Leona had never been inside a Duke’s hall before. She tried not to gawk, but she couldn’t deny it was impressive.
Hubert said it had once been the estate of some sort of Cassaline governor, with an audience hall, a barracks for his Praetorian guard, and a temple to the Old Gods. She saw the echoes of all of those things, in the Duke’s great hall, the building that housed his small army of personal soldiers, and the shrine to the northern Snake God. Torath.
Leona wrinkled her nose at that. Back at the farm, her mama had taught them all the Cassaline Gods, and when to say a prayer to each of them. It seemed right that you should say a prayer to Charriol on the eve before battle, asking that he guide your spear. Charriol was a warrior god.
Who would say a prayer to a snake before battle? The idea seemed ridiculous.
Duke Giuseppe Garibaldi was a middle-aged man that looked like most nobles Leona had seen. He was heavyset, with the sort of thick body that probably meant he had been a fit warrior in his prime but had gone too many years picking up more forks than spears. His hair was graying and receding up his forehead. His clothes were made of fine cloth and colorful dyes, well-tailored. He wore a sword on his belt that looked mostly ceremonial.
The hall was large, with a vaulted ceiling and room for a large court to attend. It was surprisingly empty. Aside from Leona and her two friends, there were just a handful of guards, Isabel, and the Duke himself. Isabel sat nearby, her face blankly demure. She was deferent to her father, that much was clear. But it seemed like she’d gotten over the fear of the attack quickly, at least. Leona could respect that.
She’s not a warrior, but at least she’s not a crying princess with weak nerves. That’s something.
The guard that had brought them here finished his report. The Duke nodded, dismissing the man with a flick of his wrist. Then he turned his gaze to Leona, Hubert, and Agrippa. His eyes were dark, and they glimmered with curiosity.
“It seems I owe you three a great debt,” he said. He glanced at Hubert in particular. “You speak Spatalian, I trust?”
Leona snickered. Hubey knows more fancy words than I do!
“Of course, your grace,” Hubert answered in Spatalian, bowing. “And it was our honor to help.”
“You can still pay us that debt, though,” Leona added.
The Duke looked at her, eyes slightly narrowed, lips pursed in displeasure. Leona was used to that look. She just smiled at him.
“I always settle my debts, young woman,” the Duke said. “You saved my daughter’s life. You will be rewarded for that. But before we settle things, I have questions.”
“And I expect we may have answers, your grace,” Hubert said. “You need only ask.”
The courtesy seemed to mollify Duke Garibaldi, at least a bit.
He’s so good with folks like that, Leona marveled. For being a guy without a stick up his ass, Hubey really knows how to handle the sticks in other peoples’ asses.
“Firstly, who are you? You came to my daughter’s aid readily enough. Lorenzo said you dispatched twice your number of bravos.”
“Seven,” Leona corrected.
Garibaldi gave her another sharp look.
“You said twice. Three of us. That’s six, isn’t it?” Leona asked. For a moment she hesitated. Did I get it wrong? Hubey says I should trust my gut, that I have good instincts for small numbers from unit fighting. But maybe—
“Yes, fine,” the Duke said. “Seven. You dispatched more than twice your number.”
Oh. Leona smiled. She had been right, Garibaldi just didn’t like being corrected.
“Leona is an exceptional warrior,” Hubert said. “Agrippa has also served as a mercenary in the free city-states, though fighting is not his specialty.”
“And what is your specialty, then?” Garibaldi asked Agrippa.
“I am a medico, your grace,” Agrippa said. “I’ve worked the last six months for Lady Giovanelli. I saved the life of one of your men, when your own medicos proved incompetent, and you had the injured man sent to me instead.”
Garibaldi stared at Agrippa in silence for a moment. His cheeks colored, and his lips formed a tight line. “I see,” he finally said. “I believe I have heard of you. Montoya, is it?”
“Yes,” Agrippa said. He smiled in that way of his, that acid smirk that made you feel like an idiot for talking to him. Leona wished she could master a smirk like that, but she wasn’t really sure how he did it.
Garibaldi looked away from Agrippa before Agrippa broke his smile. The Duke glanced towards Hubey. “And what about you, monk? You are no soldier.”
“Astutely noted, your grace,” Hubert said. “Though as it happens, I have also served as a mercenary in the free cities a few times. Mostly as a cook. That’s how the three of us met, last year.”
“A mercenary cook. And this is why the three of you bested so many bravos?”
“It was mostly Leona,” Hubey said again.
“Not just that. They were focused on her,” Leona said, pointing at Isabel. “And her lover. What was his name, Hubey?”
