Chapter 29.1

Their lodgings were less comfortable than they would have liked, but it allowed all of them to stay close to each other. Eirwen had a room which included enough beds for her guards, while the rest would be staying in two large rooms with more simple furniture.

Late that afternoon, Fang brought over seven others, all professionals that were pleased to see Red. Eirwen greeted them with a warm smile. "Please, join us for dinner. I would love to hear your stories." Her primary goal in the mountains was, after all, to discover more sides of his. Safety of the territory was only secondary. She knew that was selfish, but she felt she deserved at least that much.

They hesitated, but Fang didn't. "We would love that, miss! And I'm sure we'll all hold back on your dime and be well mannered. Though tonight, Red will be spending a lot on us." Eirwen nodded, acknowledging that dinner was indeed her treat.

As for Red, he grumbled. "I'm not paying all tonight, not when there's eight of you! You're getting half the rounds, the rest is on you." A generous offer, made easy with the amount of money he had been given for said purpose. Eirwen had made sure to let Oath figure out what to expect in costs, and allowed the right amount. She wanted to make sure he enjoyed himself as well, in this place where for a few moments, he could pretend the war had never happened.

Eyes sparkled mischievously at the promise he would pay a lot of the drinks. Though they'd have to pay for any additional food, after they had agreed to hold back here. They offered their gratitude to Eirwen and sat down at her table. It had room for sixteen so she had several of her own people at the table as well.

They treated her politely, clearly holding back a bit for her sake, as they conversed. It was clear to them that she was nobility, so they properly paid their dues in the form of stories. Some of them caught on to how she would steer them in the direction of stories about their time with Red, so while obviously censoring the content a bit, she did hear plenty of what he had been like.

None of them mentioned the Crimson Giant bit, so it was clear that was not an acceptable subject. Good, so Fang had made clear that he was just Red now. It was interesting to see how they treated one's identity here. Since he was just Red, only stories about Red were told. The comradery was clear in the tales they spun, the way they teased with a grin, while Red tattled on them as well.

After dinner, they took Red with him to a bar across the street. She saw him leave and sighed. "Manners would dictate that I simply spy on him from a distance... But I don't want to. Who wants to tag along for a drink?"

To no surprise, Oath sighed deeply. "You know what, fine. I can use a good drink. Let's bring a decent group and have a few keep sober. Light, Rook, you should let everyone enjoy themselves, but in shifts, so we always have people here guarding our possessions."

None of that had needed to be said, but it was simply a performance for others. Now people knew they should expect neither Eirwen nor their belongings to be a proper target.

That evening, a few of the experienced Iceheart guides drank with Eirwen, enthusiastically sharing their own stories. She made sure to listen and engage, but her main focus was eavesdropping on Red and his friends. He knew, of course, and sent her a joyful look at times. If there was anyone still doubting that Red was clearly wooing his employer, they made sure to squash those doubts.

As promised, both Fang and Red were mostly sober in the morning. They did their job as guides well as the group ventured to another town, explaining all about the area and how to tell whether anything dangerous was nearby. They arrived at the next town shortly after the eighth bell, and Red immediately guided them towards a luxurious place to stay at. All the while, Fang was holding back a grin, clearly having realised he was using Eirwen's own money to spoil her.

The place was large and clearly meant for wealthy travellers. The kind of place that oft stood mostly empty, but made a good profit anyway. Red and Fang handled negotiations for the rooms, including reserving a private hall for dinner that evening. It was clear that Red got caught by surprise by some of the price changes, but Fang still managed to negotiate some things down. Eirwen smiled, knowing that he too wasn't all-knowing.

They left behind four to guard their belongings, though both guides agreed it wasn't actually necessary, just playing the part. The rest ventured forth for supplies and other kinds of shopping. That included visiting a blacksmith shop, with Forge whistling in admiration at some of the finer pieces. Meanwhile, Red discussed supply needs with a swordsmith in a form of code, which somehow resulted in the blacksmith giving Red a pouch with a significant amount of money, of which over half immediately went to the swordsmith.

You're being suspicious. What is that all about?

