To Catch a King

7.

Getting into Challus was easy. The guards were just as mean-looking and hateful as Jask remembered, and she was glad that Kelim had instructed Andreas—Kelim was bossy when he needed to be—to stay in the carriage as they passed through the gates. She could tell that it was hard for him to give up his pin, but it had to be done. If he was—gods forbid—arrested, they would take his pin and never give it back. They’d also burn his papers and treat him like the savage that they thought he was.

She was just glad that his pride was still intact.

Looking out of the carriage window, she wasn’t surprised to see that Challus was still the same:

To outsiders, the place looked eternally clean. It was like there were no dirt on the ground, and the people wore colorful clothes. They all chattered happily, like they loved their life.

Of course, she knew better. As a thief, she was trained to look for guards everywhere. She knew to look for vulnerabilities in the system, and she could see them. Every few yards, there was an Enforcer. To others, the Enforcers looked like normal people, but Jask knew that they weren’t. Their demeanor was entirely different from the citizens of Challus: they were mean, cruel, and had hardened faces.

The people weren’t much better. They were all sad, with a slight hunch every time they passed an Enforcer. They were also afraid. They hesitated with every action and looked around with obvious paranoia, like they were doing something that they were not supposed to do and that they were going to get caught.

It hurt her. Mainly because indoors and not in public, the people were the nicest that they could be. They knew that any day they could be arrested for some imaginary offense while actual criminals walked free (except for murderers), with nothing to worry about.

The carriage continued along the road and no one spoke. Darius knew about the corruption in Challus but had no way to change it. Girls weren’t exactly looked down upon—that explained the acceptance of women in the military—but they weren’t as powerful as men could be. To ask Darius and her family to tackle the corruption in Challus was asking for something impossible, something that only the royal family could do.

Jask fought a grimace in Darius’s presence, just in case the latter would ask what was wrong. She felt the royal family would gladly do something, but the thing was that they were on a mission for the royal family to look for the Crown Prince.

When they arrived at the Sansdora home, Jask couldn’t believe that she had forgotten just how grand Darius’s home was. To get onto the property, they had to go through a gigantic iron gate that had taken years to forge because of its complexity. After the gate were the gardens. Jask had no idea how big the gardens were, but she knew that they wrapped around the Sansdora home in a maze, with a stone pathway the only way to actually get to the home. Once they got past the gardens, they passed through another, smaller gate, and then they got to the home.

The mansion wasn’t huge by Challus standards, but it was big enough. The Sansdora family was one of the least corrupted families in Challus, but the richest, and they let their servants live on the grounds with their families. The house was three stories high and an off-white color that Jask liked. There was a wrap-around porch that showed the gardens to their full beauty and balconies on the second and third stories.

The windows of the home were what Jask liked the best. Though she usually hated windows—the sense of openness made her nervous—the windows in the home were some of the best around. They weren’t exactly crafted by an artisan, but there was a slight glaze over the windows that made everything look a bit blurry. The combination of the windows with the balconies were beautiful, and secretly made Jask feel like a princess in her own castle.

The carriage stopped and the door opened. Jask stepped out first, as she was military and temporary charge of Darius since Kelim was busy, and then Darius stepped daintily out. Her demeanor was totally different from what Jask had seen on the last three days of their trip. She was happy to see the shocked faces of Darius’s usual guard when they saw a female in all white step out, with an Elite Soldier’s pin.

Andreas was already inside, smuggled through the servant’s quarters when they first arrived. Jask hated that he had to be hidden like a criminal, that his pride was at stake just because he was a Native, and that he had to face such intense racism from people who knew Challus’s bloody history and didn’t care. She just knew he was brimming with anger.

“Come with me,” Darius said, pulling Jask through the path of guards and to the front door. “Papa will be happy to see you.”

The young girl led Jask through the house, which Jask was pleased to say hadn’t changed much since she last visited, although it had been six years. The only differences that she saw were a few new faces of servants and more paintings that had been missing before.

After going through a labyrinth of hallways, Jask and Darius arrived at Stephen Sansdora’s door. Darius didn’t even bother to knock, she just barged right in without a care in the world. A quick look around showed Jask that the entire room was secure and she could spot a secret door. Andreas was already in there, sitting in a rather comfortable looking chair in front of Stephen’s impressive oak desk.

