"That told me everything I needed to know." He crushed the peanut in his hands and slammed his fist on the last one with a bang, obliterating it as well.

 "North hasthe other piece, and it's in Queensend"

Raven shivered a little in his seat and inched away from River. "Smart people are fucking scary."

"If I figured that out, Kaizer must have done so ages ago. He believes I have one, maybe mostly because he knows my family has the other."

River sighed and turned to Valor. "Is Kaizer in North, now?"

Valor shook his head grimly. "He apparently can't travel right now. He sent a missive and an envoy."

"I have a strong feeling that it must be a dislocated hip bone, a missing brother and a sick friend." River muttered under his breath, his skin pebbling at the memory of the silver-haired king crawling out of the sea of fire.

"Sooner or later, he will stop playing niceties and send an army of eight foot, six eyed monsters to attack North and Lucian Verlice knows it."

 River tapped his fingers rhythmically, eyes hooded in both thoughtfulness and exhaustion. "Kaizer Schulz really is one shove away from burning the world down."

River turned to Raven, abruptly. "Where were we supposed to dock? If storm didn't change our path?"

"Seafort" Raven answered, flatly.

"Father sent a small army to Seafort to attack Alistairs and capture you the minute you step on dry land." Valor stated in a small voice, seemingly having all his energy siphoned out of him. 

"Luckily Aithan Alistair sent a confidential missive to me and me only, informing the change of locations. That's how I convinced Alistair to come meet me before proceeding any further and rushed here." Valor picked at his fingernails. 

Don't look so guilty, courageous one.

"That's no luck." River smirked knowingly. "Aithan has great foresight. He probably saw through my father's word vomit of a missive about negotiations and fair trial.

" River tapped the bar top on a faster pace, the noise in harmony with Valor's foot tapping. "I have a feeling that no matter how brilliant this hide-in-plain-sight plan is, you're being followed, Val—likely by your uncle."

"I want you to leave North,Fuuko" Valor pleaded. "Go with Alistair. If father gets to you – "

"Lucian Verlice believes I have a metal piece; he wants to take it from me before handing me off to Kaizer who will send my head rolling before I can get a word in." River rubbed his temple, feeling an oncoming headache. 

"That way, he will have Salkow, and two metal pieces. Two birds down with one good -for- nothing child. Am I right?"

"How did you-"Valor's jaw went slack, his eyes growing to the size of saucers.

"I strongly advice against deceiving Kaizer Schulz." River tried to keep the sense of urgency away from his even toned voice. Then he shrugged, nonchalantly. "But who am I to advice oh -so great Verlices?"

"Their second prince" Valor said without missing a beat, determination evident in his voice only to earn a scornful glance from his younger brother.

River's voice dropped to a steel cold tone, and he whispered "They have only one prince and that's you, Val. I am a bargaining chip at my best days and a fucking doormat on others."

Both men seemed to be greatly taken aback to hear River swear so casually. Raven clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling a horrified squeal. Valor's eyes brimmed with tears again and the next second he was sniffling like a widow into Raven's shoulder. The Southern king awkwardly patted him on the back, in a poor attempt to calm him down, with no avail.

"He swore at me" he sobbed heart wrenchingly. "My baby brother swore at me."

God, give me strength.

"Technically I swore at myself but I'm sorry for my rudeness. Didn't mean it." River, too patted his brother on his head, like consoling a kicked puppy. He could be petty and not apologize, but then again, Val would not turn off his faucet until he did.

It was nothing out of the ordinary though, he cried at the slightest provocation. If civilians knew their crown prince cried at everything like this, they would probably change his sobriquet into tearful one.

If Aithan cried every time Raven swore, his eyes would be completely washed off their sockets.

"I still don't understand how North and East got their hands on the metal pieces" Raven questioned, handing the rag to Valor for him to blow his nose.

River shook his head side to side. "I can't comment on that without finding more information to prove my suspicions but tell me one thing Raven, you told me that almost lost your mind being standard on that island, right?'

Raven silently nodded in agreement; brows creased.

"So, I assume that you can't remember very clearly what happened after? You remember pawning them off but you can't remember pinpoint details? Like how big or small they were, what color they were? what you were wearing and such?"

"Isn't it only natural? I was fucking exhausted and starved." Raven stated after a couple of minutes of thinking "What does that has to do with anything?"

"And the only person who was with you was Aithan, am I correct?" River averted his eyes from Raven, who was looking more and more confused each second.

"Yes, who else could be there?"

River nodded slowly, eyeing three crushed peanuts, three innocent ones and three suspicious ones. "You know how everyone keeps calling you stupid for pawning them off?"

"What are you getting at River? Be fucking out with it."

"I'm starting to believe you are being falsely accused" River got up from his seat nodded at the door. "We should get moving. Let's find other two."

"Ooh , so Missy thinks I'm smart?" Raven chided while Valor paled to the shade of a parchment.

No. Raven. No

"Where are we going?" Valor asked, scurrying to his feet.

"First, Queensend" River commented, not leaving room for any argument. "Then, depending how it goes, I might pay my father a due visit."

Valor opened his mouth to protest and his crybaby tears were about to make another grand appearance. But Raven dragged him away, a friendly arm thrown over Valor's shoulder.

River watched his brother and the southern king muttering among themselves, their backs turned to him. They were obviously bickering and plotting to distract him from walking right into his father's waiting hands. River even heard Raven bragging about teaching him to swear.

In a way the two were quite similar but was also as different as day and night. If given enough time, River had a feeling they might grow into inseparable buddies. Who knew what future had in store?

River planned to throw himself into Kaizer's hounds when that day arrives.

As the other two sauntered toward the door of Mara's, eager to leave the box sized hell hole, River took one last glance at the bar top, strewn with peanut crumbles and pale red skins.

His eyes glinted coldly, watching the formation. Peanut pawns, on an imaginary board of Conquest. Some crushed, some accused, some innocent.

Lou Lou was the one who taught him Conquest. He played the board game with the blind valet in the pitch darkness of his confinement, for hours and hours, with only a single candle lit to brighten their makeshift board of tricks, secrets, and deceptions.

He would win every round once he got the hang of it and Lou Lou would whine endlessly about how he had been an undefeated Conquest champion when his eyes were still working well in his youth.

"It's easy to defeat a blind opponent, young master" he chuckled once, fondly staring at River through his squinted eyes. "So always blind your opponent."

"You shouldn't encourage me to poke people in the eyes" River had said flatly, folding up the hand drawn parchment board and dusting off crumbles of peanuts they've been using as improvised pawns.

"People can see well and still be blind to what's right before them" Lou Lou laughed heartily, throwing his head back.

Reminiscing back to that day,River picked up two 'suspected' peanuts from their group of three on the bar counter, and fondly placed one amongst the innocent ones. He then fisted the other and turned to leave.

"Remember, Young Master" he recalled his now dead friend's words, echoing through his head. "Nothing blinds a man like his own heart"

River followed his brother and companion out of Mara's, leaving a trail of Peanut crumbles in his wake.

Author has something to say.

This one is basically the other part of part 1 so its short

comment, vote !

author is tired. she was typing nonstop for the past 10 hours.

nothing funny.

author wants a nap.

goodbye, good night, we perish!