Santino could see a moneypig from a mile a way but each time he prodded at the young alpha, he was rebuffed.
"Plenty of people pretend to be me, sweetheart," he said at Yusun's bewildered reaction to his name. "The Romeo family hasn't had a proper alpha in three generations. It's empowering for some to wear the costume of a free omega never planning to marry."
Yusun's mouth snapped shut.
He skipped down the stoned stair out of the city and into the wooden port, salty breeze, and fresh air taste of the river. A few soldiers at port helped them bring her cases off the carriage. Something about the alpha's innocent curiosity and her big, round eyes and sharp jaw was just his type. One of the docking guards sighed as they saw him.
"What you doing here, Santino? Making trouble again. Putting fire under my arse for the fun of it, yeah."
Ciara Ferhat-Brock, whose family owned the port and half the ships that docked, clicked her tongue as she reviewed the docking manifest. Her family had descended from a previous kingdom long before the present Molokhiyya. They were merchants then, and when they traveled to the Carolingian to expand their prospects, they stayed merchants. Her braids were short with the ends burned off and twisted up around her head. It was unlike any style of any tribe but still carried a connection to their former homeland.
The Romeo family was one of their earliest investors and shared wealth or woe depending on the season. He figured it was his grandfather's and Ciara's father sharing an omega status that helped. Working with alphas was a riskier test than with another omega.
"It's not for me but for my friend here. She's got family in the Zhuong," Santino grinned with a pointed nod to Yusun standing at the docks like a lost kitten and then he fluttered his lashes. "I just wanted you to delay its leave by a little bit of time."
"It's already delayed. You haven't heard," Ciara tsked and then handed some of her papers to him. She spoke in a lowered voice with her head tilted down. "Akira Lin dropped in for a surprise. He was carted off to the palace without a second's notice. I imagine it's to cut a deal about what to do with Commander Berman and his fuck-up."
"It's already spread this far?" Santino huffed. "I heard about it just as I entered port and I was just there."
"I think someone knew what was going down earlier and set up the scene," Ciara shook her head. "The things that happen in these sort of cities are enough to make my skin crawl. Berman must've really pissed someone off."
He handed the papers back to Ciara and then his gaze dropped on Yusun before he shrugged. It wouldn't need to be too long. He wandered back to Yusun's side and then pouted. "Your ship is delayed but there's a little bar over here we can wait at."
"I know," Yusun sighed and smoothed down her robe as if to straighten out her nerves. "That's where I met the fake you."
"Oh, then we simply must go," Santino said, wrapping his arms around the young alpha before tugging her off to the Portyard Bar.
The bar was modeled after the sort you found in the Carolingian Empire. He was raised by the waters and the Campgrounds without finding much familiarity in a place like this. It was the only one of its kind he knew of. There were carvings of boats nailed to the wall with small to mid-sized boat anchors and the bar itself had wheedled wooden tables and chairs.
Everything here was made by the Ferhat-Brock omega patriarch--Hamza. And he was easily recognized by the clinking of his reading stones linked to his wrists like a bangle. His braided, twisting locks piled on his head similarly to Ciara's. His eagle-eyed gaze searched around the bar before leaving. Santino kept out of his direct line of vision and sighed when the older man disappeared.
He slid into one of the barstools and requested a spicy beer with a standard pour added alongside tapping at the bar as a signal.
Julian, unlike his alpha sister and omega father, was easy-going and tended to wear a roguish grin. He wore his hair in twisting locks and loosely below his shoulders with what looked like animal bone or glass dangling from his ears. He greeted the two of them and then leaned forward, "You heard, then? The great baddie of evil has graced our lands."
"Wh-wh-who?" Yusun stuttered. "That doesn't sound good. How long is my ship delayed then?"
Santino waved her off. He said, "The man already left. And if he wanted you dead, I swear to you, sweetheart, you would already be dead," and chugged a slosh of beer down his throat. His other hand pushed the other mug of beer to Yusun. "You might as well enjoy the flavors of Portyard Bar. Probably won't be coming back."
"I realize it now. It seems like the politics here is getting scary," Yusun sighed and then cautiously sipped at the beer. "Can I ask you a question?"
"It depends, love, if the question is a secret. And whether it's a secret I can tell."
Yusun slumped in her chair and Julian laughed.