The lord of the castle looked up, a smile gracing his old, lined face. Stephen Sansdora was a few shades lighter than his daughter, but had the same thick dark hair and amber eyes. He also treated Jask like she was a daughter rather than a rare visitor. Vaguely, Jask wondered why.

Jask bowed when he stood up, but was then surprised when Stephen engulfed her in a big hug.

“It’s been so long!” Stephen exclaimed. He pulled back and took a good look at Jask. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Jacqueline. Pray tell, how is Aligan? The old man still isn’t stealing, is he? Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable!”

Jask gave a small smile as she sat down in the chair next to Andreas’s. She glanced at her partner, who looked back at her and smiled.

“Nice to see you again,” she said, watching Stephen hug his one and only child. “It’s been a long time.” She cocked her head and gave the man a look in a way that Stephen recognized as to mean business. Jask had picked up that little habit from her father, Aligan the Guildmaster. Stephen saw the gesture and his face shuttered. Darius barely noticed, as she was talking about her trip to and from Hena.

“That’s nice, dear,” the man said. “I’m sorry to cut you off, but I need to speak with Jask and her friend. Alone.”

Darius looked quickly at Jask and Andreas, realizing that the two weren’t there for fun, but for business. Her face shuttered in the same way that Stephen’s did, but she still gave a smile before she flounced out. Stephen moved back to his desk and sat down, crossing his arms together. Jask recognized that as in intimidation move, but it didn’t work on her.

“Tell me what’s going on,” the aristocrat commanded.

If Andreas felt any type of way about being ordered around by someone other than his superiors, he didn’t show it. He just let Jask handle it since she’d obviously been in Challus before.

“We’re on a very important mission for the royal family,” Jask started. “It’s pretty classified, and we’ll need your help and possible protection while we’re here. We have no idea how long we’ll be here, but we will be sending messages to and from the capital with our progress and your involvement. You will be compensated for this.”

Stephen waved his hand. “Bah, I need no compensation. Aligan and I are old family friends. And you’ve joined the Elite Soldiers as well? Jacqueline, I am beyond proud of you. You truly have become a strong woman, even if you still haven’t told me where the old man was.”

Jask felt a stab of pain in the pit of her stomach and gulped. “Aligan is dead, Stephen.”

Stephen, who had been twiddling his fingers, paused. He looked curiously at Jask. “That explains it, then. He’d never let you join the Elite Soldiers. Ah, well. I hope you find what you are looking for.” Jask smirked, realizing that this was true. Stephen stood and the two soldiers did as well. “You will stay here, correct? Jask, your old room is still intact. I’ll get a servant to direct Andreas—”

“I’ll lead him,” Jask interrupted. “He’s going to be in Aligan’s room?” Stephen nodded and dismissed the two.

Andreas liked being in Challus. He hadn’t gotten any weird looks from the citizens, though he did have to enter Lord Sansdora’s house through the servant’s quarters. It wasn’t that bad, just a little bit embarrassing. As Kelim—whom he had found out was half-Native and under the lord’s protection—led him through the enormous mansion, he saw all of the paintings.

They were all well done, obviously the work of a master artist. Mostly they were single and family portraits. From the enormous kitchen down to the office of Lord Sansdora, Andreas counted over fifty paintings for nine generations of the Sansdora family. The latest single portrait showed him Lord Stephen Sansdora, whom he was supposed to be meeting.

When he arrived in Lord Sansdora’s office, the first thing he noticed was the family portrait. He could quite clearly tell who was in the painting: first, a young Lord Stephen holding a young girl who seemed about five, and then an equally young woman holding a child. It didn’t seem bad, and Stephen liked it. It signified a sense of familial duty.

Then he noticed something: the young woman holding the child looked almost exactly like Jask. From the hair, to the complexion, to the eyes. Before he could wonder more, he clearing of a throat interrupted Andreas and he turned, startled. Before him stood the lord of the manor himself. Looking around, he noticed that Kelim was no longer in the room.

“I see you’ve noticed the family portrait,” the man said. “You must be Jacqueline’s partner.”

Andreas blinked for a moment. He’d only heard Jask’s real name once, so hearing it again startled him and made him remember who Lord Stephen was talking about.

