Pride Pt. 05 - Beaumont

Beaumont

----

Aleron and Natalie were up early the following day, waking up to the gentle sunlight of the morning. They ate a small breakfast before they began training, as had been customary on their adventure to Santaria.

Aleron sat on a tree stump as he watched, and judged, his daughter's footwork. He wasn't especially pleased with it, but she needed to learn the basics before anything else, all without picking up any bad habits.

"The overriding goal in any fighting situation is to avoid someone's strike. You side-step, or take a step back to avoid their weapon entirely. This gives you a small window of opportunity where your sword is the only active player on the field," Aleron explained thoroughly, Natalie listening to her father's words intently.

"But you won't always have that opportunity. And when you don't, your sword becomes your shield as well." Aleron stood up, unsheathing his sword and adopting a stance where he held the sword horizontally. Natalie immediately copied it.

"This stance would block a top-down strike. The key here is to ensure your sword is perfectly flat compared to theirs when they clash. That way, it doesn't glance off and hurt you. The downside to this over avoiding the strike entirely is that it tires you, and doing it too often means you're bound to make a mistake. It also gives you a much smaller window of opportunity than side-stepping."

Aleron stepped forward, swinging his sword slowly from the top at Natalie so she could block it.

"You see? Even my strike there could be felt in your arms, in your hands. Imagine a strike at ten times that speed. Now, what I want you to do this time is combine both styles. You keep the sword as-is, but step forward and to the right, like this," he demonstrated twice, "and then sliiide yours out from under mine. This gives you a bigger window of opportunity."

He swung slowly again, Natalie stepping and blocking his swing. She slid her sword out from under his slowly, poking his chest armor with the tip.

"Boop."

Aleron smiled. "Good. Faster this time. Slash rather than thrust at my armor so ya don't kill me, Natalie."

They performed the action a dozen more times, Natalie's motions becoming all the more fluid with his corrections and encouragement. He decided they should stop there before he could actually get bit by her blade.

"You're doing very well, honey," Aleron encouraged her, Natalie's smile beaming back. "Let's just practice your footwork for the rest of the time. Avoid my strikes, and keep your sword raised. Your goal is to keep me within reach of your own sword."

--

Natalie was exhausted by the time training was finished that day, the pair practicing for a good three hours before deciding to call it quits. She mounted the horse on her own, and navigated the beast back towards the path without any assistance from Aleron.

"Aww. They grow up so fast," Aleron teased, rolling the tent back up and strapping it onto the side of the horse.

"Soon I'll be even deadlier than you," Natalie smirked, sticking her tongue out.

"Maybe. If nothing else, you'll look better as you're doing it."

The pair departed from their campsite, the faint outline of a town atop a hill far off in the horizon. Too small to be Santaria, but anywhere with decent lodging and running water would be more than good enough for Natalie at this point.

--

Aleron and Natalie made their way down the winding trail soon after, meeting up with the main, paved road to Santaria laid easterly. Many travelers were here; merchants, musicians, patrolmen, and many more normal citizens just going about their days. Aleron didn't admit to it, but the fellow road-goers gave him calm after the couple of days in the hills. They signalled civilization, after all, and only those born in the wilds would truly feel comfortable within it for longer than a day or two.

The sun was still high in the clouded sky above when the pair reached the idyllic town of Beaumont, which straddled a lone hill surrounded by acres of vine trellises. The buildings of the town itself almost looked as if they were stacked atop one another from this vantage, producing a wonderful view for the pair of tired travelers. Aleron wanted to peruse the shops and gather supplies for the three day journey ahead towards Santaria. Natalie had other plans.

"Please Aleron, can we stay here the night? I'm dying for a bath," Natalie whimpered, giving her father a pout in hopes of convincing him as he looked over the food stall. Aleron turned his gaze to his daughters, immediately falling for the look she gave him. He only had a couple day's worth of fatherly experience, after all.

"Sure, Natalie. Any inn in particular you had in mind...?" he asked, Natalie immediately pointing to a tall building behind him.

Aleron turned to look in her direction, rolling his eyes once he'd spied the richly-decorated two-story inn. It appeared more of a romantic destination than a road-side inn, but he could see the appeal for Natalie at any rate. He fished a couple of gold Imperials from his pouch and placed it in her hand.

