Lord Kris, My Liege

I woke up with dull aches in every muscle of my body. The alcohol from the previous night had now turned sour and gave me a splitting headache. I looked to my side and found a beautiful red-haired girl snoring gently. It was a long time ago, with friendlier people and harsher conditions.

I wrapped the bedsheet around my waist and dragged myself off the bed and found the innkeeper cleaning the tavern, “I need a whiskey,” I called out. I had this belief that alcohol is the only thing that can cure a hangover. I was a different man then, choke-full of arrogance.

The innkeeper’s sigh hurt the insides of my skull. The old man slammed a mug of warm, stale beer, “This is all we have.”

I had never tried curing a hangover with stale beer before so I shrugged and gulped it down, “That tastes like piss.” I belched. I sighed and was about to go back into my room and make some love with the red-haired girl when I stumbled into a small kid who grinned widely.

The little girl peeped at the door behind me and giggled, “What are you planning to do urchin?” She pulled my bedsheet with force, chafing my sensitive regions, and dashed her small group of miscreants. I winced and walked back to the room.

I had recently given up a life of luxury and had decided to roam the continent alone. I’d spent countless days wandering the Aldervaren before I stumbled upon a small settlement. I enjoyed my own company, but sometimes I missed female companionship, so chaffed and all, I made love to that beautiful red-haired girl– several times.

The next morning, I found the little urchin stealing fruits from a vendor in the market, she nimbly lifted an apple while her friends distracted the seller by creating a ruckus. Curious, I found myself chasing the group of miscreants. The deftly slipped into the shadows of dark alleys and emerged the other side.

The little urchin, who had stolen my bedsheet led her friends and me into a dark alley sequestered between two closely built houses. I kept myself at an earshot distance and heard them talk, “Tomorrow, we’ll eat pie.”

“Maya,” I heard one of them speak, “What if we get caught?”

“What then?”

“Aren’t you afraid of being beaten?”

“I’d rather be beaten than go hungry,” the little urchin said with pride, “And don’t worry Marco, you can blame it all on me.”

I heard footsteps approach from the other side of the alley, “Maya,” a deep hoarse voice echoed in the alley, “How are you?”

“Piss off,” for a girl so small, Maya had a big mouth, “Jake!”

“Now, now,” Jake inched closer, “Why’d you insult me, don’t you remember what I did last time?”

I was far from the miscreants, but I sensed Maya terrified of Jake, “No, asshole!” she steeled herself. Her friends cowered behind her as Jake finally came to light. He was a huge man with multiple scars on his face and was wearing a shirt that was crusted with mud.

Jake ran his thick fingers along Maya’s face and lifted her shirt, “Your scar is healing,” he said rubbing her belly, “let me give you another one.”

I was taken aback when tiny Marco stood up, “Keep your hands off her.” Jake looked up at him and slapped him brutally across his face. Maya balled her fist and punched Jake in the eye.

“You are going to pay for that,” he gripped the little urchin in his hands and pinned her on the street, Maya struggled to break free.

Something inside me boiled, I had done several unspeakable things in my life, but what Jake was about to do was unforgivable. Without thinking, I jumped into the street, stunning Jake.

“Who the hell are you?” Jake said with a raised eyebrow.

I simply smiled as I pulled out my sword, Riptide out from its scabbard and the dark alley immediately turned darker. The black blade of Riptide sucked in light. The man fumbled to pull out his weapon, but before he could reach for it I tossed his head across the alley.

“Thank you.” Maya said, “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“You are brave, Maya,” I offered her my hand, “But you need to learn a lot about street fights.”

“Will you teach me?”

I sheathed the Riptide and nodded, “But you have to promise me, you’ll take my bedsheets– for that matter, my towels– like that ever again.”

“Promise,” Maya grinned, “What is your name?”

I had a very old name, but that wasn’t me. After doing many terrible things, I wanted to be someone else, but I hadn’t figured it out, “I don’t have a name!”

“We didn’t either,” Marco said spitting blood, “We gave each other one.”

“You are a Kristopher,” Maya said measuring me up with her eyes, “You are a Kristopher.”

“Yes,” Marco looked at me too, “You are.”

“Lord Kris!” Maya kneeled before me, “My Liege!”