A Dog Among Princes

Chapter 29

Casca is supposed to be back tomorrow, Guts thought to himself. Griffith slept with his head resting on Guts’s chest, his arms folded beneath him. Guts ran his fingers through his long hair. His weight was comforting, but still Guts stared up at the ceiling. It wasn’t that he couldn’t fall asleep this time. He was prone to bouts of insomnia but that’s not what this was. No, Guts was keeping himself awake intentionally. It made sense in his head; he couldn’t predict when he’d have a nightmare that would draw him to the armor, but he could control whether or not he fell asleep to begin with. So for now that was the plan, even though his eyelids were growing heavy from two days without sleep. Maybe if he just closed them for a second… No, he was stronger than that. He had the willpower to stay awake. Guts sat up. Griffith stirred a little as Guts pushed him off, but then rolled over and went back to sleep. Maybe a walk would help.

Guts enjoyed being out at night. While he had gotten used to, and now even enjoyed the company of others after years with the band, there were still times when he just wanted to be alone. At night, especially as late as it was now, he was guaranteed solitude. He could just enjoy being outside without worrying about having to talk to anybody he knew, or trying to act like a person in front of somebody he didn’t. Night was both his shroud and confidant. He could be as skittish as he wanted or pine openly on rooftops and no one would be the wiser. Tonight however, he was still just exhausted. Even the chill of darkness failed to force him awake. He was so tired he almost didn’t feel that tell tale chill down his spine. The one that told him he was in the presence of something supernatural.

The horse and its skeletal rider were near silent. Its footfalls made no noise on the ground, instead Guts only heard the quiet jingling of its reins and the scraping of plate sliding over plate. The mounted knight wore a set of skeletal armor, not unlike the berserker armor, but with a ring of raised spikes forming a crown. “Guess it’s my turn to get a cryptic warning then. Was wondering when you’d finally come for me.” Guts knew it would happen eventually. Things had been going too well for too long. It was past time for god to come and shit down his throat.

“I come not to give words of warning but to offer advice, Struggler.”

“Why do you call me that?” That was something that had stuck in his mind ever since Griffith had told him about meeting the Skull Knight. The specter had called him the Struggler, not his name, not the prince, but the Struggler.

“It is your lot. You have always struggled and you will continue to do so for the rest of your life.”

“Oh, fucking fantastic and here I thought I wasn’t going to get bad news tonight.”

“It is your lot, but it has also become your strength. The world may be at your throat but you do not falter. When you are brought to your knees you claw your way to your feet no matter the pain it causes you. Even in times you have wished that death would claim you, your will to live has pulled you from the edge. Adversity is yours to suffer but it is also yours to conquer.” The knight’s glowing red eyes seemed to pierce through Guts. “But, it ought not to be yours alone to conquer. Adversity was my lot once as well. I chose to face it alone, spurning the aid of my companions and it rendered me hollow. This is what lies at the end of the path of solitary suffering, pain unending.”

“Well then what the hell am I supposed to do about it?”

“Inside you lies a beast, one you have come to know after donning my armor. It must be tamed, only then may you alleviate your suffering.” The knight began to fade into the darkness.

“Wait! How the hell am I supposed to do that?” He did not answer as he disappeared. “Damn it!” Just as fucking cryptic as ever. A beast inside him, huh. There was the creature that kept showing up in his nightmares, the monstrous dog that spoke in his own voice. He’d always had nightmares, but that thing had only recently become a recurring character. Maybe that was what he meant? Fuck, he was in pretty far over his head on this one. The Skull Knight had said that trying to deal with his problems alone had been what turned him into what he was today. Maybe it was time to actually get some help.

Of all the people Cadogan might’ve expected Casca had gone to spirit out of Midland, he never would have guessed it would have been Princess Charlotte. He was beginning to understand that when it came to his grandson’s friends, he always needed to ask clarifying questions.

“Your majesty,” the girl curtsied. “Although I have nothing I can offer in return, I come humbly requesting asylum in your kingdom, provided you will have me.” She looked tired, and the edge of her dress had picked up a ring of mud from the road. He certainly felt for her, it seemed that she’d been through much, but there were certain assurances he had to make.

“Does your father know where you are?” The king of Midland was a possessive bastard. If he knew she was here that could mean war.

“Not as far as I know. Though he may be able to acquire the service of someone who could find out.”

“And if he does, to what lengths do you think he would go to retrieve you?”

“If I am speaking honestly I believe he would go to any lengths to retrieve me, however my stepmother is likely quite happy with the current situation. Should he take any particularly drastic action, it is likely she will find a way to obstruct him.” That tracked. It was an open secret that Midland’s king had no real interest in politics. He seemed to merely enjoy the power and influence the crown offered him. His second wife was the real player. She was the one that actually kept the kingdom running. If she wanted Charlotte gone, she’d stay gone.