“Y-yes sir,” Andreas stuttered. He sat in the plush and surprisingly comfortable leather chair behind him.

“Good,” Lord Stephen smiled. “I think that it’s appropriate that we have a small chat before Jacqueline and Darius arrive.”

Andreas nodded, not knowing what to expect. He knew that Lord Stephen the richest man in Challus: he’d done his research before leaving Hena, though the research said nothing about Jask knowing Darius and the lord himself. Lord Stephen was known for being incredibly strict with his people and was the reason that—although Challus was corrupt and he was the lesser version of it—the city hadn’t fallen to the royal family’s knees and was the second largest city in Ferilis. He had an apt mind for business and was in league with the royal family.

“Yes sir,” he answered, his voice much more confident than before. Lord Stephen smiled in appreciation.

“Good. You’ve noticed the remarkable resemblance between my wife and Jask, correct?” Andreas nodded, not sure what to say. He noticed that he’d been doing a lot of nodding since the whole trip had started. “Perfect. Now, I will tell you something. You must swear not to tell Jacqueline until the time is right.”

“I swear.” Andreas had no idea what he was getting into, but he had an inkling of what was going to happen. Lord Stephen was going to say that Jask was his daughter, but that something tragic had happened that caused her to be stolen away in the night and raised in a Thieve’s Guild.

“Perfect.” Lord Stephen looked out the window. “Jask and Darius shall be here soon.” Andreas just wished the man would stop stalling and get on to what he had to say. His curiosity was starting to get the best of him. “As you may have guessed, Jacqueline is my step-daughter, and she is Darius’s sister. Neither girl knows this, nor am I expecting them to. Jacqueline, as you know, was raised in the Thieve’s Guild from a young age, with no idea who her family was.” Andreas nodded. He was right. The only thing that was left was the tragic backstory on why Jask was raised with thieves.

“When Jacqueline’s mother was a child,” Lord Stephen continued, “well, not exactly a child but a young woman of marrying age, she made the mistake of getting impregnated by the late king of Suecha, Achak. Achak knew of Jacqueline’s existence, but he’d had a family of his own to raise, since he had gotten Jacqueline’s mother, Kelen, pregnant right before his marriage.”

Andreas had leaned forward throughout the story, intrigued. “So her brother is Chanok, the King of Suecha? Does he know?”

“Yes,” Stephen said. “And he knows. He plans to meet Jacqueline when he can, since the country is in danger of being invaded at the moment. Anyway, I married Kelen knowing about the baby and came up with the excuse that the two of us had been rendezvousing in secret. For a while, we were all good. Jacqueline was raised perfectly and loved her little sister. Kelen, though was not pleased with the way things had turned out.

“As children, Kelen and Achak had gone to the same preparatory academy and knew and loved each other well. As they grew older, Achak grew older, his fell out of love with Kelen and in love with a woman from his country. When Kelen confessed her love for him before both of our marriages, he laid with her out of pity, because he loved someone else.

“Thinking about this, it was easy to see that as Jacqueline grew older and acted more like Achak, Kelen grew to hate our daughter. Darius was fine because she didn’t know better. She was nearly three at the time. So, Kelen plotted to kill Jacqueline, with the intention of her death being an accident. At the time, Jacqueline was only five. I found out before it was too late, and took her to Hena with me under the pretense of letting her see nonexistent family.”

Stephen paused, taking a breath. Andreas was awed at the tragic backstory that Stephen had told him. Though it was crazy, it would be something that his sisters would adore. It was just the type of thing to excite them, even if he was never going to tell them Jask’s story. He could hear Darius’s chatter and looked up at Stephen, who was still quiet.

“And you left her with the Thieve’s Guild,” Andreas commented. Stephen nodded and then the two women burst in.

Now, in his room, Andreas reveled over the story he had heard. It seemed completely impossible. He wasn’t sure if Stephen was lying or not, and if he was, why would he tell Andreas—someone he barely knew? He rolled over on the impossibly soft bed and sunk his head into the pillow.