The other omega said, "I have some other customers to attend to, but try not to make your friend so glum, Santino. It's bad for business," and whisked off to another table sitting outside.
"Why are you relieving servant, if--?"
"If I don't have to be," Santino sniffed. "Fertility in our family has never been high, omega or alpha, it never mattered which. I've been a relieving servant for five years now and not once have I gotten pregnant. My omega father even only bore me after years of trying. Being a relieving servant is the easiest way for someone like me, who doesn't exist in nobility or in the damp poverty, to beget heirs."
"Apologies."
He waved her off.
There were few people in the bar and even fewer new faces. Some of those new faces were two alpha women, one with dark hair, electric eyes, and tanned skin with the other pale-skinned and blonde. Neither of them looked particularly wealthy or even middle class. The blonde wore nice clothing that tucked and wrapped around her bodice, but the inlines were frayed. It had been repaired at least three times. Far too many times for someone with money. The other alpha was worse. Her robe was patterned in a design at least ten years gone. He felt secondhand embarrassment just thinking about it. How could he deal with the shame of wearing that in public? A heavily pregnant omega wandered in wearing clothing even a relieving servant hesitated to wear. Gold hung from his ears, red painted across his eyes and he snuggled up to the electric-eyed alpha as soon as his eyes found her. Her arms, in turn, tucked around him. The three of them laughed but were too far away for him to hear what was so funny.
"You're much prettier than him," Yusun hiccuped. In those few seconds, she had drunk the whole mug. "Far, far prettier, like a lovely dove stuck on some string."
"I've never been compared to a dove before," Santino leaned forward. "Why a bird? And one of purity, at that."
"A dove is used as a messenger for love, but when do you ever see two doves--," Yusun hiccups again. "When do you see two doves at the same time? I've never seen it."
"You're saying I'm lonely."
"Yes."
Santino laughed. "Being in control of your own destiny is lonely, and you'll realize that soon enough."
Two hooded figures entered the bar and Santino smirked as he saw the barefoot of one of them and the tinkle of gold from underneath the cloak each time their arms swung up.
His marks were here. He leaned on Yusun's shoulders and then drew circles around her collar. "Would you like to follow me upstairs?"
Yusun nodded.
He pulled the alpha upstairs, where the second floor of the bar overlooked the lower level, and then listened for the sounds of tinkling. Dragging Yusun further down the short hall, there were only five rooms on this floor and an encampment outside for those who preferred their own sort of rested housing. Reaching the second room, he could hear them whispering and the sharp motion of the jewelry shaking. His hands pulled Yusun into the third room and slammed the door shut. He giggled loudly as he undressed Yusun and said, "You're body is stronger than I thought it would be." and he wasn't lying. For an ambassador's daughter, her body was wiry and muscled.
"One of my teachers growing up was a soldier in the Zhuong--" Yusun gasped as Santino groped her nether regions until her cock dropped out of her folds. Her hands grappled his arms. "--he taught me basic forms."
Santino sloppily kissed against her neck as his ear pressed against the wall beside her head.
"We'll have to meet at the hand-off," a voice said, demanding and authoritative. "If not then, then when will we? We'll miss our chance."
The other hummed but was not nearly as confident. The voice replied, "If this doesn't work, our people at the borders will fall into war. That Minister Cissé will gladly arrest us and do away with us to make sure of it."
"His ego and arrogance only grows as the Empress harnesses more political power," the voice scoffed. "Who is he but a grappler who got lucky the first one who walked by won the battle of the throne?"
"If not for her, our uncle would be sitting on the throne, and Imperial Noble Consort Malahi would've been the Emperor's Consort."
The two shuffled around but no other words were said.
Yusun, brazen as she was, tucked her hand into his robes and began twisting her fingers in his hole as she fisted his cock. He rolled his hips into her hold and somehow the little demon found purchase with her cock fully hardened and pushing into his hole. His hips rolled right onto her cock like a key to a lock.
She groaned in his ear with her finger thumbing his chest and her hips rolling in and out of his body.
"You little--" his moan cut himself off as he grappled for her back to hold himself steady.
Her teeth nibbled at his ears and sucked behind it as she said, "You were trying to ply me drunk. I told you--I've been to a bar before."
"Press harder," he said as his hips jerked up and his hands boxed her in. "Finish me off."