“My apologies for putting you through this, child. Whatever brought you here must have been difficult. You have my permission to stay as long as you need.” Cadogan noticed Guts’s shoulders relax next to him. The young man didn’t often show emotion on his face, instead Cadogan was forced to make reads based on more subtle cues. Guts carried concern in his shoulders, focus in his clenched teeth. When he was happy he made it known, but he kept everything else fairly quiet. He seemed relieved, but it was difficult to figure out what was going on inside his head.

Casca seemed alright based on what Guts could see. He’d have to ask about the trip later, once he had his shit more or less together. He hadn’t really interacted all that much with Charlotte before all this happened, aside from the time he yelled at her after Griffith was shot. He felt a little bit guilty for all the shit that had happened between them, especially since it seemed like some fucked up shit had happened while they were away. He wasn’t sure if her and Griffith still being together would have solved whatever the problem was, but him disappearing and then showing up again engaged to Guts probably hadn’t helped. And if she found out about the whole thing with Juliuss… He wouldn’t be surprised if he woke up with a knife in his back.

Oh shit, that would be an international incident wouldn’t it. That was crazy to think about. Guts was used to being expendable. Even after a year it was still hard for him to conceptualize that there would be actual serious ramifications if somebody killed him. Sure his friends would’ve mourned him, but nothing significant would really happen because one crazy ass mercenary died. Crazy ass mercenaries died every day. Guts wasn’t just a mercenary anymore. He was sitting here wearing a fucking crown while a princess begged his family for help. He was still a crazy ass though. That probably wasn’t changing anytime soon.

Charlotte shot him a small smile. It seemed genuine. You know what, maybe he was overthinking things. She’d always seemed nice enough, if a little timid, she probably wasn’t the type to attempt bloody revenge even if it wouldn’t cause an incident.

It was strange, it had been difficult for Charlotte to imagine the terrifying young man she had met as anything even approximating royalty even as she journeyed to his home court. However, seeing him now it seemed almost obvious. There were two instances that stuck out in her mind when thinking of the man: the time he’d refused, or perhaps forgotten it was difficult to tell, to bow to her father, and the time he’d interrogated her after the attempt on her life. During both of these instances Guts had made one thing abundantly clear, he did not think anyone, not even members of the crown, above him. One could call it arrogance when presented by a mere mercenary, but from a man bearing a sword larger than she was and wearing a crown upon his head, it instead became supreme confidence. That was something she had never had.

Despite that he looked at her warily, as if she could somehow present a threat to him. Her, a stranger in an unfamiliar court, bereft of her title, and untrained in both war and subterfuge, a threat to him, a prince who, if the stories were to be believed, had slain a hundred men in a single battle. It was so absurd it almost made her laugh. As his majesty announced that he intended to grant her asylum, she offered Guts a small smile. She would likely be here for quite some time, it would be best if their relationship could be somewhat amicable. He seemed to relax a bit when she did.

“Your majesty,” Cadogan’s eyes were drawn to a young blonde girl. The Vandimion child? Hadn’t she left already? “My apologies for my rudeness, but I would request your permission to remain as well, to serve as the Princess’s protector.” Well he didn’t like her very much, and if the rumors were true she might attempt to burn down his castle at some point, but she did represent something particularly interesting.

The Vandimions were not nobility in the traditional sense, they were merchants and traders who had accrued wealth and political influence largely absent from the system of the landed aristocracy. They were representative of a greater shift that was occurring across the world that allowed greater social mobility for those who did not historically own land. Cadogan was interested to see what this shift in the structures of power would mean for the ones that would come after him. It might be worth it to deal with her antics (and perhaps some light arson) if it meant he could better understand the coming economic shift.

“I shall grant you leave to do so, provided you obey the laws of this kingdom. You must understand that my court contains adherents of religions other than that of the Holy See as well as retaining ties with practitioners of witchcraft. The Holy Chain Knights will not be given jurisdiction here as inquisitors, and in any case of the assault or murder of any such practitioners while you remain within our borders, you will be heavily scrutinized. Do you understand and accept these terms?” The girl seemed to struggle with herself a moment before answering.

“I will accept your terms.”

“You will also have to provide your own housing.”

“While that is a significant inconvenience, I suppose I shall have to be amenable.”

After arrangements were made and a place was determined for Charlotte to stay, Guts took Cadogan aside.

“I need your help with something.” Internally the king breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he was becoming comfortable enough to ask for help.

“Certainly, what do you wish me to do?”

“Do you know anyone that can help with dreams?” Guts had certainly seemed exhausted as of late.

“If you mean to tell me you’re suffering from sleeplessness, I know a physician that ought to be able to give you something for that.”

“No, it’s not that. The Skull Knight showed up last night to give me some advice. I’m supposed to tame some beast, but I’ve only ever seen it in dreams.” Oh no, this wasn’t another monster was it?

“It isn’t something that exists somewhere in the real world is it?”

“Not as far as I know.” Guts had a vague idea of what it might be. If he was right it would be impossible for it to exist out in the world somewhere. Cadogan took a deep breath.

“I’d say you’ll probably want to speak to Flora about this.” By the spirits of the earth and sky he hoped she could help.