"Book us a room. One night, Natalie. Can you deal with Carrot?" he asked, referring to his horse.

Natalie nodded with a wide smile. "Sure!"

"Ensure she gets feed and water from the inn. Let the innkeep know my name so I can get the room number. See you there in a couple hours," Aleron explained. Natalie grabbed the reins of the horse and skipped off towards the inn.

"Thank you!" she beamed.

Aleron shook his head and sighed as soon as she were out of range to hear. He was growing too weak in her presence, growing too fond of her. He hoped he was being a decent father figure for Natalie to make up for their first meeting together. Probably not, he figured; he'd had no experience with the profession previously, and couldn't imagine a journey through the wilds and sword training meant he was doing a good job.

With a couple of hours to himself, Aleron visited several of Beaumont's taverns to ask the locals if any word had come through regarding his potential case in Santaria. He didn't learn much; most of them had less information than Emmanuel had two days ago.

He decided to retire from interrogating the locals, and instead decided on practicing his throwing arm. Before he could rise, however, an elegant woman wearing a pink and white dress sat on the barstool beside him.

"I heard you asking around about the murder," the woman beside him huskily spoke, granting Aleron a smile of pearl-white teeth, a rare sight even in Santaria.

"Yeah," Aleron admitted, nodding towards her. "Name's Aleron. Bounty hunter."

"Josephine Durant," she replied silkily, extending a dainty hand towards him. Aleron took it, pecking it briefly before she returned the hand to her wine glass. Aleron noticed she looked somewhat prestigious and haughty, but would be significantly less so if she wasn't wearing her diamond jewelry and ridiculous dress. He made her out to be in her mid-thirties.

"Do you know anything more than the fact that there is an unsolved murder, miss Durant?"

She paused a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Aleron. The man who was killed, Lord Montagne. He is -- was -- the owner of several expansive wineries around Santaria, registered under multiple aliases," she explained, Aleron listening seriously and intently. Josephine smiled nervously, "You must understand, Aleron, that no man obtains that manner of estate in Santaria truthfully. The taxes alone would bankrupt all but a count himself."

Aleron nodded. "So he likely had connections high within the Ducal court, clearly," he thought aloud, Josephine nodding away. "and no one gets that level of favor without making a few enemies along the way."

"My. You sure know your politics, yet your accent is... foreign? Imperial, perhaps?"

"Hayadian," Aleron corrected with a smile. "Would you be able to name any potential enemies of our dear Montagne? Someone who would want him dead?"

Josephine shook her head, returning his smile. "There would be so many, I'm afraid. The truth is, I do not know. But I'm sure all of Santaria would appreciate it if you could discover that, Aleron."

Aleron knew she was hiding something from him, but he was pleased with the information she had offered freely all the same. Her demeanor seemed truthful enough, as if she were just trying to help. He drained his wine glass and took a peek at her left hand before departing.

"Thank you for your time, miss Durant."

--

Aleron returned to the inn Natalie had pointed out earlier in the day, asking the innkeep for one of the keys to their room over the din of conversation around them.

"The husband?" the wisened innkeep asked as she handed Aleron the key.

"Uh... sure. Thanks," Aleron answered with a smile, returning to the main stairwell to make his way to the room. Aleron ascended the stairs, passing by a dozen other rooms before locating his. The floral-decorated door to Natalie's room was labeled as the "Romance Suite," isolated at the end of the hall.

He paused a moment, hearing Natalie's muffled moans from inside the room. Did she invite a boy in while he was away? Aleron lost his temper, just for a moment. Just long enough.

Aleron unlocked the door and swung it open, stepping into the room immediately. He scanned the suite; no opened windows, nothing appeared out of place for someone to have hidden in a hurry. His daughter Natalie was on the bed alone, looking flustered with a bright red face. Her glistening fingers were laid on her thigh, her body otherwise naked.

"A-Aleron? Back so soon?"

Oh. Aleron realized his mistake, chiding himself for accusing her so quickly. "Yeah. I'll uh -- I'll be outside for five minutes?" he offered, pointing his thumb out behind himself.

Natalie frowned, grabbing the bedsheets to cover herself.

"Twenty, then. Sorry," Aleron stammered, blushing profusely before he made his way out the door once more.