“Juan,” Hubert said. He looked from the Duke to the Duke’s daughter, carefully studying them for something. What, Leona didn’t know, but that was why Hubey was smart and Leona was not.
The Duke frowned. He clasped his hands together over his lap. “Yes, of course. Juan. I will pay you all a fine sum, as thanks for protecting Isabel, of course. I would also expect to receive your discretion.”
“Of course, your grace,” Hubert said.
Discretion? Leona cocked her head to the side. Oh. He doesn’t want us talking about how she was about to fuck some pretty-boy right before she marries someone else.
“I am quite expert in matters of confidentiality,” Agrippa reassured the Duke.
Garibaldi turned to Leona with that familiar look of disdain.
“Yeah, sure,” she said. “I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Good,” Garibaldi said. He eyed Hubert and Agrippa again. “You men seem to understand discretion well, at least. Lorenzo said one of the bravo was stunned, nearly dead, with no sign of wounds. Stricken by a malady, perhaps. Or a poison? You can harm as well as heal, I think.”
“I can,” Agrippa said. “But—”
“The poison was mine, your grace,” Hubey said. “As a traveling monk, I have a need to defend myself on occasion. I am not a strong man, but I have other tools to compensate. Torath’s fangs are... potent.”
The Duke nodded, and stroked his chin. “You are a strange trio, certainly. But there’s no denying your results. I am worried for my daughter. Isabel’s wedding is fast approaching. A union between Peltiberia and Tarraconesis—two of the great free cities in the area—will be seen as a threat by many of our other neighbors. I expect this will not be the last such assassination attempt.”
“Maybe you should keep guards with her,” Leona suggested. She figured Isabel must have snuck out, but it was still fun to watch Garibaldi’s face scrunch up in annoyance at the suggestion.
“Yes,” the Duke said. “Quite. You will do, I think. A soldier, a medico, and a…” Garibaldi hesitated, staring at Hubert. “Monk. I wish to hire your services. I will pay you a princely sum to stay here and personally attend Isabel from now until the wedding. Protect her from assassination. All kinds, please: blade, arrow, poison, or anything else. Can you do the job?”
“Doubtless,” Agrippa said. He glanced at Hubert and Leona. “The question is, do we want to?”
Leona shrugged. She didn’t much like Garibaldi, but the princeppa seemed nice enough. Not so faithful to her fiance, but Leona had heard all about the political marriages of the upper class. She didn’t fault the girl for trying to have some fun before she was tied down to a loveless marriage. And money was always nice—even if Agrippa took it for granted, she had been poor plenty of her life, and didn’t care for it.
“Sure,” she said. “What do you think, Hubey?”
“It seems a strange request, your grace,” Hubert said. “You have many guards. Why do you need us?”
Garibaldi turned his displeased expression to Hubert. “It’s true that you are unknown elements. But you had ample opportunity to simply let Isabel die, much less kill her yourself. That means that, at least as far as her protection is concerned, I don’t think you were planted here. My guards are well-known, and my enemies have had the entire length of each guard’s career to find some way to exploit them—extortion, bribery, blackmail, the list is endless. You have no such vulnerabilities.”
“Who exactly are we protecting her against, anyway?” Leona asked. “The bravos seemed like local swords. So who hired them?”
“I don’t know for certain,” the Duke said. “But the possibilities are obvious. Anyone that stands to gain from my loss—anyone that is threatened by the union of our cities. The nearest city-states are the most obvious possibilities: Dantabria, Carthaginesis, Basconia, or Septimania. But it could easily be one of Peltiberia‘s neighbors as well.”
“That’s quite a long list,” Hubert said. “Do you have poor relations with any of them, that might lead to them taking drastic action to curtail your advancement?”
“Poor relations?” Garibaldi wore a grim smile. “Not at all. But—forgive my presumption. You speak Spatalian well, Brother Hubert, but you are not of Spatalia. Maybe your friends can enlighten you as to how politics is done here. An assassin is not a mark of poor relations.”
Leona snorted. “I dunno about politics,” she said. “But he’s right, Hubey. These nobles, they’re always trying to kill each other in between pledges of friendship and betrothals.”
The Duke nodded. Well, he didn’t huff and complain about the insult, at least, Leona noted. Maybe he’s not so annoying after all.
“I see,” Hubert said. “And do all of these places have the access to hire sellswords in your city so easily?”
Garibaldi actually laughed. “I would think so,” he said. “Most of them are guests at my daughter’s wedding. Nobles from half the city-states on my list have already arrived. The rest should arrive before the week is out.”
