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“I don’t have a problem.”
“You’re desperate so you do. The only thing I’m grateful about is that I don’t think you’ve been drinking long enough to have physical effects, so at least we don’t have to deal with your shaky ass while you puke and go insane from withdrawal. If we let you keep drinking, you will end up like that.”
“You try getting raped and see if you don’t want to dull it, you fucking prick.”
Oriel shoved in the last of his bread and stood. Aspen involuntarily took a step backward, but Oriel only marched off alongside the stream.
Roth avoided his eyes like looking at a whore would hurt his lordly self.
He was supposed to put up with these two and all of this traveling with no alcohol? Aspen sat on the ground on the other side of his horse and faced away even though he was visible between the horses legs. How was he supposed to deal with hours of being on horseback with nothing to smear the sharp edges in his mind? Everything lurked right around the corner.
He drew up his knees and clamped his mouth shut as tears filled his eyes. Why did they care if he ended up as an alcoholic anyway? He’d kill himself once he was done making Oriel suffer because he wasn’t spending his life like this, so it wasn’t like he’d be a bother. His last weeks should be spent on his terms, but he always had to live on someone else's terms.
Once they got to the Windswept Isles, they’d surely wash their hands of him and pretend like they were great for getting him so far away. Oriel would have his Aunt, and even if he didn’t go after his Kingdom, the Queen would certainly never let him live on the street. Pretty boy over on the rock would do more than touch Oriel’s arm, and he'd start bending over for royal cock.
Worthless Aspen would be a forgotten whore and barely a dot in their memories after a while.
Oriel returned after a bit and said nothing. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as Aspen lagged behind by a good fifteen feet.
They slept on the ground that night. Or Aspen tried to sleep. He woke up every hour or so with a jolt. The bedroll was warm and comfortable enough, but he kept thinking he heard noises. Oriel and Roth seemed to be sleeping just fine. He finally sank into a deeper nothing before dawn, but Oriel was soon telling him to get up, so it didn't last long.
The following days passed in the same cycle. Get up. Do necessities. Eat food that tasted like nothing to him. Ride for hours. Lunch. Ride. Dinner. Shitty sleep. Feel like crap. Repeat.
Aspen used to have a nice horse that he loved back when life was good, and it was just him and Father. The horse had been sold to help pay for Father’s enormous debts. Aspen could have bought one while he was at the Castle, but he never did, and he’d borrow one if he went out into Lork.
The sudden increase of riding for hours and hours made his thighs and arse hurt. To top it off, he knew he woke up shouting a few nights after dreams of being crushed under men’s weight. The other two never said anything, but it shamed him beyond belief while he tried not to cry in his bedroll.
Oriel and Roth had each other all day. Aspen didn’t even have a sip of wine to take off the edge. It wasn’t fair that Oriel could get his way so easily. He got to move on to other things. He had lost his family, and Aspen knew that hurt like a bitch, but he’d probably get his crown back or stay with Asara. He’d havesomethingandsomeonewhile Aspen had no family, no friends, no way to get by, and no way to survive his head.
After one week, Oriel decided he’d go alone into a town since they needed food for themselves and the horses. Since they were too close to Calatan for comfort, he and Roth bickered over who would go but finally settled on Oriel anyway. Roth was too noticeable with his red ears, tail, and hair. Even with a cloak, someone might see his bright, red eyes. They probably thought Aspen would get sloshed in a tavern and never come back.
Oriel left with the extra horses to sell along with some items. They waited for quite a while in the woods. Aspen ignored Roth who kept flicking his tail in agitation and twitching his ears at every tiny sound.
Oriel returned without issue and no news. The town was small and sleepy according to him.
Oriel and Roth must have decided it was safe enough after over another week since they all went into a town near the border. They kept their hoods up and found an inn that looked decent.
“I’ve got a big room up top.” The innkeeper behind the front counter scratched around his horns. “The price is reasonable, and it’s got three beds.”
“Two rooms,” snapped Aspen. If they thought he was sleeping with them, they had another thing coming. He’d never get any rest in such close proximity.
Oriel glanced at him. “Two regular rooms for two nights. We'll eat there too."
Aspen slammed his door once he was in his room. Finally, he was alone. There was a bathing room down the hall, and he made use of it before dinner was brought up to his room.
“Can I get some ale?” he asked the innkeeper after he took the bowl of stew.
“Hm? No. No ale.”
Aspen kept his hand on the doorknob, ready to slam it closed if the man did anything to scare him. “You don’t have ale?”
“We do, but you can’t have any.”
“Excuse me?”
The innkeeper backed up and glanced down the hall. “The one who paid for the rooms, Billan, he said no ale due to your health.”
That was Oriel’s fake name. “My health is fine.”
