All For One But Your Ass Is Mine (Part I)
All For One But Your Ass Is Mine
“My sister’s honor will be avenged!”
Jared stared at the three men on the floor and then up to the prettily dressed dandy in front of him, his energy sword on the floor at his feet. Jared dropped the tip of his own blade for a moment and opened his mouth, closing it twice before letting out a bark of a laugh. “I didn’t touch your sister.”
“And you expect me to believe you?” the man asked, waving a hand at his fallen siblings.
“Okay, this is all a misunderstanding.” Jared offered as he held his hands up. “I thought we were fighting about your little brother’s honor. I definitely touched him.”
“What?”
Gerard’s eyes were wide in shock and Jared bowed slightly. “Sorry about this Gerard, but I have to go. The Queen’s Guard will be at the Hall tonight and I plan on joining them.”
“It’s a foolish dream,” Gerard spat back at him. “You’ll never be one of them.”
Jared didn’t bother with an answer. He knew Gerard was part of the King’s Guard and there was a strong rivalry between the two, but no one could argue that the Queen’s Guard boasted the finest swordsmen in the universe. The King’s Guard was just a group of second rate hand-me-downs who couldn’t make it into the Queen’s Guard. What would Gerard know about what it took to be worthy of such an honor? Instead, Jared adjusted his grip on his energy sword so that the impact would do less damage. The blade blunted and Jared brought it forward, the flattened tip touching Gerard’s chest. The man’s body seized up as the electric shock coursed through him and then he landed on the floor with his brothers.
Jared walked away without looking back, trying to find a way from the space port to the Hall. He made a mental note to never sleep with an Innkeeper’s son again, but it was forgotten almost as soon as he thought it. His mind was on other things and Jared had always, always been too fond of a pretty face.
The Hall was more than Jared expected; a three story entertainment facility that had, at its center, an arena for performances that brought audiences and performers from across the galaxy. He’d seen photos of it before, watched the vids of the Queen’s Guard putting on displays of such intensity and devotion to sword work that it left him dizzy just to remember. He’s spent hours watching them as he grew up. Jared wasn’t exactly slacking in that area himself but these men were real masters, and not just because they were dedicated to the sword. They used their skill every day of their lives to defend the Queen from the enemies of the Tressian Empire.
Tonight was likely to be the last show in a while. The King had died two nights before and in two months time the Princess would be expected to put aside her grief and take over the Empire. She was known for her frivolities rather than her attention to matters of the state so enemies would be circling quickly, looking for any weakness they could exploit. It was the Queen’s Guard who kept the peace, who made certain the head of the state was never harmed and never taken by surprise. The rumors said that Queen Samantha the Sincere had taken what was an extraordinary guard and turned them into something even more. Some people spoke of assassins and spies, of a network of undercover agents in every government across the galaxy so that her ear was always full of the events of other kingdoms. Jared approved of the Queen using the Guard in whatever manner she saw fit to defend her Empire, though he immediately brushed aside any thoughts of the Guard as assassins. The Queen’s Guard was far too honorable for that. They were a breed apart, men and women who believed in honor and the sanctity of life. They believed in besting an opponent in a fair fight, but fought with every arsenal in their range because they didn’t fight to lose. Any assassins on the loose had nothing to do with the Queen’s Guard.
The Hall, as spectacular as it was, was nothing more than another house of entertainment though, a venue for which the Queen allowed her Guard to show their skill and remind the people of the men and women who defended them. Alcohol and virtual realities were sold on the first level at bars on the back wall, leaving the middle area open for viewing the large arena that sat in the center of the building. On most nights the arena was open for dancing but this night it was roped off for the Queen’s Guard exhibition. All three levels overlooked the arena so that there were plenty of seats for the performances, or the occasional duel. They were supposed to be common among the Guard, especially between the Queen’s Guard and the King’s Guard. Both would be grieving the loss of the King, but other rumors said that the King’s Guard had become more as well, that the King had intended to use it to take the throne from the hands of his fickle-minded daughter and give it into the hands of his politically-minded nephew. If they were another Empire it might not seem a problem. Prince Christian was fair minded and well spoken with a degree of experience that would certainly have placed him on the Princess Danneel’s council even at his young age. However, the Tressian Empire was matriarchal; the blood of each generation running from mother to daughter to ensure that royal blood truly did sit on the throne.
It was all just rumor but the Queen had died a year before and now with the King’s death people worried about rumor and conjecture far more openly than they would have in the past, especially given the relative youth of both the King and Queen at the times of their passing. Foul play had been ruled out for both but again, people listened to rumor more passionately than they listened to the truth.