Yep, Leona rolled her eyes. She’d expected as much.
Hubert, on the other hand, grimaced. “So—in essence our job will be to protect the princeppa against the guests at her own wedding?”
“Precisely,” Garibaldi said. “A purse of gold for each of you if you foil any attempts and the wedding proceeds as planned.”
“May we confer privately, your grace?” Hubert asked.
He nodded. “As you like. But decide quickly.”
They stepped a few paces towards the middle of the vast hall, and whispered to each other.
“We did say we wanted to stay for the wedding,” Leona pointed out. “Feasting and drinking.”
“I am not sure how much festivities we will have time for if we’re babysitting her,” Agrippa said.
“Guard duty’s easy,” Leona argued. “Those assassins were pushovers anyway. We can handle it. Right Hubey?”
Hubert looked to be seriously considering the situation. But when she said his name, he refocused his attention to her. “I’m sure we can,” he agreed. “Though I expect Agrippa is right as well. We won’t be able to enjoy the feasts if we’re standing guard the whole time.”
“So… are you for it or against it?” Leona asked.
“Yes,” Hubert said. “Essentially.”
Typical Hubert. Leona sighed. She loved Hubert dearly—she owed Agrippa her life a dozen times over, but she’d never had a friend more fun than Hubey. But he could be real annoying when he started overthinking things. “Hubey…” she said.
“I want to know who Juan is,” Hubert said. “One last fling before marriage?”
“Probably,” Agrippa said. “Very common among the nobility.”
“But the way he fought to protect her spoke of a more substantial relationship,” Hubert said. “I would like to know more.”
“If we take the job, we’ll have plenty of time with Isabel,” Leona pointed out.
Hubey smiled at her. “Quite my thoughts exactly, my dear.”
“So you’re for it.”
“It may be more dangerous than you seem to think, Leona,” Hubert said cautiously. “But yes. I think that I am.”
More dangerous sounds good to me. She was getting tired of being safe. Even fighting the bravos hadn’t given her a proper thrill. “Me too,” she said.
Agrippa shrugged. “I thought I was done working for Tarraconesian nobles, but one last short contract should be fine. I’m in.”
That settled, the three of them turned in unison back to Duke Garibaldi. When he saw their faces, he smiled.
“Excellent,” he said before any of them had even told him the good news.. “You start immediately.”
The Duke wasn’t kidding. In short order, they found themselves escorting Princeppa Isabel back to her quarters. They were joined by two of the Duke’s guards as well. Isabel was quiet the whole walk, but when they reached the door to her room she turned to face all of them.
“I would like to speak with my new bodyguards in private,” she said quietly, her attention on the Garibaldi men. “Please.”
The two men exchanged a look, then nodded. They posted up on either side of the door, and Isabel stepped through. She turned back and gestured for Leona and her two companions to join.
Once inside, she shut the door and let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you!” she said, to no individual in particular. Her eyes roamed across all three of them. “My father was so wary, but I know you are good men. And a good woman! God bless all of you.”
“It’s no problem,” Hubert said. “We—”
“Agrippa, yes?” Isabel interrupted, looking to Agrippa. “Will Juan be alright? You said his wound was stitched, but it looked so bad…”
“Yes,” Agrippa said. “He will be fine. But it never hurts to receive follow-up visits. Assuming we know where to find him.”
“I do,” Isabel said. “Of course I do. He’s renting a room at Dewdrop House. I can take you there, if you don’t know it.”
“Princeppa…” Hubert said. He hesitated for a moment before forging ahead. “May I ask—Please understand I mean no disrespect. This fellow, Juan. What is your relationship?”
She frowned. “My lover,” she said. “I suppose you and God disapprove.”
Leona snorted back a laugh. She doesn’t know Hubey, Leona thought. So it’s not fair to her. She has no idea how ridiculous she sounds right now.
“Not at all, princeppa,” Hubey said. “Not at all. It’s only that—I know dalliances and lovers are not uncommon amongst the Spatalian nobility. You have that much in common with the courts of Lorraine. I assume your father knows?”
Isabel’s mood didn’t appear to improve. “He does,” she said. “At least, he knows a little. But—”
“Pardon me,” Hubert interrupted. “May I ask one more question? Forgive the indelicacy, but I feel I must know. Is Juan simply an amusing diversion, or something more?”
Isabel bit her lip. “You must know?” she asked. She stared at Hubert with a piercing glare. “Why?”
