little did he or Fulco know that just outside the pantry door, someone had eavesdropped on their entire conversation. The rumor spread like wildfire around the palace, and within two days, the entire kingdom had heard what had happened. On the third day, yelling could be heard throughout the palace.