Jared didn’t have the heart for politics but he did have a strong body and a way with the energy sword. His mama said if he could learn to control his mouth or his libido he’d have had less practice with the sword and Jared couldn’t disagree with that. His dream had always been to join the Queen’s Guard though so he didn’t see a problem with a little extra practice, even if his mother had been training him for something else.
Jared pulled himself away from his musings and took his drink from the vender, heading up to the second level of the Hall. The bar across from the elevation stairs sold every type of service you could want for the night. Blank minded men and women lined the walls in their glass cases, staring out with blank eyes until they were needed. All you had to do was pay the price and get your chip. Once you uploaded it into the glass case, the program was uploaded and you got whatever you asked for, appearance, personality, and pleasure.
He pushed away from that level and up to the third, not at all interested in the type of whores that were for sale. He never really cared for bought company and he was still happily sated from the night before. Even if Gerard was an ass - and it did give a certain credibility to the rumors that all the King’s Guard were ill tempered that way- his little brother had been kind and sweet, intelligent and thoughtful. And very well aware of what he wanted, Jared thought with a smile. Only a few months younger than Jared and he’d made himself clear on what exactly he meant when he said he was at Jared’s service.
He was so caught up in his own memories that when a man came barreling towards him he didn’t notice until it was too late to step aside. He was crushed back into the wall, startling blue eyes and a quirky grin staring up at him. Cute, Jared thought through his annoyance, but not that cute. “Watch it,” he yelled, trying to be heard over the music that was pumping through the third level’s dance floors.
“Sorry, but thank you. I was being attacked by a series of wenches that believed the world would be best suited if I were stripped naked and sent circling the bar on parade. They’ll think twice about approaching with a strapping lad like you around.”
There was some sort of grim humor in his eyes, like he was making a joke at Jared’s expense and one that Jared wasn’t even aware of. His eyes spoke of intelligence and his arms were strong and muscular. Even with the look in his eyes, his lips were quirked up in a half smile and the lines at the corners of his lips suggested he laughed often. Jared pushed the man off him as if he could force away the need to categorize him. The shove was hard enough that the stranger staggered back a few steps.
“Well, there is no need to be rude.”
“Says the man who just barreled into me. Damn, where do they teach you people manners?” Jared asked as he stalked away. He knew he’d been rude and his upbringing demanded he make amends but he was done with all that. He was going to be one of the Queen’s Guard and forget about the rest of it for as long as he could.
The second level seemed to involve less face planting into the wall by strange drunks so Jared went back down. There were only a few seats open and Jared slumped down into the first one he could find. He didn’t pay much attention to the other inhabitant of the booth until he felt a foot knocking into his leg.
“I drink alone,” the voice said menacingly.
Jared turned to inform him that drinking alone would probably be best suited to a quite room than the most exclusive club in the city but the words died as he looked at the man for the first time. He had dirty blond spikes of hair, close cropped and yet unruly as it stuck out in every direction, strong features with a spatter of freckles, pink, plump lips that had Jared wetting his own instinctively and when he looked up, jade eyes dance in the light, shifting from annoyance to curiosity as he watched.
“Anyone tell you it’s rude to stare, boy?” He asked as he took a long pull from his bottle.
“Uh … sorry,” Jared said, shaking his head. He’d never let anyone’s appearance ruffle his feathers like this before but damned if he wasn’t the most beautiful man Jared had ever seen. He dropped his eyes and found himself staring at the other man’s hands. They looked strong, the type of hands that were calloused from long hours of use and could tell a story about the man behind them.
“Still staring.”
Jared looked up, startled, and felt himself blushing, but the voice didn’t belong to the man he had been looking at. It came from the man who had crashed into him upstairs. “You don’t have much room to talk the way you’re stalking me.”
“Oh, you found a young, pretty one,” another voice came up from behind the others. He was older with a salt and pepper beard but his brown eyes were alight with life and his mouth turned up in an amused smile.
“I was drinking,” the green- eyed man said as he took another long pull from his bottle. “He found me.”
“They always do,” said the stalker and the older man laughed.
Jared started to stand but the older man put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down before he could move. He turned to Green-eyes and ignored Jared. “Looks like they’re going to make the announcement here tonight as well.”
“What announcement?” Jared asked, but they ignored him.
“That should go well with the crowd.” Jared didn’t need to look up at his stalker to hear the sarcasm in his voice.
“Misha,” Green-eyes scolded.
