"Today my daughter is finally engaged! In honour of this grand day, I serve every patron here for free!!!"
"YEAH!"
"I only ask that you join me in merry making!"
"YAY!"
In a tavern of a large city, a middle aged man with a huge jug of ale was standing on the counter. His belly was as round as an iron pot and looked just as weighty. He had a huge smile on his face, his words sluggish and his eyes hazy. He was clearly drunk. Any sane person would have dismissed his words as that of a drunk. But the people in here were not sane now, were they? They were just as drunk, if not more. And they looked just as disoriented. Yet even those who had yet to reach their limits rejoiced at the words of the man. Why? Because he owned the tavern. If he said everything was for free, then it was.
"Get down father, please. You may hurt yourself." A pretty young woman who looked to be in her early twenties tried to talk the drunk man out of a possible fall related injury. She gently clutched his forearm as she tried to get him down.
"Let me help. It's my fault he's like this". A young man with equally good looks offered to help out the lady. After a few more words, the older man relented and was helped off the counter.
"How can you blame yourself? He didn't have to get this drunk. You're marrying his daughter, not force feeding him ale." A slightly plump middle aged woman appeared from the back room with a huge barrel of ale in her hands. The younger man rushed to help her out. They offloaded the barrel right under the counter space.
"Because of this moron we aren't earning anything this night. Just losses sustained." The plump woman spoke once again as she held on to the unbalanced middle aged man.
"Mother, don't call father a moron" the pretty lady orated. Her mom shrugged at her words and ignored her.
"If only he could be well behaved like the handsome chap you're marrying", she added.
The young man who was apparently engaged to the bar owner's daughter scratched his head with a blissful smile. It was a smile that belonged to a man in love.
"Oh by the way, there is a young man waiting for you. He mentioned that he was an old friend of yours and wanted to discuss some matters with you." The pretty lady softly nudged the young man as she spoke.
"Oh? Did he say what his name was?" he asked curiously.
"No, he didn't. But I reckoned that he wasn't lying. He was wearing a similar ring to the one you have. You know, the ring you said belonged to members of your family? I assumed he was more than a friend. I asked him to sit over there and wait for you." She pointed at one end of the bar, a place with pretty good lighting. A man sat there all alone. He had a cup of ale before him, though it remained untouched. It wasn't that he hadn't taken any ale, for the ale jug was half empty. The untouched ale was a refill. He hadn't started with it yet. He raised his head at the exact moment the young man turned to look at him, almost as though he could feel his stare. The cloak that covered his face came off, revealing a masculine face and black beautiful eyes. He raised his hand in greeting, the ring on his finger sparkling softly under the light. A ring like that looked expensive and was sure to bring unwanted attention to its wearer. It took real courage to show it off so nonchalantly, dismissive of the consequences. Luckily for him, the tavern was filled with drunks, so no one even paid any attention to him.
"That is a very handsome man. Even seated he looks very tall. If I had another daughter, I would give her hand to him in marriage." The plump lady was full of praise for her son-in-law's 'friend'. Her words caused her daughter to blush in shame as she hurried to cover the older woman's mouth.
"Let me talk to him. I'd be back soon." The young man lightly kissed his bride-to-be as he left to meet with his 'friend'.
"It has been long. What are you doing here?" the young man immediately asked upon sitting opposite to his handsome counterpart.
"You really are full of surprises, aren't you? To think you're living such a life down here. What are you doing in a tavern?" The tall man gulped down some ale as he stated.
"Gathering intel. You do know that a place with alcohol is one where secrets would be spilled." The young man nonchalantly stated.
"And so you picked a tavern which from what I hear, is pretty famous. It's the best in this city, isn't it?" the black eyed man questioned. The young man nodded in response and proceeded to ask, "Why are you here? You could have easily contacted me with the ring. I told you, we can't be seen together so frequently."
"I needed to see you." He answered. He didn't get the chance to explain the reason for his visit though as the younger man interjected, "Wait. Listen".
At one of the four corners of the bar, four figures were having an important discussion. They were dressed in neat leather armour with their weapons placed on the table before them. They sat in twos- two facing two. Their discussion was in hushed tones. Even in the loud bar full of drunks they were careful enough to keep their voices down. It was surprising that they could even hear each other. Unfortunately, the only people interested in their words weren't the drunks, and they could still hear them anyway.
"The King of the South has resurfaced. Apparently, the eternal throne recognised his blood, confirming his identity", one of them stated.
"What of the usurper?" another asked.
"What do you think? He was executed of course" the first speaker stated mockingly.
"Unsurprising result. He would have been executed anyway. No one would allow a threat to their throne remain alive. In chains or not, he'd still be a threat" another chimed in.
"He's lucky he was executed so cleanly. Remember what he did to the royal family when his rebellion was successful?" the first speaker added. The others nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Of course they remembered. It was a very popular matter a few years ago. Even sewer rats heard of it. After capturing the eternal throne, the Usurper boiled the members of the royal family in oil. Oil had a high boiling point. Such a death was painful and cruel. Even more devastating was that he didn't spare the children and babes of this misery. Even new-born babes were boiled just as savagely as their parents were. For the sole survivor of that tragedy to grant him a swift death was mercy.
"To think the true heir returned. And to be able to convince the nobles who turned their backs on him and his family to support him is amazing." One of them sighed in admiration.
"The heir isn't a he- it's a she" the only one who had remained silent all this while finally spoke up.
"Wait what. Are you sure captain?" one asked, to which the captain nodded in reply.
"And she didn't convince them with words. She used her fists. She destroyed all the noble houses. They were also executed. She has appointed new nobles. Apparently they are those she had been through life and death with, those who aided her in reclaiming her family's throne." The captain continued.
"She must have had a huge stroke of fortune to get so powerful" orated the man who sat next to the captain.
"Or a strong teacher. Such a person is not of this world. The strength she displayed was unordinary. If she has a teacher, that person would be a monster." The captain solemnly stated.
"Hopefully, it's just her good fortune. I hate to think what it would mean if such a figure is hiding in the shadows." The captain continued. The others all turned silent, each of them saying a silent prayer, hoping that the captain's assumption was false.
"Amazing mind he has there" the tall man stated as he gulped down more ale. His 'friend', the young man had a cup in his hand as well. The ale in the cup swirled around as he looked lost in thought.
"Hey, you should at the very least drink your ale. They have discretion you know. They might notice that you're listening."
"I won't. Alcohol clouds the judgement of even the most brilliant of minds" he replied.
"So what is that brilliant mind concocting? Not satisfied with your disciple gaining control of the largest empire on the planet?" the tall man joked. If the four strangers were to hear them, they would be shocked out of their skins. To think that the captain's hypothesis was right. And that the elusive figure they spoke of was right there in the bar with them!
"I want to recruit them. I don't care much about the others. But the captain has a sharp mind. He could be our arms and legs here when I leave." The young man stated.
"You really are cruel. Abandoning the young girl who is already so in love with you." The tall man jeered.
"She'd get over it" the young man nonchalantly stated. He clearly didn't care about the girl. As for how he was able to look so in love when he wasn't, there was only one explanation.
"You haven't changed at all now have you, Loki."
"Neither have you, Ares you brute."