--

Aleron went downstairs for a drink, giving Natalie another hour or so of private time before he had the courage to return to the suite. He knocked first, then unlocked the room when he heard Natalie's invitation through the wood.

"Hey, Natalie," Aleron greeted, just a bit awkwardly.

"Hey... sorry about. That, earlier," Natalie apologized, sitting on the bed in only her tunic. She was wringing her hands on her lap as she continued, "I guess I was just a bit riled up."

Aleron sighed, smiling as he sat next to her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, or at least that was the intent. Natalie snuggled tightly against him.

"I get it. Believe it or not, I was young at one point, too," Aleron chuckled, the girl in his arm blushing.

"I don't know why I'm so embarassed. You and I..." her words trailed off as she croaked them out, her hand moving to his thigh. "We already did so much more."

Aleron grabbed her hand, preventing it from moving on its own any longer.

"But it's different now," Aleron replied after a couple moments. Natalie turned her face towards his.

"Then why doesn't it feel different?" she retorted in a voice barely a whisper. Aleron released her hand and shoulder, scooching away from her.

"What do you mean?" he asked coyly, squinting into her eyes.

"Please, Aleron. Don't play dumb with me, not now," Natalie accused quiveringly, raising an eyebrow at him. Aleron shrugged before she continued. "I know you feel the same. That... fire. The spark. It never left," she whispered, turning away from him.

She was right, of course. Aleron had constant battles with his own mind in her presence, and so far the fatherly side defeated the devils they had faced. A battle he'd likely win forever, or at least until Natalie was out of the picture.

"Yeah," was all he could vocalize after a couple moments, and then only weakly.

Natalie turned back to Aleron with gentle tears in her eyes, placing a hand on his thigh again. She smiled meekly as she gazed into his orbs. The fatherly side won out once more in Aleron's personal battlefield, although it was losing ground. She had to be let down gently, he knew.

"It's only been a couple of days, Natalie. Stuff like this?" he gestured between them, "stuff like this shouldn't happen. Human minds aren't ready to deal with the mixed signals. It needs time to work things out. Put emotions in the right places," Aleron explained to her, hoping the justification would sate himself as well.

Natalie nodded, returning her hand and looking towards the floor as if rejected.

"Okay."

Aleron looked on her sympathetically for a minute before squeezing her leg and getting their minds off of it. "Let's get some supper, huh?"

--

The pair supped at a fine restaurant down the main road in Beaumont, Natalie feeling quite underdressed in her travel clothes. Aleron had decided to also remain in his travel attire so Natalie did not feel alone in her predicament, and the two soon found happiness at the bottom of a rich pinot noir. Aleron was just in the middle telling a tale of him saving the countess of Heurbon, Natalie giggling wildly at his story.

"But the moans coming from the tent? Turned out to be our dear countess in the end, chain railed by her abductors."

"No!"

"Oh, yes. Or as Jasmina would say it," Aleron took a breath before sighing, "Oh! Please!"

He and Natalie roared with laughter, the other guests of the restaurant glaring in the direction of the raucous noise from the pair of poorly-dressed barbarians.

"That's amazing," Natalie giggled, trying to compose herself. "And she tried to make you stop killing them?"

He nodded. "Yep. Turns out, I wasn't rescuing her at all. More like returning her to Marco the Cuckold," Aleron laughed out while Natalie covered her mouth.

"Aleron, behave yourself!" she chided with reddened cheeks, scanning the tables about them before slapping his hand.

Aleron had no intention of doing so, having downed three glasses of the rich pinot already. He opened his mouth to say as much until he heard his name mentioned from behind.

"Aleron the bounty hunter," a sultry, familiar voice greeted him. Aleron turned around to meet his name.

"Ah. What a lovely surprise to see you again, miss Durant," Aleron greeted warmly. Josephine stood with a woman nearly her age, dressed just as wonderfully as she.

"And to you, dear sir," Josephine replied smokily, waving a hand towards her friend before offering it to Aleron for a peck. "This here is my good friend and sister, Isabella."

Isabella, too, stuck her hand out for Aleron to kiss. He noticed the interested looks from both of the women and decided to nullify any potential flirtation before things got awkward.

"A pleasure, Isabella. May I introduce both of you ladies to my," Aleron coughed, "fiancée, Natalie."

Both of the well-dressed ladies looked just a tad disappointed, but curtseyed appropriately.