“No, they’re worked up to see the Queen’s Guard. When they hear what happened there’s likely to be a riot.”
“I know you don’t like it,” the older man said, “but Misha’s right. Things are going to be bad tonight.”
“You think we should just leave then, Jeff?”
“No, of course not, but we won’t do anyone much good when we get arrested.”
Jared didn’t know what the hell was going on but the lights went out as the older man, Jeff, spoke and they all looked up. The light of the arena was almost blinding in the darkness and Misha and Jeff were moving to the center of the level even as the green-eyed man and Jared moved out of the booth.
Three men walked out into the arena, two moving along the edges and one to the very center. He was older than the first two, dressed in the formal, polished suit of a politician whereas the other two wore energy swords at their side and were dressed as officers of the King’s Guard, black uniforms with red trim. Both men wore medals on their breasts that should have proclaimed them great heroes and yet they were King’s Guard, not the Queen’s. The Queen, while recognizing their accomplishments didn’t trust them with her personal safety. A shiver went up Jared’s spine and he pushed in closer to the railing to see what was about to happen.
“The Queen’s Guard boasts the most fantastic and incredible works of sword play in the entire galaxy. They are considered the most noble, the most heroic, and the most incorruptible of men.”
The man stopped as the Hall erupted in screams, people eager for the entertainment they had been promised. Jared looked around at the crowd and wondered if Misha was right. He didn’t know what sort of announcement was being made, but the crowd was worked up and sometimes all it took was the right kindling to start a fire. Jared knew that better than most.
“You were promised an amazing display of agility and swordsmanship tonight, but I am afraid to disappoint you. I am Vice Minister Hutton and it is my unfortunate and regrettable job to inform you that the Queen’s Guard has been officially disbanded.”
Jared felt his own eyes go wide at the announcement. The Queen’s Guard couldn’t be disbanded. There had always been, and always would be a Queen’s Guard to keep the Queen and her kingdom safe. The murmur of discontent swallowed the hall but Hutton raised a hand to the crowd. “It saddens me to say, but the Princess Danneel has disappeared entirely, leaving only a note saying that her most loyal guards have taken her away someplace safe, someplace where she would be able to live her days in peace as she wanted, not to be hounded after about the affairs of a kingdom she did not want to rule.”
There was a stunned silence and Jared felt himself gasping at the information they’d just been handed. The Vice Minister was one of the most trusted men in the Royal Council. He was the people’s voice and was the right hand of the royal family. The thought of the Princess abandoning her kingdom was unthinkable though. Jared closed his eyes at the thought of it, pressing against the soaring hope and the anguish that came with the announcements. If the Princess did not take her place on the throne, there was no need for his training but there was also no Queen’s Guard to join either.
He opened his eyes as the Vice Minister began speaking again. He didn’t know the man on a personal level though he knew about him and something about his words didn’t feel right. Jared watched him closely, the way he moved and how he spoke but nothing became any clearer. Whatever he was hiding, he was good at it.
“We are all bewildered by the actions that were taken not only by the Princess but by those that were supposed to be protecting the integrity of the Royal family. With the Princess gone, the Queen’s Guards who have proven their loyalty have been renamed into the King’s Guard. So tonight, I give you,” as he spoke more men came out into the arena, “the entertainment of the King’s Guard.”
“Fucking King’s Guard my ass.”
Jared hadn’t realized the green-eyed man was so close behind him until he felt the words against his ear. When he turned to look, the other man had turned back to look at Jeff and Misha.
“You have something in mind, Jensen?” Misha asked.
“Wait, you’re Jensen? Jensen Ackles?”
“The same,” Jensen said as he looked away from Jared. “The people came to see the Queen’s Guard. They should get the show they came for.”
“It would be a shame to disappoint,” Jeff said with a grin, “especially when they brought Hodge and Abel with them.”
Misha tilted his head for a minute, staring at Jeff. “I didn’t know you disliked them.”
“Oh, I like them all just fine,” Jeff said with a smile. “Beating the hell out of the golden boys of the King’s Guard’s just amuses me.”
“Jensen Ackles? The head of the Queen’s Guard?”
Jensen gave him a wink and a smirk. “The one and only, though since the Queen’s Guard has been disbanded I don’t think the title is quite so impressive anymore.”
“No, you can’t really be disbanded. I came to join you.”
“Hate to tell you kid, you’re a little late to the show.” Jeff said.
“What’s your name?” Misha asked as Jensen leaned over the railing as eight of the King’s Guardsmen took up their places in the arena.
