The air in the Crooked Tankard was thick and warm, a welcome contrast to the chilling wind of the late night. Alek was back at the bar, his dark cloak shed to reveal simple, high-quality black leather—the unmarked uniform of a seasoned traveler. He was no longer the roguish highwayman; now, his movements were those of a man accustomed to commanding space.
His two companions, the scarred giant named Tobin and the lean, sharp-eyed man named Tanner, stood nearby. They weren't drinking. They weren't even sitting. Their posture was quiet, but intensely watchful. They were not ruffians; they were Royal King's Guards, the highest-trained protectors in the Empire, and they were distinctly unhappy.
"She's quite the piece of work, Your Grace," Tanner murmured, his voice too quiet to carry past their small circle.
Alek swirled the ale in his tankard, his amethyst eyes distant. "A piece of work, indeed. Like a wildfire trying to burn down a very large stone castle."
Tobin, who rarely spoke, rumbled, "She risked the entire House Montgomery line tonight."
Alek smiled faintly. "The second born daughter of the famous Duke Montgomery. He certainly has his work cut out for him"
Alek sat and observed the environment around him. The common folk often spread rumors of the happenings of the world outside the palace walls.
The Prince often took these nightly gallivants, ditching the suffocating opulence of the royal palace for the raw, brutal reality of the common world. It was his escape from his father, the Emperor, and the cruel spiteful Current Empress. A place where every breath was judged, every decision scrutinized, and every hour scheduled and his very life always on the line.
Empress Helena was the Emperor Valance's second wife, and mother of the twins Roland and Rosalind. The Empress was determined to see Roland ascend the throne by any means necessary. And given Alek's fierce and deadly reputation his own father had also grown wary of him.
Tanner sighed, adjusting the sword at his hip.
"With respect, Your Grace, these excursions are becoming tiresome. You spent hours in the shadows making sure she made it back safely to the estate. You know you should be focusing on the recent rumors of an Estellan uprise near the boarder not side questing with Duke Montgomery's daughter and her business"
"I am well aware, Tanner. That's why I enjoy them," Alek replied. "Anything to keep my cowardly father on his toes. And you are missing the most important detail of tonight's run in. It seems father has made a royal decree for house Montgomery to unite with house De Cristo"
He paused, a flicker of something genuinely intriguing crossing his face. "Tell me more about the Duke's second daughter, Isla Montgomery."
Tanner exchanged a wary glance with Tobin.
"Only what is common knowledge, Your Grace. She is rumored to be exceptionally beautiful, and famously demanding. Nothing useful for statecraft."
"She mentioned that a daughter of house Montgomery is to marry that frosty fool" Alek pressed "I wonder what the Emperor is standing to gain with this Royal Decree"
"It is well known that Duke Montgomery has been a age old strong ally to his highness," Tanner summarized.
Alek tapped his finger against the tankard. "So father believes with this alliance he can somehow reign in loyalty with the Grand Duke, hoping to use Duke Montgomery's daughters as pawns"
Alek found the irony deeply amusing. His own rival in military prowess, Grand Duke Raymond Valance De Cristo, a man he knew to be as cold and calculating as ice, was being ordered to follow the Emperor's demands. Alek knew to well this was all being stoked by the Empress, trying to make moves so that Alek would lose his influence as the Crown Prince.
Alek's thoughts suddenly flickered to the Duke's fiery tempered second born daughter
"She claims the Grand Duke was her destiny. She has an almost singular obsession with him," Alek noted.
"If she were to try to disrupt the engagement, it could be seen as treasonous, given the Imperial Decree," Tobin warned, his deep voice carrying the weight of law.
"Indeed. And yet, I don't believe she's capable of sitting quietly" Alek leaned back, his gaze settling on the doorway of the tavern she'd burst through earlier.
"When we return to the palace once we are done here, Tanner, I want you to discreetly gather everything you can find on House Montgomery. Not just the Duke's holdings, but their social standing, their recent debts, their vulnerabilities. And pay particular attention to the young Lady Isla's movements over the next few months."
Tanner frowned. "You intend to approach her, Your Grace?"
Alek smiled, a genuine, predatory smile that was rarely seen outside of a battlefield. It was a stark contrast to the rough persona of Alek.
"I find her fascinating. She is a woman who just learned the world is not her playroom, but she still has the fire to reject that reality"
He finished his ale in a single, smooth draught, the purple of his eyes gleaming with thoughtful interest.
"She needs a guide. And I need to build allies of my own. I suspect Lady Isla Montgomery is about to become a useful pawn in the Royal Court's endless chess game."