Chapter 207 - 205: Boredom.

Chapter 207: Chapter 205: Boredom.

​As one, the spectators flinch. Most of them are intimately familiar with the feeling of being ploughed by Jaga.

A couple snicker. Montrel openly hoots. Even Khobi feels an odd pang of sympathy. He’s been there, and while it hadn’t been enough to break his jaw, his brain and teeth had rattled around in his head so bad it felt like everything had come loose.

​Unaffected by the crowd’s visceral reaction to the direct hit, Jaga steps forward a few paces and extends a hand to his prince. His knuckles are red.

​"Apologies, Captain," he states without malice. Loac, clutching the side of his face and teeth gritted in a hiss, stares blankly at the hand but doesn’t take it.

​Jaga still loses, but it doesn’t sound like it the way the other soldiers tell it.

​Loac doesn’t join them for dinner.

...

Drogger has a headache. Sort of always does, really; ever since he became a Captain.

Discussions with his king tend to make them worse, and particularly in winter.

Because while Gurdet is happy to promise his troops to every village in the far flung corners of the kingdom, he leaves the management of such endeavours to his capable captains.

​One of them doesn’t care.

​One of them has other duties to attend to, and other things to worry about.

​The other is Drogger, so such tasks inevitably fall to him.

Not that he begrudges it, really; he would never dream of trading places with Bongo.

He likes and respects his king as much as any dutiful captain does, but an hour with Gurdet leaves him exhausted; he’s not sure how Bongo has been able to keep it up for years .

​He has to berate himself for thinking such things.

​Gurdet is his king , after all, he is still loyal to said king.

​(That doesn’t mean said king isn’t also a nightmare at times.)

​Still, Gurdet must have some sort of benevolent streak, because he’s decided to keep him stationed at home for the duration of the winter; what with the rising tensions of his own castle and all –nevermind that they are entirely of his own making.

He’s certainly confused –he’s not sure when he last spent the entire winter back home –but he’s not going to argue. In the scheme of things he’s really only just gotten back, and it gets exhausting being on the road for so much of the year.

​It’s always been easy to leave when there’s been no one to come back to, but it’s different, now.

​He immediately pushes away the thought before it turns his face red.

​Ynoro, thankfully, doesn’t notice.

​" –You know, I think it’ll do you some good staying close to home for a while," he’s saying from the chair on the other side of Drogger’s desk, legs folded elegantly as he pours over some of the requests Gurdet has already received, and approved.

There are already a lot for this time of year.

​Drogger agrees, and tells him as much. The men fall into such bad habits whenever he’s away; what with Bongo being too preoccupied to keep their leashes and training schedules tight.

At least this way he’ll be able to keep an eye on things and not have to worry about them falling out of shape. His answer makes Ynoro roll his eyes.

​"...That’s not what I’m talking about," he tuts, waggling the papers at him, "Honestly, Noog, it’s always training this , and duty that with you –"

​"I’m a Captain , Ynoro"

​" –I’m talking about romance , my friend," Ynoro continues, as if he hadn’t spoken.

"Love. Marriage. Wedded bliss."

​"I’ve been married," Drogger reminds him flatly, scrawling his signature at the bottom of yet another sheet of paper and reaching for the next one.

"It was hardly bliss."

​"Ah, we all get it wrong sometimes," he shrugs, "It happens. Just the other day I met this gorgeous young lady visiting from Nahja, and I thought that she was just the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen in my life, but would you believe it; I was wrong! Her sister was even lovelier."

​"You’ve lost me."

​" All I’m saying ," Ynoro chants, as though this isn’t what he’s always saying, "Is that all this serious talk is getting in the way of your love life, and this is the perfect opportunity to finally put down some roots.

I had hoped that with so many lovely ladies under our roof one might have caught your eye. Yet here we are." He gestures theatrically around the office, empty save for the two of them and a stack of work that Drogger is certain will keep him occupied for days.

"Can you imagine my disappointment in finding out that not a single one has taken your fancy?"

​He doesn’t have to imagine. Ynoro has already described it in explicit detail.

​"It’s fine," he tells him, flatly, and hopes he drops it .

​"It is most decidedly not ," Ynoro insists, wilfully ignoring the hint. "Noog, the stage was perfect . Surely you see that? A strong soldier like you definitely would have caught her eye during the tournament, and her father would have requested that you dance with her at the ball, and she would have confessed her love for you under the –"

​" –I didn’t compete at the tournament,"

Drogger interrupts, before he can go getting even more carried away.

He’s not sure where Ynoro gets all this fluffy nonsense from, "I was injured, remember? And I don’t dance."

​"You know who I wouldn’t have picked as a dancer?" he states sagely, "Khobi." Well, he has a point, there.

"And even he had a dance. With the princess, no less!"

​Scratch that, Ynoro never has a point.

...

Rogard’s getting sick of being injured. It’s not even the pain, that he can handle; it’s the inconvenience .

He’d never realised quite how massive the castle was until it was an ordeal to get anywhere.

The medics have loaned him a crutch so he can get around without being dragged, but it still takes an agonisingly long time to get anywhere worth going.