Hubert shrugged. “Well… yes. If it’s simply a dalliance, I think we must insist that you break things off for now. He’s quite a pretty man, I can’t argue that. But no sex, no matter how good, is worth the added exposure and risk. Not while your life may be in danger from an unknown number of assassins.”
All the annoyance and hassle of dealing with these nobles immediately became worth it, just for the look on Isabel’s face when she got a taste of the real Hubey. Leona felt herself grin like an idiot.
“I see,” Isabel said. “And… what if I love him?”
Hubert smiled. “Well, that’s another story entirely. I’m sure we can manage a little extra risk, if it’s for love.”
“It is,” Isabel said. Her voice sounded wistful. “He may be impetuous, and foolish at times. But I do love him.”
“But you’re set to marry another,” Leona said. “That’s not just a little fooling around. Why marry this other guy?”
“Aistulf is the Princep of Peltiberia. Firstborn son of Donatelli Lombard. A great house, ruling a great city-state. My father thinks this is the best possible match I could make.”
“But you don’t love him,” Hubert said.
“I don’t know him,” Isabel said. “But… no. I love Juan.”
“And Juan? He didn’t handle himself like a commoner. What is he, exactly? One of your courtiers?”
Isabel shook her head. “He is Juan Marcilla. Princep of Dantabria.”
Wait, he’s also heir to a city-state? Leona scratched her head. That doesn’t make any sense.
She was gratified to see a similar confusion in Hubey’s face. “Pardon?” he said. “You mean… marrying him would also join you to a city-state?”
“Yes,” Isabel said. “But a smaller one. Dantabria is much less wealthy than Peltiberia. Less trade connections, less land. And they have been friends to Tarraconesis for years. Father thinks we will be better served by building a union with Peltiberia, instead of strengthening that which is already strong.”
“I’m sorry, but that sounds like madness,” Hubert said. “Political marriage is one thing, but how can you go along with this? When you could make a marriage that is still politically advantageous and has the benefit of love behind it?”
“Father is right, though,” Isabel said quietly. “Aistulf will be a—a much better match. For the good of the city.”
“What about your good, my dear?” Hubert asked. “Does that matter not at all?”
Isabel just frowned.
“Hubey’s right,” Leona said. “You should marry who you want. You’re rich, aren’t you? And powerful? Why put up with a stupid marriage to someone you don’t even know?”
“Perhaps we’re being too hasty,” Agrippa said. “You’re right of course that this sounds idiotic, but maybe the Garibaldi family is secretly bankrupt and on the verge of collapse.”
“We aren’t,” Isabel interjected.
“Well, maybe Peltiberia has a vast army ready to invade and the marriage is the only thing holding it at bay,” Agrippa said.
“They—no,” Isabel said. “We are peaceful. Not friendly, but peaceful.”
“Oh. Hm,” Agrippa shrugged. “Alright, you have convinced me, Princeppa. It’s just a stupid plan.”
“It—it isn’t,” Isabel said. Her voice was soft, almost defeated.
“Sorry,” Leona said. “I guess it’s not your dumb plan.”
“That’s quite enough. We all apologize, princeppa,” Hubert said. “In any event, yes. We will help you meet with Juan. Perhaps as we grow closer to the wedding, we will begin to understand your father’s wisdom.”
He said it in a tone Leona knew well. That tone said “Or perhaps I will convince you of my wisdom.” She knew Hubey was good at persuading people. There’s no way he won’t succeed here. This poor girl agreed to a terrible deal because of her father. If there’s one thing Hubey can do, it’s convince people to go their own way and not give a shit what anybody tells them they have to do.
Leona knew that all too well. She’d been the recipient of Hubert’s wisdom on more occasions than she could easily count. No matter how much one doubted him, he usually managed to wiggle some kind of argument in anyway. It was a good thing he wasn’t an actual monk of Torath. Leona knew there was a high chance he’d have managed to convert her by now, if he was.
“Can we go now?” Isabel asked. “I’m worried about him.”
Hubert glanced from Agrippa to Leona. Leona just shrugged. Agrippa hesitated, then shrugged as well.
“Of course we can,” Hubert said. “Will that be alright? Us leaving the estate?”
“You are my new bodyguards,” Isabel said. “My father can’t very well allow you free movement in our home but refuse to trust you to keep me safe in the city. Besides…” She smiled, a little bit of that mischief and fire returning to her eyes for the first time since they’d entered her room. “My father is a busy man, and there are many ways in and out of the estate.”
Maybe she’s not so bad after all, Leona thought.
Hubert smiled. “Wonderful,” he said. “Then by all means, my dear: Lead the way.”