“Is that so?” Taegan asked, trying to sound as politely disinterested as possible to disguise the sudden anxiety that pierced him. His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest. How bad could the situation have become?
“Oh, yes,” the man said. “If you’ve any family in Castle Aefraya, hopefully they took off in time. The orcs have besieged the capital and the castle. Rumor is the king has fled and is in hiding now, but who knows how much truth there is to that? All I know is I left Aefraya in a hurry and I don’t aim to go back until all this blows over.”
“The—besieged?” Taegan asked, now unable to mask the concern in his voice. “I—forgive me, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“I was able to get out just in time myself,” the man said, shaking his head incredulously. “Luckily, I just missed the invading force. I was on the road the day before they arrived at the city walls. That was about a week ago now.”
For a long moment Taegan was silent, his mind racing. If the capital had been besieged for a week, it seemed unlikely his letter would have made it after all, or perhaps a mere day or two before it happened. If it had even arrived, would his father have received it? Where would he have gone? How had the orc forces gotten all the way to the capital so quickly, and in such numbers that the king may have fled rather than stand and fight?
“You all right?” the man asked, and looked suddenly sheepish. “Sorry, sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I take it you had family in the capital, then?”
“I do,” Taegan said faintly, unable to look at the human any longer. Suddenly all he could think about was getting out, getting home. “I—pardon me. Thank you for the news. I have to... I have to go.” And without waiting to see if the man answered, he set down his drink and hurried out of the tavern, forcing himself not to break into a sprint, even though everything in him was screaming to run.
His resolve didn’t last long, though, and by the time he was just outside the town square, he had started to jog, coming up on the house rapidly. He did not remember getting inside, but he must have slammed the door open as he did because he heard Zorvut calling out to him before he saw him.
“Taegan? Is that you?”
He stumbled to the back door where Zorvut was already coming inside, his brow furrowed in worry. His alarm must have been loud and clear through the bond, and even Tom looked concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Zorvut asked, and before he could even speak, Taegan burst into tears, pressing his face into his husband’s chest. “What’s happened?”
“My father,” he managed to gasp between sobs, shaking his head. “I was speaking with—I don’t know, someone at the tavern, and—he said he’d come from Aefraya, a merchant, and the capital is under siege. They don’t know where the king is, he said they think he might have fled, gone into hiding.”
For a moment he could feel a spike of fear from Zorvut’s end of the bond mirroring his own, but it was quickly stifled as the half-orc embraced him, squeezing him tightly in reassurance.
“Okay,” Zorvut said, barely above a whisper, though the words still rumbled through his chest. His tone was measured and controlled as he was clearly considering what to do. “Okay. And you’re sure? This man, he was sure?”
“Yes,” Taegan said, nodding and wiping his eyes. He had to keep it together, he told himself, he had to hold himself together long enough to make a decision. “Yes, he was certain. He said, he hoped I didn’t have family in the capital, that things went south just after he left. So it’s been about a week, maybe two. Gods, Zorvut, what if—they could have—” The words stuck in his throat and he couldn’t speak, but Zorvut squeezed him harder in understanding and he could feel him nodding as he spoke.
“I doubt it,” he said slowly. “If they think he’s gone into hiding, or if they’re not certain… No, if Hrul had gotten ahold of the king, he would have made sure everyone knew it.”
“We have to go back,” Taegan urged, pulling away to look up at Zorvut. Tears blurred his vision, but he met the half-orc’s gaze as steadily as he could. “We have to go.”
He could feel Zorvut hesitate, could almost hear him protest—How can we get back to the capital if it’s under siege? What could we even do to help if we don’t know where the king is?—but he did not speak for a long moment, instead taking a few deep, measured breaths. Though he could practically feel the gears turning in his mind, he had no idea what Zorvut was thinking.
“We’ll go,” he finally said, giving a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. His mouth was pressed in a hard line around his tusks, but Taegan could feel nothing from his end of the bond. Whatever he was feeling, he was keeping it tightly wrapped. “We’ll take the night to pack and head out tomorrow morning. Tom...” He released Taegan to turn back to face him—Taegan had all but forgotten the presence of the human, who was leaning against the doorframe with a hand covering his mouth.
“No, I completely understand,” he said before Zorvut could continue, lifting his other hand to stop him. “That’s... a lot. That’s a big deal. Of course you would want to go.”
“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me, for us,” Zorvut continued, his voice finally wavering. “You’ve opened your home to us and taught me far more than I ever dreamed possible. I can never repay you.”
“Oh, please,” Tom replied with a slight grin, though he too sounded suddenly heartbroken as he said it. “I’m just glad I got to know you. And, well, now that I know my son is a prince, I’m sure you can repay me at some point.” He winked, but the smile on his face dropped immediately as he stepped toward them. “Do you need any help packing? Do you have the supplies you’ll need for the trip?”
“Packing will be quick, I think,” Zorvut said, glancing upward toward the stairs. “We don’t have any rations for the road, though. We hadn’t anticipated having to leave so soon...”
“I can handle that,” Tom said, striding for the door as he said it. “What else do you need? Food, camping gear...?”
“Just food,” Taegan said, wiping his eyes. The flurry of action helped dull the sharp pain in his chest. “We should still have all our other supplies.”
“Got it,” Tom called, already halfway out the door. They watched him leave, then Zorvut turned to face him.
“Let’s go pack up,” he said, then reached out to squeeze Taegan’s hand. “We’ll be alright. I promise.”
Taegan’s throat tightened up again at that, so he simply nodded in response and allowed himself to be led up the stairs. He could only hope that would be the truth.
Packing their belongings gave him something to focus on, yet it still seemed to go by in a blur. Somehow, clothes were folded and placed in their rucksacks, but he could not remember handling anything. Zorvut inspected the camping gear that had been stored downstairs, checked everything and set it by the door, and walked around the house to retrieve any of their belongings that might have ended up outside of their room. He was quiet and outwardly calm, but every so often Taegan would feel a flash of worry through the bond that was quickly stifled. Though he knew Zorvut was masking his feelings for Taegan’s sake, it was strangely comforting to know the half-orc was feeling as wildly afraid and unsure as he was.
When Tom returned about an hour later, he was carrying a large canvas bag stuffed to the brim with food. “Got your supplies,” he called from downstairs. “I’ll put it here by your other things.” A few moments later, Taegan could hear him coming up the stairs.