The room he was given was simply too good for words. He wasn’t used to this, at all. It was almost as nice as the Elite Homes. In the room was a large four poster bed with maroon coverings—a man’s color, apparently. There was a mahogany nightstand beside the bed with a candelabra on top of it, next to a book. On the other side of him was a desk that held paper, quills, and more stationary that he didn’t need. There was a curtain covering the enormous doors that led out to the balcony, and the floor was polished to near luminescence.

He stood up and headed to the bathroom. It was almost as grand as the bedroom, but he didn’t care. After traveling for nearly seven days without a bath, he needed a good soak. As he sat in the giant tub, he continued to think about what he just learned. It still didn’t make sense—it was like something from a storybook. He wanted to know how exactly Stephen had gotten Jask to the Thieve’s Guild without getting caught, how explained away the disappearance of his first child, and where the lady of the home was.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” he absently called. He leaned his head back and sighed.

“You’d just let anyone in and have them see you naked?” came Jask’s voice. Andrea’s stomach constricted and he looked up.

“You’re not just anyone,” he said. “You’re my wife. And partner.”

Jask’s eyebrow raised. “I’m your pretend wife. Besides, I grew up in the Thieve’s Guild, which is mostly comprised of males. I’m pretty much used to seeing the male body.”

Andreas grinned. “I’m glad you can talk to me like you can talk to Darius and Lord Stephen, now.”

“We’ve spent the better part of two weeks together. I’m used to you now.” She leaned on the doorframe and Andreas tried not to think that they were acting like a married couple, since he was still bathing while she was speaking to him in the bathroom. “Anyway, want to search around tonight? After dinner, we’re free to do what we want. I would search by myself, but I haven’t been here in a while and may want to go see some of the smaller guilds.”

“Seeing smaller guilds would give you more information, though,” Andreas pointed out. “And it seems like I’m just going to be your distraction while you search.”

Jask smiled. “You are. But you’re going to be a good distraction, meaning you can keep me from stealing while we’re here. Stealing is a problem I have.”

Andreas noticed that she had a pretty smile, and that she should do it more often. “Fine. But we have to be careful. I don’t want to get arrested just for existing. How many guilds are here in Challus?”

“Three,” she answered. “I know all three of the Masters through my father, so if Enforcer’s come and try to arrest you for existing, we’ll have adequate backup. We just need to ask the Masters in private.” She paused, thinking. “And you’ll have to pose as my husband for all three. The men here tend to think that a woman is just a piece of meat worth taking. If you’re with me, it’ll keep them off of my back.”

Andreas nodded. He didn’t really want to go around Challus at night if the Enforcer’s here were really like what Kelim described them to be, but he and Jask needed the information. And he wanted to get out of Challus before he ended up in jail, or worse.

“Okay. What time, then?” he asked.

“Around nine,” she answered. “Wear the darkest clothes you have.”

“While you wear all white?”

“I’m the Ghost.”

“Okay, then.” Andreas looked around. He suddenly felt awkward. “I need to get out of the tub, Jask. Do you really want to see me naked?”

He smiled when he saw Jask floundering for words. She turned and left the room.

“Thanks, Jacqueline!”

“Don’t call me that!”

Andreas could feel Stephen’s stare on him as all of them ate dinner. Kelim ate with them, since Stephen considered him family, like Jask. Kelim listened to Darius’s chatter—Andreas could tell that no one understood how he could, but Andreas thought that Kelim liked Darius as more than a friend—while Lord Stephen spoke to Jask about her life in the Thieve’s Guild. The lord looked genuinely interested and Andreas felt bad for the man. He’d missed most of his daughter’s life, only seeing her once since he left her in Hena. Jask was pretty animated when talking about her life, and it made Andreas homesick.

He hadn’t seen his family in months, and he couldn’t write to them while he was on this mission. While everyone was sitting at the table and enjoying their meal, he didn’t attempt to socialize. This made him think when he was back at the academy. There, he was known as the slow boy, since his reading and writing skills weren’t up to par with everyone else’s. He was also known as the “Dirty Native Boy”, as well. The only solace he could find was in books. He gulped and forced himself to think of something else, something happy, but he couldn’t. Not when he was the only person not talking and felt socially awkward whenever he tried to join in a conversation.