“Jared Padalecki.”
“Thought so,” Jeff said with a grin. “Look just like your mom, boy.”
“You know my mom?”
“Time to catch up after the show boys and girls,” Jensen said as he pushed past the others. Jared started to follow but Jeff grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
“Now’s not the time to be stupid, Jared.”
Jared looked over to where Jensen had disappeared. “What’s he doing?”
Misha moved until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Jared. He looked up at him and gave him a wicked grin. “Something stupid of course!” He said with a small wink, and then pushed through the crowd to get to the elevation stairs.
“Just keep your head down, Jared. When tonight is over you can say you saw a hell of a show and go back home to that pretty mom of yours.”
He gripped Jeff’s wrist tight. “I came to join you. I’m not giving up that easily.”
“The Queen’s Guard has been dissolved. There is nothing to join.”
“You’re gonna tell me, that after everything, you’re going to believe that the Princess took off on her own with a handful of guards based on someone else’s say so?” Jared asked. No matter what Vice Minister Hutton said, Jared needed to know that the Queen’s Guard was doing their duty and looking for her.
Jeff sighed softly. “Look, kid, just keep your head down. No matter what happens tonight, you can find me at the Any Port hotel. They know me well enough there.”
“Whatever you’re doing, I can help,” Jared tried one more time.
Jeff smiled. “Maybe you know how to use that pig sticker you got there, and maybe you don’t, but I’m not gonna find out against ten of the King’s best.”
He didn’t have time to say anything else because then Jeff was jumping up on the ledge as if waiting for something. Silence filled the arena below and as they watched, the King’s Guard stopped moving and a lone figure came out onto the floor.
Misha stood in all his glory, dark hair and blue eyes searching the audience.
“I heard there was supposed to be a performance by the Queen’s Guard tonight. Perhaps they are disbanded as the Vice Minister said. Perhaps they gave in as easily as that.”
Jeff jumped from the second story railing and Jared watching as he landed, going to one knee and then standing straight, pulling on his full height. “Perhaps not,” he said into the crowd. He and Misha both pulled off their cloaks and Jared could see then the black and blue of the Queen’s Guard uniform that had been carefully hidden before. The crowd went wild in their adoration and the King’s Guard turned from their show forms to stand against the two men.
“You think you have a chance here?” Hutton sneered at Jeff. “Ten of my men against the two of you?”
“You can surrender now if you’d like, but I’d prefer a fight.” Jeff smiled and the crowd laughed with him, as if it was all just a part of the show and not real animosity between the two sets of fighters in the arena.
The King’s Guardsmen pulled their electric swords out and just as they were about to advance there was a piercing cry from above. Jared looked up just in time to see Jensen swan dive off the top level railing. He plummeted towards the ground, and then caught one of the banners that crossed over the arena. It broke free from one side, and Jensen rode it down until he was standing at the very center of the arena. He smiled at the audience, raised his hand in a wave before turning back to Hutton.
“The good people came for a show, Vice Minister Hutton. How could we disappoint?”
“Hodge!”
Hutton was backing away from the confrontation but one of the Guardsmen who had first come in with him was walking to the center. He was tall and strong, skin dark as night and his smile was sharp. “What happened to your all for one crap? Seems like the rest of your men deserted.”
Jensen’s smile was sharper. “I’ll take Morgan and Collins at my back over Abel and your eight backups any day.”
Jared didn’t wait to see what happened next. He could hear the sizzle of electric swords dancing over one another even as he turned from the arena. The elevation stairs were blocked by people and he knew he’d never get through that way and he wasn’t about to go up and over the railing into an arena of fighting men. It made a nice entrance for Jeff but it was a good way to get stuck by an unintentional sword if you weren’t lucky.
He watched the room and finally saw a stairway back behind the bar. He ducked behind the bar but no one was there to notice. The feud between the King and Queen’s Guard was far too heated for people to be anywhere else but watching the display. He jumped onto the elevation stairs and ducked behind a cabinet in the back when he got to the first level to keep out of trouble. Jared was next to the kitchen’s exit and he pulled himself back further into a corner, hearing conspiratorial whispers as two men approached the rear doors. As much as he wanted to be out and in the middle of the fight, his instinct told him to stay and listen. His mother’s first rule when she started training him had been simple; trust your instinct and learn to supplement it. So he pulled back and waited.
The men stopped at the exit and while Jared couldn’t peek around the corner to see who it was talking, there was a nice shiny pot in front of him that gave him a distorted view of the men on the other side. He knew the first by his voice anyway. He’d just heard it in the arena.