"Money they still owed me for past services. And I just commissioned a second Crimson, one for you to use. We do need to arrange for some of the materials later, while they take care of the required ores. It will take them time, as apparently there's a backlog of orders right now, so we can gather snowplums ourselves."

While Eirwen suppressed her blush at the thought of him getting her a sword, Red turned to Fang, for the question Eirwen had wanted to ask but couldn't. "I'm getting confused by the market prices. Some stuff went up, others down, and the war cannot explain all. Especially an ore shortage due to armour orders. What am I missing?"

Fang shrugged. "We've had a lot of new folks, people that stick to themselves and clearly have money to burn. They sold off some of their own stuff and placed orders for things they didn't get to bring with them. Lots of former knights too."

Red had a subtle flinch in his eyes, which he clearly was considering hiding out of loyalty, before giving in. Eirwen, having caught on, decided to put him out of his misery. "I imagine they came over a few months ago, shortly before news came of the Duke's death? People clearly not used to not wearing their colours, with some possessions obviously now no longer showing a coat of arms? Four large families and a few smaller ones, as well as about eighty knights and thirty soldiers?"

The shop fell silent, the smiths and apprentices turning away as if to mind their own business, while both her guides didn't know how to respond. Eirwen gave them a grin. "It's alright, you two. I don't care who or what, as long as they don't get in my way. Truthfully, their presence here is a relief, as it increases public safety. Is everyone done here? I would like to go for a snack."

Fang leaned over to Red and subtly applied a sound suppressing effect on the two of them, though Eirwen managed to pierce it. Ah, so that was what he had based his privacy technique on. "Uh, Red. We've been through a lot, right? Had each other's backs and all. That entitles me to a single truth, right? So if miss Snow here was secretly a blessed lady, you wouldn't hide that from me, right?"

The look in his eyes was apparently enough to give the truth away, given how she cursed silently in response, then continued her inquiry. "Now I did hear stories about a specific nameless in a certain someone's service. So I have to ask, does that make you..."

Eirwen interrupted them with a bright laugh. "I'm afraid I must stop you there. You already used up your one truth, so he can't tell you more." Fang looked in shock at getting caught, throwing Red an angry glare for not warning her. He just shrugged as Eirwen continued. "But I'm willing to trade truths later on. How about you answer some of my questions later, and I will answer yours in turn."

The narrowed glare at her and Red, then the playful grin, showed that Fang knew Eirwen was going to ask about Red. From the look in Red's eyes, he understood as well, and had realised Fang was gladly going to sell him out as payback. Eirwen smiled and wished the smiths well, then went on with her exploration of the town.

The next hours were well spent, their supplies refreshed with a combination of buying and bartering. They came back to their lodgings, where the hall was already prepared for them. Fresh well water, still cool to the touch, as well as tamper-proof bottles of alcohol, awaited them. Soon after, staff brought over a large variety of food for all to enjoy, then withdrew to give them privacy.

Eirwen enjoyed the meal, eating in silence while Fang and Red were clearly under tension, awaiting the conversation. Eventually, Eirwen put her cutlery aside with a smile. "You're rather clever, Fang, so let me just confirm your suspicions. Yes, I'm Duchess Verglas. And yes, Red here was the heir of Flameheart, my former betrothed who chose his father's side in the war. Until the day he managed to cut off his father's head and surrendered it all to me. Including his life."

She looked at him lovingly, making her feelings for him abundantly clear even though guilt danced in his eyes. "We're still working through things, because those wounds will need time to recover. But I have no intention of letting him go ever again."

Turning back to Fang, Eirwen turned more serious. "He forfeited his name, a permanent act. That is why he now is just Red, and why he wears grey once more. Why I still cannot permit him to wear Crimson on his side. Because he gave up everything for me. Does that answer your questions?"

Fang nodded. "For now, yes. So I assume you have questions for me now?" It was obvious she was tense, unsure what Eirwen might ask her, whether she would dare answer.

Eirwen leaned forward with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Since you've been his companion for a decent while, tell me. Was he any popular with the ladies?"

The sound of several people spitting out their drinks came from all around them, while Oath just burst into laughter. And Red, all he could do is bury his face in his hands with a groan.