"Greetings," Natalie blushed. "Apologies if our laughter was too loud for you both."

"Not at all. I merely wanted to introduce my sister to your fiancé, dear girl," Josephine replied haughtily as she turned to Isabella. "Aleron here is going to find the murderer in Santaria."

"Ooh! How exciting," Isabella responded with fraudulent excitement, walking toward Aleron's side and resting a gloved hand on his shoulder. "I heard from a friend of a friend that the Duchess had quite the fling with the murdered man. She must be terribly saddened." Josephine blushed, daintily slapping Isabella on the shoulder.

Aleron shrugged, mentally throwing the information away. If the rich started killing each other over affairs, there'd hardly be any nobles left in a month's time. "Don't really care who the Duchess is screwing on the side, so long as she pays me." Isabella giggled softly into a balled fist.

"Well, good luck on your quest, Aleron. Always a pleasure," Josephine spoke up hastily, tapping her sister on the shoulder.

"To you as well! And you, Isabella," Aleron nodded towards them in farewell.

Natalie waited a couple of moments until the two were out of earshot, leaning across the table. "So we're married now?" she asked sarcastically with a giggle.

"I was half expecting them to jump on me right here," Aleron chuckled, "it was merely a effort in chastity."

"It's okay, Aleron. I'd fight them off of you!" Natalie exclaimed, raising her balled fists as if in a brawl. Aleron poured the remnants of their wine bottle into his glass and sighed.

"More wine?" he asked with a grin across the table.

"Uh... I think maybe we take it back to the room, husband," Natalie replied with a smirk, pointing at some of the nervous looking upper-crusts sitting around them. Aleron hadn't realized how loud he'd been.

"Fiiine," he replied, pointing a single finger up to summon the waiter, "See, this is what I don't get about the rich. They have so much money to have fun, but then all they do is ruin it," Aleron slurred out.

"'Cause all the other nobles would find it crass and... ignoble of them if they had fun," Natalie replied matter-of-factly, as if she were the wisest scholar.

"So the key, then," Aleron continued before requesting another bottle of the pinot noir with a point, "is to force them all to have fun at the same time!"

"I think that's what parties are for," Natalie giggled.

"Ah... right, right. Almost thought I had something there."

Aleron paid the tab and grabbed the fresh bottle of wine from the waiter, almost walking away before stealing the two wine glasses from the table and placing a copper in their stead. The pair made their way the short distance back to the inn, swaying gayly through the street.

--

Aleron, impressively, opened the wine bottle by hand while standing in front of the Romance Suite. Natalie chided him for the action while unlocking the door, pulling him by the arm into the room. Aleron poured the wine nearly to the brim of one of the wine glasses before handing it over to her, and almost did the same for himself before realizing he could have it straight from the source.

And so he did, bringing the wine bottle to his lips.

"The nobles would kill you if they could see you now!" Natalie exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Oh no... You'd have to fight them off, too," Aleron said sarcastically before taking a deep chug of the rich nectar. Natalie leaned over, picking up her sheathed sword by the handle while spilling some of her wine onto the carpet. She noticed it too late, then set the glass down on the floor after a quick sip and stood up.

"En garde!" she shouted, swinging her sheathed sword.

"Not gonna do much with the skin still on," Aleron mused happily.

"You're right! I should-" Natalie started saying, before she suddenly tripped over nothing, "put this away," she laughed. Natalie placed the sword on the ground and sat on the bed, grabbing her glass from the floor. She rocked side-to-side, as happy as could be.

Aleron grinned, dancing over to the bed with the bottle still in his hand and sat down next to her.

"Wine's pretty good here, huh?"

"Hmm..." Natalie replied unsuredly, taking a large sip from her glass and smiling. "Yep!" she giggled, rocking into Aleron's shoulder. She continued to nudge him rhythmically as he tried to drink from the bottle. He certainly found it to be a difficult task, but just smiled with sympathy at her happy form.

"You're cute when you're drunk," he slurred, grinning at her.

"And you're... wait!" her voice dropped, "we're doing it again," Natalie whispered in mock fear, raising her eyebrows at him playfully.

Aleron paused, her words bringing his newly-found fatherly side out again. He immediately realized that his thoughts were far, far too inappropriate, and Natalie was off-limits. Unlike last week.