A knocking on the door forced everyone to stop talking and Lord Stephen glanced quickly at Andreas. Andreas understood the look and bolted out of the dining room and to the lord’s office. After talking to Jask while taking a bath, Andreas had gone back to see Stephen, telling him what he and Jask were up to. Stephen had shown Andreas the hidden room and instructed him on how to enter it, just in case Enforcers suddenly showed up for a “routine inspection”. According to Stephen, he had the only key to the study and only he knew about the hidden room, as he had built it himself.

Andreas closed the door to the hidden room only seconds before he heard the door open.

“…I’m saying that we don’t have a Native here,” he heard Stephen say. “Who told you such nonsense?”

A man with a gruff voice spoke. “One of your servants told us that you snuck one in here earlier. He may be the man we’re looking for—he’s wanted for murder.”

Andreas fought the urge to snort. That was such garbage! The only people Andreas had killed equaled up to zero. And the Enforcer was spouting lies. Because of Darius, he would have known if there was a murder pertaining to the aristocracy.

“Fine,” Stephen said, seemingly giving up. “Search the entire place, if you will. I have nothing to hide. Do you have the name of the servant who gave you this false information, though? I don’t want such liars in my home.”

“The tip was anonymous, sir,” the Enforcer said. Andreas heard a rustling sound and then thundering footsteps. For nearly ten minutes, Andreas waited in apprehension while the room was nearly torn apart by Enforcers. After a while, everything stopped.

“There’s nothing here,” a new voice said. “And the other rooms are empty as well. The tip was false, sir.”

“I told you there was no Native here,” Stephen said. The man had been quiet while the room had gotten searched. “Do you honestly think a man of my position and wealth would harbor a dirty Native here?”

Andreas winced. Way to lay it on thick. It seemed to work, though. The Enforcer commanded for everyone to leave and then spoke to Stephen.

“You got lucky, Sansdora,” the man growled. “We’re keeping a man here for the night, just to make sure you aren’t lying.”

Stephen clapped, as if in delight. “Fine. Go ahead. But you shall see, Commander Lawson—your name is hilarious, by the way—that I am in no way harboring anyone.”

“Your constant denial makes you suspicious.”

“I constantly deny a lot of things,” Stephen countered. “Including unsaid laws that I am accused of breaking. Does that make me suspicious, officer?”

Andreas mentally applauded Stephen, but cursed himself for hiding in Stephen’s office. He’d have to sleep in here tonight and miss Jask’s little excursion. He cursed himself for actually agreeing with Stephen to hide in this room, when there were so many other hiding places in this house that he could go to.

Jask waited for the Enforcers to leave. After Andreas ran from the room, Enforcers burst in, each in their full armor. Who needed full armor to catch one person? Beside her, Darius whimpered and slouched in her chair. One Enforcer, clad in black armor, stepped forward. An Imposer, Jask realized. Why was an Imposer actually with Enforcers?

They searched the house and all but one stayed afterwards. Stephen had talked to Darius, and Darius in turn told Jask that Andreas was fine, just hiding in Stephen’s office. This meant that Jask and Andreas couldn’t go sleuthing tonight, since Jask knew that without him, she wouldn’t get much done and would end up breaking some law and most likely getting arrested.

So, when dinner ended, she helped the servants clean the table—much to their surprise and delight—and followed Andreas’s earlier example to take a bath. She washed her hair and scrubbed herself really hard, since traveling without bathing for a long time got to her before going to bed.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t sleep. Not when the image of Andreas sitting in his tub with a wide grin on his face plagued her thoughts. She turned over in her bed, trying to get the image of him out of her head. There was no way that she was attracted to him, no way that she could be attracted to him, since he was her partner and they were both on a mission. She sighed and sat up. Since she couldn’t sleep, it looks like she would have to spring him from the clutches of Stephen’s office and his little hiding place. Thankfully, she’d explored all of the tunnels and pathways as a child and remembered how to get around.

She got out of bed and put on her uniform. The thieving uniform Jask wore was something unique to her and the reason that she was aptly nicknamed “the Ghost”. It was an off-white ensemble that was made of a thick but stretchy material that fitted her to perfection. It covered everything from her hands, to most of her neck, and her feet, with a connected hood. There was an off-white mask that she wore whenever she wore the hood that looked more like a scarf.

With a smile, she pulled up her hood and covered her mouth and nose, ready to cause mischief.