“Take care of this Abel. I want the Queen’s Guard dishonored and discredited by morning.”
“Of course Vice Minister,” Jake Abel, the King’s Guard who had come into the arena with the Vice Minister and Aldis Hodge, nodded. “What about the other matter?”
“The Princess is being escorted to the Planet Buenota on the DreamWalker out of Wakeview in two days time. Prince Christian will be upset to find out about her departure and his show of obvious grief at her disappearance will remind the people that he is truly a kind soul who loves his cousin dearly. When she doesn’t return in time for the coronation, Christian will take the throne. When we take care of Prince Christian, you will come forward as the long lost son of the royal family and you will take the throne.”
“And then?” Abel’s voice held a fair amount of skepticism and it was obvious he didn’t trust the Vice Minister.
Hutton smiled. “I have no need for more titles than I already own.”
“Then what do you want?”
Hutton reached a hand out, caressing Abel’s cheek fondly. “Keep your title. Once you are king, we’re going to extend Tressia’s power.”
They shared a smile and then Hutton leaned closer. “Now, get back out there and get rid of this menace. Remind me that my bulldog has teeth.” Hutton was out the back door then, a handful of men following behind him though it was obvious they’d been too far away to hear the rest of the discussion.
Jared’s mind was reeling and he took a deep breath, trying to process what he’d just heard. The princess was in danger and Abel was being set up to take the throne. Prince Christian was a kind soul who would never take the power for himself but the Vice Minister was obviously the sort of man who would. This was more than he’d ever expected to learn. The one thing that was certain in all of it though was that he needed to get to what was left of the Queen’s Guard and tell them what he knew. He might be good on his own, but he couldn’t take on the Vice Minister and the King’s Guard alone.
Abel started to walk back through the kitchen and Jared followed along the sides, watching and listening in case he gave off any more information. Abel moved with efficient grace to the door though, every movement in line with his desire to be on the arena floor with the rest of the King’s Guardsmen. Jared was definitely with him on that one. He gave it a second after Abel left the room before crashing out of the doors himself. It was a mistake because while Abel had been determined to leave the kitchen he hadn’t made a move beyond the first few steps. When Jared came barreling out, he ran straight into him. Abel’s wide eyes might have been comical if Jared couldn’t see the murderous knowledge that Jared had been in the kitchen the entire time.
Jared threw himself off the other man and ran. As much as he would have liked to have tested his blade against the other, he had spent his entire life wanting to be part of the Queen’s Guard and he knew that his own pride be damned. He had to get the Jensen Ackles and tell him that the Princess’s life was in danger.
The crowd wasn’t letting him through though and with Abel on his tail Jared gave up on subtlety. He climbed up onto the nearest table and began jumping from one to another, spilling food and drinks and toppling startled customers in his wake.
He looked back when he heard a yell from behind and watched as Abel followed him up on the tables. He was gaining on him, using the fact that Jared had already cleared the way to give himself a little extra speed. Jared ignored him and made a dash to the arena. He could hear Abel behind him, getting closer. He wasn’t sure he could make it but he jumped from the last table just as he heard the zing of the electric sword where his feet had just been. He dove from the table, rolling across the floor and to his feet. His hands were reaching back for the two electric swords he kept at his back, one long and one short, and he had them up just in time for Abel to leap into the arena.
Abel was stalking towards him and it gave Jared a second to regroup, to see what he’d just jumped into the middle of. There were four guardsmen on the floor in the arena, unconscious, with another one clinging to a limp arm where an energy sword must have been set to disable instead of maim. It was a fine stroke, whoever did it. Jared didn’t expect anything less of the Queen’s men in the arena. Misha’s smile had disappeared to be replaced with such a look of severe concentration that Jared would have looked twice to believe it was the same man, but those blue eyes caught him for a moment before he turned his sword on the two men at this side and the quirk of his expression showed humor enough to reassure him. Jensen was smiling sweetly at Hodge whose expression was completely blank of any emotion. Jeff had his own man coming up to him, but it was obvious that the King’s man was tired and Jeff was playing him.
“Boy, thought we told you to stay out of trouble,” Jeff said as his side.
“Mom always said the same thing.”
“I can see how well that took.”
“Jared!” A voice shouted from the third level and he looked up in time to see more men from the King’s Guard. He knew the voice and groaned. “I told you I would be avenged!”
The crowd was too thick to see the actual number of men that had shown up with Gerard but it didn’t matter. “I told you, I didn’t sleep with your sister. Her honor is completely intact!” He screamed up in frustration.