Her cautious thrusts sped up and Santino leaned forward on his palm, listening for the other two in the other room. He could barely focus but heard nothing but the shuffling of blankets and food being ordered. Santino hooked his leg over her and pulled her closer to get better hearing. This was, decidedly, the wrong choice as the young alpha began bouncing him on her cock with an angle that struck his insides hot. He could feel himself heating up as cum spilled his insides with a few weakened thrusts, his own hips trembled thereafter. It had been a long while since he had, had his own release.
Yusun pressed a kiss against his temple before detangling from him. She tossed a heavy bag of what seemed like gold coins. The sound of the docking bell sounded and she said, "It was lovely meeting you, Santino. Keep the coins and use them, just in case. I was always told I looked cute in blue as a babe."
The ego rolling off her in waves.
He flicked her off and her footsteps pattered off with light laughter falling behind. For the rest of the day, he huddled by the wall listening for any more news.
The Captain's quarters were stuffy and General Orellano took the glass out instead of leaving the door open.
"I wish I could complain about how stuffy my quarters are."
Wuhayb rolled his eyes before lifting up his small stack of letters. His eyes scrolled across before he placed the missive down and sighed.
His banker sent him notice that the Cordero Brothel was in the red and that his military funds weren't cutting it. In his personal opinion, the brothel had redeemed itself from its abusive and cruel history. The place was a refuge of relaxation with massages learned from Zhuong's best, incense shipped from the shops of nobility in Sonrhai, and food from the minds of the best chefs in the Carolingian.
But nothing could redeem the tragic loss of Sarai French at their height of popularity. Maximus French had never said a word, but her death shook the entire empire at its core. The brothel could hardly recover from such a well-known event having hit.
His new Captain's quarters were roomier but even the new salary wouldn't be enough to cover this debt.
"The more you keep sighing, the more pissed off it makes me," General Orellano huffed. "I'm the older of the two of us!"
"You also arrived here two years later," Wuhayb countered. "Besides, Captain Gomez is thinking of retiring after all this. Said he's too old to die thousands of miles away from his wife. You're the obvious choice."
"Ahanu tells me I shouldn't worry," Neal said. "But also that man could keep cool while a fire consumed the world."
"I can't see how someone like you found someone like him."
"Cute lips, nice hips, and is even more beautiful pregnant," Neal happily sighed in his daydreaming. "If our kids weren't getting older, I'd say we should have more."
"I heard your oldest is in talks with the French family," Wuhayb tilted a look over at the other to see a sheepish grin on his face. "And you're upset about a title you're a few months away from getting naturally."
"It's the indignity of it all," The General argued before he crossed his arms. "I'm even a better fighter than you."
"Oh-ho," Wuhayb laughs. "You truly believe that?"
"I know that."
The two of them found themselves in the fighting circle with their recruits cheering them on.
"General Orellano is gonna crush him!"
"Captain Cordero has never lost a fight!"
Cheers between the recruits spurred them as they traded their silver swords for wooden ones and removed their chainmail, leaving only the undertunic. Neal swiped at his knees first but it was easy to sidestep. He lunged forward and Neal smacked the sword out his face and slid behind him smacking him in the back.
The cheers got louder as General Orellano won the first hit.
Wuhayb rolled his shoulders and then hunched forward as General Orellano reacted defensively with his hands up, sword tilted. He lunged forward again but this time swung from the downward up with all his force, it smacked the weapon out of his hand and out of the fighting circle, effectively ending the match.
"It's good it wasn't a wrestling match," General Orellano laughed. "I always forget how much power you have in your swings."
"And I always forget how fast you are, if I hadn't tried to end the match as soon as possible," Wuhayb put out his hand for it to be shaken. "I would've lost easily."
"I'll take your pity just this once," General Orellano shook his hand excitedly and then shouted at the recruits, "You all should be training now! The fun is over!"
Groans of disappointment echoed but the soldiers dispersed and Neal yawned that he was done for the day.
Wuhayb shuffled over to the relieving quarters hoping to find Dorian or Johannes. Dorian's bored expression fell into his sight as he plopped in the seat next to him. He dropped his head on Dorian's shoulders and complained, "My back hurts. Neal hit me with a weapon like a bully."
"You probably deserved it," Dorian sighed.
Wuhayb nuzzled his chin until it tickled Dorian into laughter.