Jeff’s sudden movements made quick work of his opponent and then both he and Misha were at Jared’s side. A second later, Hodge joined Abel as the stepped through the arena to get closer to Jared. Jensen stepped in front of the three of them, looking over his shoulder at Jared. “Why is Abel so interested in you kid?”
“I overheard him talking to the Vice Minister in the kitchen before he left.” Jared said softly as he watched Abel. He and Hodge were the only men left standing on the arena stage and they were outmatched, waiting for their back up to join them from the higher levels. “He said that in two days the Princess is going to be on the Dreamwalker, a ship leaving Wakeview for the Planet Buenota. They plan on putting Prince Christian on the throne and use an assassination to put a ‘lost’ member of the royal family in his place.”
The three Queen’s men stared at him for a second. “And that?” he asked, looking up at Gerard and the King’s men trying to find their way down to the main floor of the arena.
“Complete misunderstanding. He thought we were dueling over his sister’s honor.”
“And you thought?”
“We were dueling for his brother’s,” Jared said with a grin. “Okay, so he did catch me kissing his sister, but that was as far as it went. She found me sneaking out of her brother’s room and asked for a kiss for her silence. The kiss might have gotten a little carried away. I didn’t want to disappoint.”
Jeff slapped him hard on the back and his laughter filled the arena. Jensen’s smile was bright, his eyes lighting up in ways that made it hard for Jared to breath. “What do you know; looks like there’s still a Queen’s Guard after all. Glad to have you with us Jared.”
“Now that we’ve enjoyed the witty repartee, do we have a plan or are we waiting for the rest of the King’s Guard?” Misha cut into the banter.
Jensen rolled his eyes and nodded. “Out the front boys.”
Misha and Jeff began moving them slowly towards the exit and Jared followed with them, watching as Jensen waved up to the crowd. They were still screaming at the night’s events and Jared knew that this moment would be the talk of the Empire for weeks, if not months, to come.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we hate to leave a good fight unfinished, but tonight’s entertainment must unfortunately be cut short. We are the Queen’s Guard after all, and our duty is to protect.” He bowed at the waist and smiled up at the cameras that were surrounding them all. “Perhaps once the Queen is sitting on her throne,” he said to Hodge and Abel, “we can take this up again.”
No one made a move for the Queen’s Guard as they went out the front door and when they stood outside Jared was twitching from the excitement. “What now?”
“We get the hell out of here before Abel can make a pretty excuse for the cameras,” Jeff said as they followed Jensen away from the Hall.
“Misha, get us passage for four to Wakeview.” Misha nodded to Jensen and turned to Jeff, dark eyes somber as he gracefully bowed his head to Jeff. Jeff mimicked the motion stiffly.
“Jeff-”
“Nope.”
“He just give me to you?”
“Yep.”
“Damn it, this goes beyond-”
“Can’t make him anything less than he is, Jensen, but I won’t betray his trust when we can stay together and get everything done.”
Jensen sighed. “Yeah. Alright. Let’s get to All Port and pack up. Got anything you have to have in your hotel boy?”
Jared shook his head. “Just some clothes that I can easily replace.” He’d left everything that mattered back home with his mom. Once he was part of the guard he’d planned on sending for it all but he hadn’t wanted to travel with anything too precious in case he needed time to settle in. He was grateful of it now.
“Good. By the time Misha gets us on a ship we should be ready to go.”
“So that’s it? We leave Hutton and Abel with the Prince and leave them to do what they want while we’re gone?”
“We’re the Queen’s Guard. Our duty is to the Queen and her throne. Hutton isn’t going to tear it down when he wants to use it. He needs the throne intact so there is no threat to the Empire except what he plans to do with Prince Christian once he’s on the throne. We just need to get to the Princess first.”
Jared nodded though he had his doubts. The Princess wasn’t exactly the ruling type, but Jensen was right, their job was to put the rightful person on the throne, not to judge what she’d do once she was. Only time would tell what sort of ruler the Princess Danneel would become and only their assistance would put her there. No matter what else would come after the fact.
“Right, count me in.”
Jeff looked at him for a minute but Jared’s eyes were caught in Jensen’s. Jensen was staring at him, appraising him almost and he could feel Jeff’s humor at his side, his smile opening and turning into a small laugh.
Jared could feel himself blushing under the eyes of the head of the Queen’s Guard but he held his own until Jensen finally gave him a small smile. “Alright, let’s go.”
On to Part II