"Fine!" Dorian smiled and then undressed the Captain before pulling from his satchel of oils. "I have a new favorite now. It's cintron and a dab of apple. You like?" as he massaged oils into his shoulders, sliding his fingers over his sore joints and squeezing out his knots.
He sighed as he felt his tight muscle turn to liquid. A thought suddenly struck him, Dorian's oils! His hands swung and grabbed Dorian's, ignoring his shocked face. He said, "How would you feel about working for me in the Cordero Brothel?"
Dorian's face winced as if he had already the answer. He replied, while patting Wuhayb's hands down to his lap, "I think I'm just not a good fit for a place like that. It's surely--it has more class than I'll ever have."
"Whatever you heard about the place is no longer true," Wuhayb begged. "I've redone the place entirely. There's nothing even remotely similar to how it used to be."
"Then," Dorian said curiously. "Why don't you rename the place?"
"Everyone is always going to know what happened until I change their idea of the place--it won't matter."
"You have to knock me up then."
"Easy."
"And the child has to be your heir."
"Even easier."
Dorian frowned and then stood up angrily. "You shouldn't be playing around like this. Some of us take this seriously."
"I wouldn't be so foolish if I were you, Dorian," Johannes slinked out from around the corner and spoke sharply. "Even if Cordero Brothel has changed, it's not worth keeping its memory alive."
"Johannes," Wuhayb chided. "You've told me time and time again that you've forgiven those days."
"Forgiven doesn't mean forgotten," Johannes said pointedly with his legs crossed now that he sat at the tables by them. "You can't really mean to keep that place open?"
Wuhayb leaned on his haunches, feeling the cool air on his chest as he remembered the stories he used to hear about the brothel before his cousin took it over. "The place wasn't a brothel at first, but it also wasn't not a brothel. It was supposed to be a place where outside norms and beliefs could come together in friendship, companionship, and yes, sometimes, a lover. But when my cousin took it over and that cult's madness swept across the kingdom, the brothel was one of its first casualties. And he ran off with the money to build some bastardized church along the borders."
"I was there the day Sarai was murdered," Johannes said grimly. "She was not the only one to have been killed so gruesomely. She was only the wealthiest and most well-known. If you can promise me, no one has gotten or will ever get injured, maimed, or murdered, workers and clients, I might believe you."
"Why don't you then?" Wuhayb said and his eyes drew between the two. "There's going to be a new group of relieving servants soon and I find that you two bring me the most comfort in this place. You two and your experiences will enrich my family business. And I think it should be fair between us."
"You will be a pariah," Johannes shook his head. "There's nothing to that."
"Yahya, please," Wuhayb repeated. "I'm already one but once you've risen from the ashes, no one cares that you were that, only that you aren't when they meet you. Look at that Reviere. Married to not one but two omegas of nobility. I'm not nearly so greedy."
He knew his little endearment for him would wheedle away at Johanne's ice and Dorian had already given in as soon as he was given a way to escape.
"And you could afford to free us from the contract?" Johannes pointed out. "Even in your debt."
"My Captain's salary isn't enough for this debt but it's enough for one contract, and," Wuhayb knew the words wouldn't be shameful but it was an embarrassing thing to admit, when they have never spoken as candid as they did today, "I had been saving up to free one of you by the next season. And the other by the next."
Johannes quirked his brown and then sighed, rocking on his leather-skinned with a sideway glance overlooking the Campgrounds. He added, "So--who were you going to free first?"
"Me, obviously," Dorian cut in. "My massages have probably saved his life."
"Oh, really? You haven't noticed that when he asks for one of your massages, he's rarely even bruised." Johannes scoffed. "He likes your alpha-like force."
"Hey!" Wuhayb interrupted. His face reddened. "I think you're going a bit too far."
"Oh, now it's too far but while I'm bouncing on your cock shouting thank you master Cordero, that's not?"
Dorian laughed. "No! He didn't!"
"I wish I was lying."
"I feel like," Wuhayb admitted. "I may have led myself into a life full of bullying."
"Hm, well it could be worse, it could be a life without me,"
Dorian grumbled. "Or me."
The two began to argue as they often did, and Wuhayb wondered how an endlessly long and arduous life had begun to feel full of little moments worth pausing to watch.
Seasons were warm now but soon--it would be cold again.